Graduate Lachlan Hui creates melted rainbow artwork using sticky notes to remember lockdown

For 'Collective Lockdown Thoughts', Lachlan sent sticky notes to 30 friends by post during the toughest period of the UK restrictions and asked them to write in water-soluble markers what they felt about the lockdown. "Many people wanted to express their wishes and worries, as well as political views," said Lachlan, who is originally from Hong Kong. "My idea was inspired by the Lennon walls in Hong Kong which came about spontaneously as part of the recent protests there."

He continues: "It struck a chord with people, and I was pleased to see so many people within the Chinese community in Nottingham respond to my request for their thoughts and feelings on the lockdown in the UK."

Lachlan sent multi-coloured sticky notes to people with the intention of creating a rainbow effect for the final artwork. On receiving all the sticky notes back from the participants, he arranged them in a decorative order and placed them on a large sheet of paper, which was soaked in water. This allowed the colours of the markers and the sticky notes themselves to run, giving the artwork's distinctive "melted" feel.

"I was very pleased with the end result," he adds. "It exceeded my expectations – it looks like a melted rainbow and I find it a bit mesmerising. People told me that they found it meaningful, as it reminds them of what happened in 2020."