Prepping

Prepping is a photo essay of images taken in July 2020 at the University of British Columbia's Vancouver campus. The ten images mark some of the visible changes to the campus that occurred over the summer months as various units prepared for an uncertain fall semester. New signage and visual cues direct our movements throughout the campus: enter here, queue here, wait here. As well, we encounter continued locked doors and empty buildings, emphasizing the ambiguity of making preparations to open amid closure mandates. Outdoor spaces, augmented with picnic tables, are largely empty. Hand sanitizer stations are updated in buildings that remain closed. Questions loom around the future of "UBC Life" and popular programs such as study abroad. In contrast to the stark realities of the ongoing global pandemic, campus visitors are invited to "enjoy" the open spaces (responsibly), remembering that "the best thing in life is life," with the suggestion that "Happiness is just a cookie away."