Social Isolation

The german version of this interview has been published here.

Lawrence Schwartzwald is working as a freelance photographer based in Manhattan for decades. 2018 he gained international recognition for publishing his visual book "The Art of Reading" at Steidl, Göttingen (Germany). It is distributed worldwide.

So far, it was the most popular residental area, now Manhattan is a zone which is characterized by isolation. New York has been attacked by Corona. At the time of the interview (28th March 2020), 28% of all US-Corona infected were based in NY.

Lawrence, you are a professional photographer in Manhattan, New York, for decades. Is this the most changing situation in your city you can remember?
Just now, President Trump has announced a likely two week quarantine for New York. Dismal news to add to an already dire situation. The most challenging for me, and for most New Yorkers, is social isolation, since I already live in a very quiet part of Manhattan (Battery Park). More restaurants, even the ones open only for take-out and delivery, have been closing.

Mental Health is under Attack

Compared to 09/11, what is different?
After 9/11, most New Yorkers knew someone who died from the attack of the Towers. Last week, a well known photographer, Robert Herman (author of The New Yorkers), who lived a block away from me, killed himself by leaping into the courtyard of his building as a result of social isolation and ongoing mental health issues. A former colleague from the New York Post is hospitalized in serious condition and and there are others in critical condition I am acquainted with.

What has changed in your everyday life?
It took a while, but I finally have been able to track down N95-masks and gloves for my protection.

"Everyone is afraid"

To be a photographer, you observe your surroundings. Are you on tour? What did you experience?
The situation in New York seems to get more difficult each day; each bit of optimism withers with reports of overwhelmed emergency rooms and the rising numbers of the infected. I don’t see yellow taxis anywhere. Everyone is afraid.

Do you feel aggressions in public, maybe in the supermarkets?
The supermarkets, which were overwhelmed a week ago, have quieted in my vicinity, with more rules in place re safe distances between customers and fewer shoppers at a time. But in other areas of the city, it is more problematic. Many New Yorkers have left the city for Florida and the suburbs, so it is noticeably quieter.