In April 2020, when New York was in lockdown and the epicentre of the
pandemic, Renate Aller created the project side walk. She hosted friends
and neighbors on her sidewalk or visited them in their street, her
camera in self timer mode, recording these masked encounters at a safe 6
feet distance. With voices muted by masks we learn to communicate with
our eyes and body language, finding our bearings in a new emotional
landscape. These sidewalk visits created a deep sense of community where
community had been forced apart. This project is in the spirit of Rainer
Maria Rilke: »[...] that each should stand guard over the solitude of
the other«. German born artist Renate Aller lives in New York and her
art work is held in numerous museums.