Lockdown? Let's make it a movie.

I usually take photos on the streets, but because of the pandemic, the streets are now deserted. When Ireland started implementing strict measures to curb Covid-19, I decided to photograph the people I still see every day: my parents. I created the backdrop, the stories revolving around my parents, and made them the main characters in the entire photo series.

I was fascinated by the monotony inherent in family life amidst the pandemic. I discovered that even the smallest details in everyday life, in terms of color and activity, can become masterpieces within that monotony.

When I started this project, I read an article that said people often daydream about nostalgia as a form of escape from reality. I also wanted to turn those nostalgic feelings into a way to forget the stress of the pandemic in my project.

Growing up in Ireland in the 1990s, I always saw Catholic imagery in people's homes. It fascinated me, amazed me, and left me speechless. I remember looking at those pictures and wondering who they were. The use of Christian imagery in my work isn't for proselytizing; it's neutral. Many people find comfort in seeing them.

- Enda Burke.

Enda Burke spent his lockdown time at home with his parents in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. A street photographer by profession, with the streets shut down, he decided to incorporate the people closest to him into his art, transforming their everyday stories into a classic series of photographs.Homebound With My Buffalo(At home with parents). The photo series subsequently won numerous photography awards and was released as a limited edition postcard.

The vibrant, classically styled backdrops and the carefree expressions of the two main characters brought the photo series to life and created a unique artistic atmosphere. Bright, vivid colors—cotton candy pink, sunflower yellow, and emerald green—appeared in every frame as an "antidote to the gloom brought about by Covid-19." It was an attempt at "vibrancy, humor, a form of escapism," as Enda shared. To achieve these bright shots, he scoured his family home and meticulously arranged every detail himself. He ordered antique items online, applied wallpaper, and provided his parents with new "roles."

When asked about his parents' reaction to this "unwilling task," the 33-year-old photographer replied that his parents were very easygoing and they had a lot of laughs together during the photoshoot. "I told them that,My parents are actors now, and I'm acting too; audiences really like that kind of thing."—he recounted. Enda said he was fascinated by "the monotony of family life during the pandemic," but in the process of creating these colorful photographs, life seemed to disappear.a bit monotonousany.

The main character in the photoTesco Value Dad(Dad Drinking Tesco Value Beer) humorously depicts a dad with an expressionless face, one hand holding a cigarette and the other a can of Tesco Value beer. Jesus is preaching in a picture on the wall, while Dad is watching a travel program about Miami on television. Tinsel garlands are wrapped around the table and a plate of Brussels sprouts is within easy reach – the picture tells the story of a Christmas day during lockdown.

In the pictureMam Lifting Weights(Mom lifting weights), a statue of the Virgin Mary stands on a table in front of a pink curtain, while Mom is holding a pill in her mouth while lifting weights. It looks like she's more interested in lifting the beer can at her feet to drink it than in lifting the weights in her hands. Enda shared that he "read that the rate of home workouts has skyrocketed recently." But he also confirmed that his mother has never been to a gym in her life. "She loves art and interior design; normally, she's just a housewife."

PhotoDad Ironing Some Socks(Dad is a sock) symbolizes the futile activity during lockdown. Above Dad's head is a picture of Pope John Paul II. According to Enda, this picture is there for sentimental reasons, "My parents got married on the day Pope John Paul II came to Galway, September 1979 - his visit was a very big event."

Hair keeps growing in all sorts of silly styles because we've been home too long and haven't been able to go to the barber. So Mom did Dad's hair herself. But not just a haircut, Dad wanted a perm too. [Picture]Dad Under Hairdryer Reading a Newspaper(Dad is reading the newspaper while drying his hair) came about after Enda found and bought a hairdryer from the 1950s from Craigslist in Ireland.

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