BREXIT

POLITICAL SPECTRUM

Animated GIF - drawings inspired by photographs contributed by research participants Dave and Joan. Interview date March 2021.

Photograph contributed by Dave and Joan edited by H.Snell.

Dave and Joan self-identify as ‘British’ and come from the South West of England. They are a white couple in their 60s. This image is based on photographs that were taken of them while attending a rally to celebrate Britain leaving the EU. They voted leave in the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. 

BLIND FAITH

Animation based on drawings from screenshots of ethnographic fieldwork interviews on Zoom with Adrian and Peter.

Screenshot from ethnographic fieldwork interview on Zoom with Adrian and Peter, December 2020.

another fine metaphor

 

Adrian: The iceberg is a very good metaphor for Brexit or Covid, frankly, and how it can bring low a very rich, very powerful nation… Fifteen hundred people died on this ship … and you look for example at our Covid death rates are amongst the worst in the world per capita, so I think also … in terms of kind of a British project that ended with massive fatalities then that’s another fine metaphor for it as well.  However, you wanted to put the Christmas lights around it, didn’t you?

 

Peter: The Christmas lights to me represents this idea and this sense that in Britain … we’ve got Brexit looming which looks likely to be a disaster. We’ve got Covid which is already a disaster and the ways of dealing with it or planning for it … as a country we don’t care as long as we can put Christmas lights up, and have Christmas, and go shopping, and as long as it’s got Christmas lights, we don’t care, we just don’t care, we don’t need to think about it. So, it will be fine, so that’s it and that’s the same … with Brexit and Covid…

Quote from interview with Adrian and Peter, December 2020. Adrian and Peter are white men in their 50s. They live in the South West of England. Adrian is of British and Italian descent. Peter comes from the north of England. They voted to remain in the referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU.