It started as a response to uncertainty and confusion, a simple personal illustrated diary to chronicle the day to day changes, if there would be any. This was still unknown on March 10, 2020, the first day of Italy’s national lockdown.
And then it was a question posed to friend and fellow sketcher Simo Capecchi:
Dear Simo, Since we are now in quarantine, indefinitely, who knows when we’ll be able to sketch together again? And what about the workshop we were planning? Let’s do something together anyway in these dark days. I’m in the countryside of Puglia and you’re in Naples, the country mouse and the city mouse. Why not send each other a quick sketch of what we see or experience day to day. We don’t know where all this is going, it might be interesting to document the changes on a personal level, incrementally. What do you think?
Cara Amanda, Hai ragione, è una bella idea usare contemporaneamente lo stesso taccuino. E’ realizzato a mano da un amico e ci ricorda l’ultimo viaggio di esplorazioni e disegni fatto insieme, appena in tempo, prima della quarantena. Una pagina al giorno, come una corrispondenza a distanza: avevo sempre rifiutato di partecipare a simili iniziative, sono troppo pigra, ma questa volta è diverso. Qui le nostre pagine ci faranno compagnia.
And that’s how sketching turned into a form of therapy and connection as I learned to navigate our new world. I stopped the personal diary after 35 days but our shared diary continued until Italy opened up, 70 days later.
Six months after the first entry in our shared diary we compiled our drawings into a book. In the afterword I wrote
“Six months on I desire a physical manifestation of what we created in those 70 days of quarantine. It feels incomplete for it to only exist on a webpage. Despite the fact that our daily sketches to each other were shared digitally, it was a very tactile, physical practice for both of us, a respite from the glaring computer screen and the relentless news cycle as we grasped for pieces of our old routines and habits while the world rapidly changed around us. There was a sense of stability in holding the sketchbook in my hands every day, reaching for pencil, searching for inspiration. Many days it was the only thing I could accomplish, finding something interesting to share with her, yet the practice helped me make sense of what was happening around me. I awaited Simo’s recounts of her day with anticipation and curiosity, sometimes with jealousy knowing she had a city at hand, but mostly with a sense of comfort, knowing we were both dedicated to this new daily practice and dialogue with each other. Our friendship took on a new, deeper dimension, our sketchbooks helping us navigate the uncertainty.”
Press about the diary:
Urban Sketchers USk Talks, 6 May 2020 / La Repubblica, 23 March 2020 / Napoli Monitor, 14 May 2020
The diary continues in spurts here and there and exists digitally here:
The book can be purchased (being sold at cost) or viewed here:
And the personal diary here:
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