Undercover: From Necessity to Debris – The Pollution of Face Coverings During COVID-19

In 2020, the Westminster Menswear Archive actively collected masks and face coverings produced in response to COVID-19. On 11 May 2021, one year after the UK government first recommended the use of face coverings in enclosed public spaces, the Archive launched the exhibition Undercover: From Necessity to Luxury – The Evolution of Face Coverings During COVID-19. The exhibition traced the evolution of masks from essential, often scarce, PPE to everyday items worn by millions.

Alongside this, the photographic exhibition Undercover: From Necessity to Debris – The Pollution of Face Coverings During COVID-19 also opened. In contrast to the focus on newly designed face masks, this companion exhibition documented 365 discarded face coverings littering the streets between 23 March 2020 and 22 March 2021, marking the anniversary of the first national lockdown.

The once simple and functional fabric face covering quickly became a symbolic and controversial object. By 2020, it was estimated that 129 billion face masks would be used globally each month, most of which were made from disposable plastic microfibres. 

These photographs archive this throwaway material culture and reflect on the environmental consequences of our response to COVID-19. At first glance, these discarded masks, scattered across rain-soaked pavements and gutters, might seem unremarkable. However, closer examination of these objects reveals clues to the lives of their previous owners. As a result, these photographs function as a type of absentee portraiture.