keep your distance....
As we embark on Week 9215 of lockdown, we have all had it drilled into our heads now about staying 2 metres apart if possible to maintain social distance when out and about.
If you live in the UK, the graphic you have seen endlessly is the one below showing someone holding up a brush. This serves to illustrate just how big a distance that actually is.
In my garden I already have my brush at the ready and a socially distant stool where people will one day be able to sit. Because even when lockdown finally eases, social distancing is going to be around for a long long time…
So we may all need something like London-based designer Paul Cocksedge's Here Comes the Sun blanket which would allow people to "socialise safely and confidently" outdoors once Covid-19 lockdown restrictions have been lifted.
Inspired after he went for a walk in his local park, the design comprises a looping section of material in the shape of an outline of a circle and four separate pieces of fabric cut into circles, which can be placed around the outline at six feet apart.
The blanket has been designed for a "post-lockdown future" to make sure people maintain the suggested two-metre distance while in social situations such as picnicking or sunbathing with friends.
“Lockdown has given rise to some amazing bursts of creativity, and I wanted to create something positive, that looks towards the future. Technology has been a huge help in recent weeks, allowing people to stay connected digitally. But there’s a real feeling of how desperate people are to get backout in the world and interact with each other in real life. Post-lockdown, that socializing comes with uncertainty.
As a designer that works with sizes and measurements on a daily basis, I sometimes find it hard to accurately interpret two meters – which is a common problem we’re all having at the moment. It adds a level of worry to our future interactions. This blanket is a playful answer to that and works as a democratic piece of design that anyone can download and make.”
The design of the blanket is available to download here for free to encourage people to create their own versions, and encourage people to make, craft and pattern-cut during lockdown.
I’ve got an old duvet cover that would work perfectly for this. Surely even I can cut out four circles.
Oh I cannot wait to sit outside and talk with friends from ‘other households’
I’m sure you are all feeling exactly the same.
Queen Marie
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