ARRAN HORTON, 22, London at Select reflecting isolation
F WORD: How have you been dealing with the whole isolation thing? ARRAN HORTON: I mean, it’s not so dissimilar to my regular life anyway, I have a lot of coping mechanisms for feeling lonely and not being able to get on with regular life. I’ve mostly been stressed about the pain that other people have been going through and feeling useless and unable to help.
F WORD: What have you been doing to occupy your time and mind? ARRAN HORTON: I try to stretch in order to clear my head and body, I’ve found the Makko Ho stretches really helpful. I’m also trying to learn to wheelie on my bike, plus many other things and sometimes procrastinating from writing my dissertation; which should be my main focus really! Also, I find painting on clothes very relaxing.
F WORD: How are you feeling about the COVID-19 pandemic? ARRAN HORTON: As I said, pretty useless; this pandemic seems to have brought out the best and worst in people. I’ve been trying to focus on the many positive things people are doing (such as the individuals and organisations helping front-line staff get to work on bikes when public transport has been gutted), but it’s also hard to ignore lots of the toxicity at the heart of our society.
F WORD: What are your thoughts on how our government and the world is dealing with it? ARRAN HORTON: I think our government is deliberately complacent and is leaving people to die. However, I’ve been really impressed with the response from some countries, most notably China but also Germany, South Korea and Cuba.
F WORD: What would be your perfect soundtrack for this time? ARRAN HORTON: I came across an orchestral version of 'Outro' by M83 that is really hopeful and inspiring. I used it for an Instagram video I posted recently.
F WORD: Can you suggest a movie/series/or book we should check out during isolation? ARRAN HORTON: Well, I would always recommend reading and watching the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy but also my girlfriend and I have been watching lots of Studio Ghibli films. They’re incredibly beautiful and I really appreciate the emphasis on humanity’s participation in the natural world. We aren’t separate or other from all else that exists in this universe and I think those films demonstrate this.
F WORD: A hopeful statement to encourage others: ARRAN HORTON: “Patience is a reset, a chance for us to find peace in and outside ourselves.”
Favourite f-word: ARRAN HORTON: Fathomless.
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