Normally at this time of year, we reach out to a handful of photographers and regular contributors and ask them to submit a selection of photos under the heading: My Year in Photos. It’s a chance for the artist to look back and remember their year via images from their archive that may have otherwise gone unseen. (If you’ve never checked out the series before, find it here).
But 2020, of course, has felt very different to the years that came before it, and with that in mind, we wanted to honour this dramatic shift with a different perspective on the last 12 months. So we opened up submissions to everyone and asked i-D followers — be it a professional, amateur, or rarely-ever photographer — to submit a single image that attempts to encapsulate their 2020, if such a thing was possible.
There were hundreds of responses, from all over the world, and – sadly – too many to publish altogether. But we’ve narrowed it down to 100, 25 per day for the final five days of 2020. There’s tears, laughter, embraces, isolation, protests and moments of peace, that, without wanting to fall too deep into cliché, speak to a shared experience felt from Tanzania to Taiwan, Wuhan to the West Country.
Junior Sealy, 33, Barbados
“This image represents a moment in this year where a gap of socio-economic and personal beliefs were bridged and fused in a way that created a symbiotic equilibrium.”
Flo, 14, Surrey
“Freshers didn’t go to plan this year, at least Laura’s got it all under control.”
Jinger, 25, Wuhan
“I took this photo of my family members at my grandparents’ flat, where we normally had gatherings. 2020 got me to understand the relationship between human connection and space in a very different way.”
H’Abigail, 22, Greensboro, North Carolina
“This is America.”
Zara Truman, Kent, 18
“Shit.”
Cinque Mubarak, 26, Oakland, California
“From the killing of George Floyd to the kids locked in cages at the border… This image, taken a month before George Floyd’s murder, represents the ineffable pain and strife we all have not only felt this year but since the inception of America.”
Tom Kneller, New York
“It comes in waves.”
Esther Mollie Vöge-Widding, 19, Copenhagen
“Lonely.”
James Glover, 27, London
“For me, the photograph encapsulates the feeling of isolation experienced by old and young alike; three-generations cut apart by the pandemic that started this explosive new decade.”
Jessica Madavo, 20, London
“2020 has been a year of major change which for me has led to a lot of introspection, which has led to growth, in a way I didn’t expect — the same way I didn’t expect to turn the camera back onto myself.”
Mariel Chio Ibarra, 27, Berlin
“READY FOR CHAOS.”
Nazir Wayman, 21, Philadelphia
“Seemed like this year would never come to an end. Through endless acts of injustice, we fought and will fight! Even if it involves putting our lives on the line.”
Gwen van den Boogaard, 17, Haarlem, The Netherlands
“In 2020 I felt like I was going nowhere, like I was getting nowhere, and this image strongly represents that feeling for me.”
Lewis Robinson, 27, London
“Nowhere to go and feeling stuck.”
Chiemeka Offor, 17, Los Angeles
“This photo sums up my 2020 because of how surreal it was, this year shifted my perspective in so many ways.”
Siena Saba, 22, New York
“2020 has been filled with uncertainty, struggle, hope, and has challenged the meaning of family. I am so beyond grateful and proud to end the year knowing my friends and I finally have a home where we can create and build memories together.”
Freya White, 21, Bristol
“I took this photo at Hauser & Wirth, Somerset on March 14 (before the first lockdown) and I like how ominous it is — perfectly representing how uncertain the year has been. The random layout of the chairs foreshadowed social distancing too.”
Ellie Shields, 20, Devon
“This is just a photo I took on my phone — I think this year has been a good time to catch up on things at home. In my case, getting through my ‘Films to watch’ list.”
Manuel Garcés, 14, Ecuador
“This picture represents the optimism during the difficult times, in summary, my mood during this year.”
Dushan Zofka, 22, Geneva, Switzerland
“Overwhelmed by feelings, as good as bad.”
Credits
All images courtesy of the artist