Australia Locked Down: Joel McKerrow Visual Poem

Jamie van Leeuwen is the filmmaker and photographer behind the Australia Locked Down project, a crowdsourced audiovisual library dedicated to recording the impact of COVID-19 in Australia.

Featuring Melbourne-based performance poet Joel McKerrow and directed by Jamie van Leeuwen, the words and images reflect experience of the pandemic as it progressively affected Melbourne in 2020.

From international news to 'my suburb, my streets, my front door' – the city closes down and cafes, buses, trains and libraries empty.

But despite rising uncertainty, the poem finishes on an upbeat note, depicting lives slowing down and the bravery of frontline workers – 'the human spirit is nothing if not resilient'.