Kòrónà Stomp is a digital performance piece that uses photography, video, sound, texts, and GIFs to situate the viewer in a ‘Covidscape.’

 

This commission by Festivals of the Future for Take Me Somewhere asks “How can we be present in the absence?” It foregrounds discussions on the ideas of connection, movement and proximity.

 

The Coronavirus pandemic has magnified questions on the notion of presence and absence in our collective human existence, and it has exacerbated the reality of those on the fringes.

 

The starting question for this piece is, “Is there a performance without the presence of the performer?” and, “If the medium is digital, is it still performative?” The new collective rituals of washing hands, staying apart, wearing masks etc. has made day-to-day life performative.

 

It is in this framework that I have deployed 15 works – photographs, videos, archive materials, sound, GIF, and texts – in a performative way to reflect on the notion of presence and absence, using the coronavirus situation as a centre point.

 

The title of the piece is inspired by the painting of Frank Stella titled “Hyena Stomp” which was inspired by the music of Jelly Roll Morton of the same title. The idea of Syncopation, which informed both the work of Stella and Morton, is being used in my work and situated in a Covid context where out regular flow of rhythm is being obstructed by this virus.

 

While the piece was to be staged in physical format, it has been adapted digitally due to Covid restrictions, and the audience can navigate this interactive piece using the floor plan of the gallery space as a backdrop.