The first photo was from Ian Berry’s friend, photographer Denise Stock, in Munich and the project was also aided by her. Many of her photos portrayed her daughters home schooling. Other professional photographers included the likes of Michael Cuffe and famous street art documentary photojournalist Martha Cooper who helped hint at Ian Berry’s next project #iclapfor with her portraying the clapping at 7pm nightly in New York. Lucinda Grange who shot Ian’s Secret Garden in New York showed a stunning shot, showing the light come in through the window blinds from her Swiss home.

Stay Behind Closed Doors

Ian Berry uses photography to base his handcrafted pieces in denim. Back in March/April 2020 he had shoots planned in the homes of some of his friends to build on Behind Closed Doors to show at the Museum Rijswijk in The Netherlands.

Then covid hit and lockdown happened in the UK; and the world. His shoots were cancelled. He saw how his art had taken on a new meaning, for years having portrayed isolation. He started asking friends to portray their own isolation, initially thinking of using them to turn to blue with his denim jeans.

Photos began coming in and together with Curator Diana Wind they decided the photos were an amazing documentation of the time. While Behind Closed Doors and isolation art were to become common phrases, it was an extension to Ian Berry’s work and a natural project.

Hundreds of photos came from across the globe, from both professional photographers as well as amateurs. Some portraying the melancholy so familiar in Ian Berry’s pieces in denim to humour and documenting the things what we did behind closed doors, like playing games, exercise as well as the loneliness.

Ian Berry and Diana Wind decided to display many of them in the Garden Gallery of Museum Rijswijk. 16 were chosen to be printed, with many more lasered in to denim to make a back drop with Tonello onto Cone Denim fabric. Alice Tonello and Kara Nicholas and Gabriel Theodorm represented these companies with submissions of their own along with exhibition supporter Tricia Cary of Tencel. Even more were shown on a TV screen bringing many people in to the show.

As we head in to new lockdowns it reminds us of a time past, the mentality, the fear and the hope. We see the loss of Kiana Elliott who was due to represent Australia in her first Olympics and Oscar Winning Costume Designer Jenny Beavan OBE shot by Juan Gimenez Japiola that was the one closest to an ‘Ian Berry’. A favourite of Diana Wind was shot by Nathan Meckley of his wife Angelique Meckley in San Francisco doing Yoga with her cat by her side, the big windows bordering the beautiful view on San Francisco Bay outside.