When things turned ugly …
‘Bread and Roses’ consists of an assemblage of slices of bread and a handful of roses, laid out on a wooden platter. It has been left, quite literally, to fend for itself since May of last year when a Tory government was reinstated. I’ve documented the impact of neglect on a regular basis in the months since, mirroring the experiences of many people affected by the Tory government’s draconian austerity measures – no nourishment, no nurturing, no care or sustenance.
The decay up until now has been gradual and in line with the amount of time the bread and roses have been left. This week however, has been exceptional – in all manner of ways. Politically, the UK has undergone the most dramatic upheaval for decades. We’ve seen alarming increases in xenophobic and racist attacks. Today, checking on ‘Bread and Roses’ in order to take a photo, I noticed that rain had managed to make its way into the box that normally shelters it from the elements – the amount of rainfall has been exceptional, too. In keeping with the ugly mood of the country, here is how ‘Bread and Roses’ looked today.
