Pandemic Rhetorics

The pandemic has been a catalyst in the process of exposing flawed social constructions. This inspired me to research the narratives surrounding covid-19. With society undergoing an extreme state of flux at this period, the study of these narratives gives a better understanding of the zeitgeist. The narratives are explored through speculative performance and co-creation which expose the interrelated connections between these pandemic narratives and societal hopes and anxieties. Using creative methods to explore how these narratives are interpreted, breaks down the judgments that would have been a barrier to inclusive speculation.

As the effects of the covid-19 pandemic spread around the world, so did the wide range of narratives that came with it. There was a collective sense of fluctuation as social norms were being disrupted and challenged. The outcome of the project is the research process which is refined and redefined with each new iteration. The project started in the middle of the second UK lockdown and therefore has its roots in online-based interactions. These findings were then translated into a physical workshop as restrictions were lifted. The workshop's aim was to create a critical collective and individual understanding of narratives that had significant agency during the pandemic, like the rhetoric used by politicians and media. Additionally, individual perspectives were given a platform in a co-design workshop. Different values, anxieties, and beliefs were shared through speculative design proposals and performances as news correspondents. In doing so, the narratives were shifted not from individual perspectives to a societal context. The narratives went from individual interpretation to carrying demographic weight whilst being an empathy-building exercise.