Covid Flags 2021

The ‘Covid Flag Project’ is an art project created during, and inspired by, our Kiwi lockdowns. Proceeds from each giclée flag print sold raise funds for where they are needed most. In 2020, this was the NZ Women’s Refuge; in 2021 the UNICEF & COVAX alliance to support an equitable vaccine rollout across the world.

the project

After a successful launch of the A2 Covid Flag Print series during the 2020 New Zealand lockdown, I’m releasing a second limited edition for those who missed out last time - this time in A3!

The ‘Covid Flag Project’ comprises six hand-painted canvas flags featuring slogans that we’ve been living by during our Covid-19 lockdown in NZ. I’ve photographed each flag and created limited edition giclée prints on high quality German Etching Paper, and each print edition will be dated, signed and numbered.

For every print sold, a Covid-19 vaccine dose equivalent will be donated to UNICEF to support the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in countries where access is limited, through the COVAX alliance.

the 2021 story continues…

Now into our second year of the Covid-19 pandemic and long after we thought this whole thing would be over, we still find ourselves in an ever-evolving situation. Positively, we’ve seen major breakthroughs and rapid developments of vaccines to aid in combating the virus, now rolling out globally. On the bad side, mutations of the virus such as the Delta variant have been rapidly appearing all over the show when the virus has not been contained.

In New Zealand, we’re suddenly seeing first-hand the damage that variants can inflict; with the surge of Delta cases on our own soil despite very tight borders; and with what is happening to our friends across the ditch, particularly in New South Wales. It has also become clear that vaccines are having a tangible impact on the severity of cases and helping in containing the spread of the virus.

After being fortunate enough to receive my own Covid-19 vaccine here in New Zealand, I want to do more to help, because we really are all in this together - not just in New Zealand, but globally. While 1.4 billion doses have been administered around the world by late May 2021, less than 1 per cent of global supply has reached low-income countries (source UNICEF). The longer the virus continues to spread unchecked, the higher the risk of more deadly or contagious variants emerging – placing everyone at risk - even us here in New Zealand where our border controls remain strong.

In 2021, for every A3 print sold, a Covid-19 vaccine dose equivalent will be donated to UNICEF to support the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in countries where access is limited, through their partnership with COVAX.

the 2020 backstory

When the first New Zealand lockdown began in 2020 due to the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic, I kept questioning how I could help out those in need. However without significant financial resources to donate, I decided to use my own skills and time to raise funds for an important cause - one that had seen an extra need due to the implications of Covid-19 and an enforced lockdown. 

I felt so privileged to be spending lockdown in a safe, warm home with a friendly flatmate, but others weren’t so lucky. Sadly, we saw around the world that violence behind closed doors escalated during this period of lockdown, so while home was a safe haven for many escaping the virus, for others it wasn’t easy. The Women’s Refuge saw an immediate 35% increase in residential clients when the Covid pandemic began in NZ. During the lockdown, the Women’s Refuge had to totally change the way they work - minimising face to face contact and hugs - and just because lockdown eventually ended, it doesn’t mean that women will feel safe again. Every night more than 160 Kiwi women need a safe place to escape to, which is where the Women’s Refuge help - providing a safe, clean bed, hot meals, security, childcare, as well as advice and support.

In 2020, 100% of the profits from the sale of each A2 print were donated to the Women’s Refuge. Together, we raised over $1,600 NZD for the NZ Women’s Refuge through the Covid Flag Project. That’s more than 80 ‘Safe Nights’ donated to women and children in need.

the designs

The Covid Flag Project is based upon historic heraldic flags used by knights, royals, and clans. They were, and still are, used for personal identification; a reflection of time, status, and achievement. They’re a visual representation of a community.

Like heraldic flags, the Covid Flags also represent a moment in history - a period where the world stopped and time seemed to stand still. They visualise the rhetoric we lived by in lockdown - mantras that became ingrained into our psyche. I felt an urge to turn this rhetoric into positive affirmations, so I wouldn’t ignore them and become complacent. Each flag features a different slogan: 

We’re all in this together / Stay in your bubble / Stay home, save lives / Be kind / Flatten the curve / See you on the other side

The flags are a visual representation of our entire 4.8 million community bubble in early 2020. Ultimately though, they’re celebratory flags! I wanted to help people to remember the lockdown and the rhetoric positively. The bright colours and bold type give off positive, cheerful vibes and they celebrate the incredible work that we have done together as Kiwis, in continuing to combat Covid-19 in New Zealand.

These are our community flags.