Over the spring of 2021, as the weather was getting warmer and the nation gradually advanced along the roadmap out of lockdown, St John’s students were invited to share their experiences of College and University life during the pandemic. This competition, aptly named ‘Chronicling Covid’, gathered records of student life during an extraordinary time in the history of St John’s College, and indeed the world.
The following pictures were entered into the ‘Photography’ category of the Chronicling Covid competition.
LFTs, or Lateral Flow Tests, can be taken by residents each Friday in College. All students are part of a household with others in their block or corridor. Households with the highest turnout are rewarded with sweet treats made by Chefs John and Colin.
Clockwise from top left:
Walks, takeout coffee and the Cathedral… all providing a sense of tranquillity in a time of turbulence, by Rebecca Scarr
Finding the Silver Linings by Matilda Cimmerbeck
An empty chair lying dormant in the shadow of the silenced Cathedral, by Luke Markham
Through Durham’s Looking Glass by Natalie Lam
New beginnings by Michael Crilly
Walking together through Covid by Nickolas Tan
“I took this photo to remember how happy and blessed I felt at joining the ‘Cranmer family’.”
Halloween Dining by Mark Norton
“As we couldn’t have a normal celebration, we dressed up in some costumes left over from freshers’ week before heading to the dining room for dinner.”
The first prize for this category was awarded to Mark Norton, for his picture of the LFT pilot. The judging panel loved the symmetry of the three students taking the test, and how it captures such an odd occurrence – one that is now commonplace but was most certainly not before the pandemic.
Second prize was awarded to Katie Ross for highlighting the significance that our own bedrooms have had during this time, and for artistically capturing the light and darkness in her picture ‘Community’.
Scott Bright was awarded third prize for capturing the moment he was first welcomed into the College, wearing a mask – the tell-tale sign of the pandemic, and in the Chapel, a place that has witnessed so much history over the centuries.
John's Chronicle 