Fresh From the Field — Covid Flag Designs to support the Women's Refuge by Kate Cameron-Donald

Fresh From the Field — Covid Flag Designs to support the Women’s Refuge by Kate Cameron-Donald

Kate Cameron-Donald, is a designer and artist based in Auckland. This Fresh From The Field profiles Kate’s personal Lockdown project. A collection of six hand-painted flags featuring slogans such as ‘we’re all in this together’ and ‘stay in your bubble’ – mantras that became ingrained in our psyche during our Kiwi lockdown.

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The Brief:

The Covid Project is a personal project, inspired by, and created during our enforced lockdown. The brief was based upon two core components:

Visually address the New Zealand lockdown experience in a meaningful context through design and art
Utilise the project outcome to give back to the community – with a particular emphasis on those who have been significantly impacted
by the Covid-19 pandemic and an enforced lockdown.

The Design Response:
During lockdown, Kate created the ‘Covid Flag Project’ – a collection of six hand-painted flags inspired by a collective Kiwi lockdown. The project is inspired by historic heraldic flags used by knights, royals, and clans. For generations, these flags have been used for personal identification; a reflection of time, status, and achievement. Heraldic flags are a visual representation of a community.
Like heraldic flags, the Covid Flags also represent a moment in history – a period where the world stopped and time seemed to stand still. They visualise the rhetoric we lived by in lockdown – mantras that were reiterated daily at the Prime Minister’s 1pm address and became ingrained into our psyche. The Covid Flags are a visual representation of our entire 5 million community bubble in early 2020. Each flag features a different slogan:
We’re all in this together / Stay in your bubble / Stay home, save lives / Be kind / Flatten the curve / See you on the other side

Ultimately though, they’re celebratory flags! Kate wanted to help people to reflect positively upon the lockdown and the rhetoric. The bright colours and bold type create positive, cheerful vibes and they celebrate the incredible work that we have done together as Kiwis, to combat Covid-19 in New Zealand. They’re New Zealand’s community flags.
Kate has created A2 giclée prints on high quality German Etching Paper of each of the 6 flag designs, and 100% of the profits from the sale of the prints will be donated to the NZ Women’s Refuge.
The Women’s Refuge has seen a 35% increase in residential clients since the beginning of Covid-19 in New Zealand. While lockdown in New Zealand is now over, this doesn’t necessarily equate to safety in the home. As the Women’s Refuge acknowledges: “sadly, we know that strained economic conditions are a perfect incubator for family violence. Increased unemployment, growing emotional and psychological distress, along with potential increases in self-medication, will provide fertile ground for family violence.” We’re all in this together, and the Covid Flag Project presents an opportunity to support to our community at a time when it really matters.