The OED defines crisis as “A vitally important or decisive stage in the progress of anything; a turning-point; also, a state of affairs in which a decisive change for better or worse is imminent; now applied esp. to times of difficulty, insecurity, and suspense in politics or commerce”. Overuse of the word ‘crisis’ by news and social media can make us feel both anxious and powerless; it has come to define the state of the nation. In my piece I have used images and objects to symbolise the many urgent predicaments we face (a stethoscope stands for the NHS, a tractor for farming, a can of beans for food banks). The objects comprise a crammed map of the UK to convey the idea that the country appears beset by crisis, leaving little room for anything other than disquiet and apprehension.
(artwork and text published in Cherwell 2019)
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