This story was born from the isolation days. As the first covid-19 case was confirmed in Indonesia, my husband, my daughter and I decided to stay at home. I almost forgot how it was days before pandemic. Now the entire house is a playground, the living-room is more messed up than usual. I remember one day I rushed myself to tidy up the legos, and be ready to pick up my daughter from her english class. Then come home for lunch and go again for ballet, or swimming class. There are usually lots going on with us. Now, our lives are at once achingly slow-paced and unexpectedly intense. We struggled to build new rhythms at home.
In the corner, My daughter Aluna sits quietly with sparkling eyes at the screen. Sometimes she laughs. I slacken the screen time so she can enjoy her favorite cartoon everyday. It helps me a lot to continue my days during pandemic. This is our way to reconcile with this situation. It’s not my proudest parenting, so I am not thinking about it. And, it turns out, as I have learned during these trying times, that not thinking is a good mothering strategy.
I am documenting the daily life of my daughter, Aluna, during the pandemic. She is really active and likes to be around other people. I thought this situation would be difficult for her at first, but after we established the new rhythm everything went just fine. She remains as cheerful and active as ever. Coronavirus has given my family another opportunity to deepen our bonds with one another. This project represents both my worries and hope about life after the pandemic.
Biography
Atikah Zata Amani (1988) is a photographer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. My photography explores communities and the connection between people and places. For me, the relationships and collaboration formed with my subjects are important to the image making.
I was born in Jakarta and studied English Literature at the university. I as a former television journalist, now dividing my time as a photographer, writer, and a mother of a young daughter. Some of my works have been published in DestinAsian Indonesia, WhyNow, Narasi TV, and etc. In October 2019 I took part in a collective exhibition titled “Kisah-Kisah Tanah Manusia” in collaboration with Arkademy and World Resources Institute Indonesia at Galeri Salihara, Jakarta, Indonesia.
