Open Wide and Say Ahhh (2020)

– Audio & Images, 47 mins 54 secs

Anonymous ‘mouthies’ confront us with what became publicly forbidden. Participants display trust and vulnerability by voicing their experiences and exposing an intimate space, when sharing physical space is restricted. Are we all in this together? The project shows the pandemic from multiple, individual viewpoints. Opening wide and saying ahhh, or should that be arghhhhhh, represents innumerable things: fluctuating mental health, caring deeply for others, surrendering to invisible forces, enduring domesticity, a sigh of relief, raging at politicians, finding new hobbies, evaluating prioritise, feeling thankful, swearing in frustration, etc. 


This online version of the project contains 113 sound bites and unsociable images from as many participants, made during the first lockdown in the UK, as lockdowns were also being enforced across the globe from March-August 2020. Entries were posted daily and anonymously on Instagram @openwide.and.sayahhh from participants based in the UK, India, Spain, Brazil, Greece, France, China, Luxembourg, Sweden, USA, Portugal, Azerbaijan, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Hawaii, and Germany. 

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