Conductor Koen Kessels is Music Director of The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Koen talks about how he was affected by lockdown, how he started as a musician playing piano and his wish for the future. Not only does he give some great insight into the world of musicians, but also understanding for ballet dancers.

This interview is part of my project "Moments in Lockdown" where I photographed 500 artists in Vienna in their windows or balconies as well as 13 Ambassadors of various countries in support of the artists who were affected by the lockdown situation during the pandemic. I started this project in April 2020 up to January 2021 and in February 2021 I started interviewing artists from all over the world to get their insight into the situation.

I believe in the value and the importance of the Arts in our society and the role that it plays in the evolution of humanity. The pandemic has highlighted the lack of support and relevance that the arts and cultural scene has in our modern world. Thousands of artists and students have and are still unable to work, and many without any source of income. It is our generation’s responsibility ´- now more than ever- to raise awareness and re-educate our society to appreciate the contribution of the Arts and to recognise artists as members of a working community.

What initially started as a modest photographic project- simply wanting to uplift Artists, by photographing them in their windows from a street angle - very quickly became a much more significant and symbolic message.

The repercussions and consequences of this pandemic will shape the Artistic and Cultural industry long into the future and I believe in the importance of creating awareness and showing support for the many creative individuals and organisations who are fighting to create and envision a future where Arts and culture remain important and relevant in our society.