Photos: Image making as forensic enquiry in the time of Covid-19

The fear, justified or otherwise, of carrying infectious residues of the Covid-19 virus into one’s home is a very real one for people --both those with underlying health vulnerabilities and those without. In response to this, photographer Lewis Bush began to approach shopping from the perspective of a forensic investigator. During his weekly shopping, and while receiving deliveries by post, he handled everything with latex gloves, relaying these items to an improvised fingerprinting lab in his home. He then dusted these items with forensic fingerprint powders, which revealed the invisible or "latent" prints of others who had handled these products at different stages between their production and delivery.

Updated on: Oct 30, 2020 6:29 PM IST

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A regular light bulb and the fingerprints on it, as photographed by Lewis Bush in his photozine “Latent Labour.” (Lewis Bush)

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During the lockdown, Lewis Bush dusted simple shopping items with forensic fingerprint powders, which revealed the invisible or “latent” prints of others who had handled these products at different stages between their production and delivery. (Lewis Bush)

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A bottle of Marmite with the fingerprints (on the right) that lie exposed in the photograph. “What began as an inquiry into fears about contamination has also become one about the traces left behind by the labourers who make our modern economies possible,” said Bush, of his work “Latent Labour.” (Lewis Bush)

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In his photozine “Latent Labour,” Lewis Bush began to approach shopping from the perspective of a forensic investigator. (Lewis Bush)

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A can of Coca-Cola, part of Lewis Bush’s weekly shopping. “During my weekly shop, and when receiving deliveries by post, I handled everything with latex gloves, relaying these items to an improvised fingerprinting lab in my home,” said Lewis. (Lewis Bush)

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A pear, dusted with forensic powder and then photographed by Lewis Bush. (Lewis Bush)

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“Once mundane activities now seem to carry a deadly risk. The fear, justified or otherwise, of carrying infectious residues of the Covid-19 virus into one’s home is a very real one for thousands of people, both those with underlying health vulnerabilities and those without,” said Bush of the idea behind his work. (Lewis Bush)