Women's Aid: The Lockdown by Engine

While the nation follows the government’s direction to stay safe indoors, Women’s Aid wants people to consider those who might not be ‘safe’ via those instructions.

Between the 26 March and 1 April, Women’s Aid experienced a 41% increase in users visiting its Live Chat site – a marked difference from the week prior. To help victims of domestic abuse, Women’s Aid set up a coronavirus advice page for survivors, which has since received 27,000.

The stark growth of women seeking help coping with domestic abuse during the lockdown, presents a very chilling problem at hand. To raise awareness of those struggling through the coronavirus lockdown with their abusive partners, on a pro bono basis, Engine and Knucklehead have created ‘The Lockdown’ – a campaign that brings this issue to the fore.

Abiding by the current government guidelines, a number of collaborators used their daily exercise excursion to capture footage of London, at it’s most empty, as people remain inside.

The vehicles have all but gone on Westminster Bridge as Big Ben stands enclosed still in scaffolding, the traffic lights still light up at Piccadilly circus though for no one’s use, a Chinese lantern blows along an abandoned pavement in China Town; all chilling images that stress that domestic abusers are no longer walking the streets, ‘they’re locked inside with their families.’

The work will run on social channels and in donated media including The Guardian print and digital, as well as Sky and Eurosport, thanks to help from Essence.