Pandemic: It Seems Like a Blur

Disclaimer: This work tackles sensitive and distressing subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised.

Composing a work to depict the isolation of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom.

How do we as creators create a work that can be a shared experiences when everyone brings their own unique perspective to their interaction? This is a question that has become a basis to my research, looking at the depictions of global tragedies, with a focus on the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom. Unlike many tragedies that have occurred in the world, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to offer a challenge for the creative practitioners, based on the fact that the experience of the Pandemic is subjective to the individual, a community, or a nation. This then challenges the notion of the collective experience, as though communities can collectively mourn the lives lost to this unforeseen Pandemic, how can an individual who was able to save for their first house or start their new business have a set emotional response?

This project and poster was created for a commissioned work, titled ‘Pandemic: It Seems Like a Blur’ (ART Makes Music, 2024c). This work was completed using video footage, still images, and midi controlled music. Furthermore, this work was commissioned to be created using the LUMI keys by ROLI, an MPE midi controller. In the creation of this work, I aimed to explore the moral and ethical choices that are faced when composing for a complex shared experience. From this position I wanted to expand on my research into the notion of personal authenticity, and the audience responses to tragedy works. In the completion of this work, different perspectives were ascertained that challenged my prior work to date, adding more discussions to the moral and ethical choices creators make when depicting tragedy.

References:

Adorno, T. (2003) The jargon of authenticity. Abingdon: Routledge Classics.

ART Makes Music (2024c) Pandemic: It Seems Like a Blur. 27 April. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvrhwCRU6XM (Accessed: 27 April 2024).

Barthes, R. (1977) ‘The death of the author’, Image, Music, Text. pp.142-148.

Banymandhub, A. (2023e) Prism model for practice-led research in the depiction of tragedy [Digital Image]. Available at: https://www.artmakesmusic.com/isolated-sound/projects/tragedy (Accessed: 10 April 2024).

Banymandhub, A. (2024b) Create with compassion: A model and guide to help prepare for your creative project. Unpublished.

Banymandhub, A. (2024d) Still images from Pandemic: It Seems Like a Blur [Photograph]. 

Banymandhub, A. (2024e) Work in progress [Photograph].

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Smith, H. and Dean, R.T. (2009) Practice-led research, research-led practice in the creative arts. Reprint, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 

Taylor, C. (1991) The ethics of authenticity. United States of America: Harvard University Press.