On the 29th of March of 2020 the (registered) global death tolls due to covid-19 reaches 1 million. Being bombarded with huge numbers, statistics and even false information leads to getting detached from reality and dehumanising the pandemic situation. All in all 800 deaths means 800 stories lost, 800 families in pain and 800 new burials. And these losses happen daily. In this piece Paula tells us the story of her father’s passing on the 25th of March of 2020 and how the corona related restrictions have affected her mourning process. She shares how she dealt with the altered funerary rites and why she feels that her mourning is, and probably will remain, incomplete. A big, heartfelt thank you to Paula for sharing her story.
Pedro (he/him) is a multimedia artist, composer and sound artist born in 1998, Évora, Portugal. His work delves into the analysis of human behaviour through the prism of Networks, the Internet and how people relate with each other through computer screens and technology in a general sense. His creative output focuses thus mostly on the creation of electroacoustic/computer assisted performances. These performances invite the audience to reflect upon ideas based on the interaction between a person or a group of people and the digital realm. In a way it all comes down to questioning human embodiment through the prism of digital media. How does the physical human body and its inherent identity politics (a topic of great importance since Pedro identifies as Queer) perform themselves through a computer? Trans-humanist thought, internet linguistics, post- digitalism and post-internet art are some sources of inspiration for his work.
