With Quarantine Diary, Mercedes Portillo captured fifty days of her life during the Coronavirus lockdown. The creative series is filled with humour and Internet clichés.

The lockdown due to the Coronavirus was scary and uncertain, but it also provided the time and space for people to explore their hobbies and passions — even if that meant that most of us were doing yoga or baking banana bread.

With the Quarantine Diary series, Mercedes Polo Portillo portrayed all these Internet trends and generational clichés in an attempt to use her skill to bring some motivation and a lighter aura to what was considered a rather heavy situation.

Day 1: Is the end of the world already there?

The UK-based photographer took pictures every day during quarantine and characterised herself and her partner with different clothes, makeup, and various accessories.

The project quickly became a fun activity for the restricted times and a means to keep creativity flowing. Mercedes focused on all the different ways people were expressing themselves on the Internet and acknowledged how individuals were turning more to themselves and their purpose while these social and economical constraints.

We are enjoying all kinds of self-expressions on the Internet. The importance of having spare time in our current social and economical contexts is coming afloat by providing motivation to do what we want and self-acknowledgement.

Mercedes Portillo

Day 2: Read and write a journal
Day 3: Play music
Day 4: Experiment with visual arts
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 5: Do exercise
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 6: Try not to drink or smoke too much
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 7: Be whoever you wanna be
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 9: Do meditation
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 10: Improve your baking skills
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 12: Wash your clothes every time you go outside
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 16: Cut your own hair
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 19: Learn a language
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 25: Turn your living room into a cinema every night
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 31: Keep calm, your mind is alright after the first month
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 32: Use your carpentry skills and give your house a new look
Day 36: Do crafts
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 37: Grow your own veggies and herbs
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 38: Have a picnic at home
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 40: Enjoy a virtual art gallery tour
Quarantine Photo Diaries
Day 42: Take care of the earth, she’s trying to tell us something

Mercedes Polo Portillo is a photographer based in Bristol, UK. Her work covers interior design, lifestyle and portrait. To see the complete Quarantine Photo Diaries project, check out her website. For more of Mercedes work, have also a look at her Cherrydeck profile.

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Posted by:Cherrydeck Editorial

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