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Students portray pandemic in artworks

19 January 2022
How would you capture the COVID-19 pandemic in a painting? VU researchers asked 20 students from the Spinoza Lyceum and Lumion Amsterdam to give it a try. During four workshops students portrayed their experiences during the pandemic. The result? An impressive collection of artworks, each with a unique story.

By using participatory action research, the respondents are given a role as co-researcher, in which they have an active contribution in determining the research focus, the data collection, the analysis and the presentation of the results. Creative methods are used – like film, photography and art – to collect data together in an in-depth way and thus share the research findings in an inspiring and again collaborative manner. 

The art project with the students of Spinoza and Lumion shows how the use of creative methods pays off. The assignment was to create a portrait of which the outside symbolises what the world was like during the pandemic and the inside represents how the students experienced it themselves. The artistic freedom allowed the students to decide what they considered important in describing their experiences during the pandemic and to tell their own story. 

"I have painted my family because in lockdown I grew closer to them, but apart from that it was also difficult because we were living on top of each other", a student explains. More students captured these contradictions during lockdowns in their portraits. For example, someone worked with different colours where blue portrays peace and red the chaos and the sadness covid brought. Another student depicts this by portraying herself with her hair in a tight bun, which represents the tight rules, and with her hair in a loose ponytail, which represents the new possibilities with the release of some measures.  

The research is part of the EU-funded HERoS (Health Emergency Response in Interconnected Systems) project, which aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the COVID-19 crisis response. The VU research team is looking into the way covid measures are created and implemented in practice. Research is being done in nursing homes and at secondary schools in the capitals of four different countries: The Netherlands, Finland, Ireland and Hungary. They use a whole-of-society approach, looking at the three analytical layers of society: citizens, organisations and authorities. This provides insight into how covid measures can only really succeed if there is a cooperation between all parties involved.

The research not only focuses on knowledge of best practices and lessons learned but also aims to jointly formulate concrete actions to optimise COVID-19 crisis response. Therefore, the portraits of the students will be displayed this summer in an art exhibition to start a discussion with all stakeholders involved about the way forward in secondary schools.

Click here for more information about the European HERoS research. 

Read more about the stories of the students of Spinoza and Lumion here (in Dutch). 

Photo: Peter Gerritsen

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