Brock students have created pandemic video art for the class VISA/IASC 2PN7. Pictured art students (clockwise from top left) Lindsay Liboiron, Isolation; Ama Okafor, A Little Adjustment; Christy Mitchell, Saudade; Jamie Wong, Screen Recording 2020-11-04 at 1.46.14PM.mp4.With much of the world’s activities moving online this year to stave off the COVID-19 pandemic, video has solidified its role not only as a staple in daily life, but also as a critical means of self-expression.
Brock Visual Arts and Interactive Arts and Science students took this opportunity to explore the pandemic’s impact on video art.
Students in VISA/IASC 2P97 have created and are virtually screening reflective and experiential videos in a new series entitled “Video Art in the Age of COVID-19” that can now be viewed on the Department of Visual Arts website and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA) YouTube channel.
The project is led by Donna Szoke, media artist and Associate Professor in Studio Art at the MIWSFPA, and supported by an Experiential Education grant from the Centre of Pedagogical Innovation at Brock University.
As part of the creative and academic process to create the videos, students considered how the pandemic has changed video art and how new visual interfaces have marked this shift. They critically examined the new video aesthetic of the COVID-19 era, and how this has changed perceptions of individuality and collectivity.
The project revealed that images and themes conveyed through video art often reflect what is happening in society and culture, highlighting the art form as an important creative expression during difficult times.
To watch the student-created videos and learn more about their research, please visit the project web page.
