Crochet in the time of COVID
After Aotearoa entered into COVID-19 shutdown on 25 March 2020 and teddy bears started appearing in windows, local Nelson resident Ailys Tewnion picked up her crochet hook and started to make her own.
Without a window at street level, Ailys’ creations were attached to her fence much to the delight of local residents including Shae Trewin, Collections Leader at the Nelson Provincial Museum. Shae approached Ailys to donate three sets of bears as part of the “Life in the Bubble” contemporary collecting initiative jointly created by the Museum and Nelson City Library and later joined by Tasman District Libraries.
A Teddy Bears Picnic on display on Ailys Tewnion’s Fence During Covid Lockdown.
“Life in the Bubble” was one of first COVID-19 collecting initiatives in the country and was an important project to ensure that the experiences of the Nelson Tasman region were preserved for future researchers and museum visitors.
Ailys created her Jacinda and Ashley Bloomfield bears when prompted by her daughter and they were an instant hit.
The diorama donated to the Museum includes the speaker’s podium and a replica of the Nelson clock tower in the background set to 1p.m. reflecting the time of the daily national COVID-19 update.
Ailys’ creation “Teddy Bear’s Picnic” recognises Level 3 restrictions as New Zealand was emerging from shutdown and groups of 10 were allowed to form. This period allowed families to reconnect for the first time in over a month as shown by the different generations of bears featured in this diorama including an elderly solider bear to recognise that traditional ANZAC day services were cancelled in 2020. Look closely and you’ll also find a bottle of sanitiser.
Ailys’ final diorama celebrates kiwis getting out and about when Level 1 restrictions were due to arrive in June.
“Teds on tour” features an adorable little caravan aptly named the “COVID Cruiser” with the equally clever license plate “CNZ 2020” and a typical AA sign featuring destination hotspots around Aotearoa
If you have any objects, stories or photographs that reflect your COVID-19 experience we want to hear from you!
Contact us or upload your files directly at the Life in Bubble Platform click here to find out more.
We understand that COVID-19 has and continues to impact on our community. We respect that stories and experiences can be traumatic or painful and must be documented with sensitively. If you would like to share your story but for it to stay confidential please talk to us and we can assist.
See some of the other acquisitions from the Life in the Bubble collecting through our Collections Online webpage - click here to explore.
