Art Exhibition – Pandemic Passage

PHYSICAL DISTANCING

“A new vocabulary they say. Keep a social distance with your community, teachers and friends! Maintain a metre gap! These words swarming in my ears and for the first time, I felt lost without my social life.”

This passage will bring you to a story screamed by our little hearts. This pandemic has not just given birth to the infectious virus, but the phrase ‘physical distancing’ comes together uninvitedly. Who would’ve ever thought a new practice of distancing from each other could make such a huge impact to the whole citizens of earth.

It was then when shaking hands show politeness across cultures, hugging shows fondness, caressing shows compassion and touching each other expresses the special bond that we share. Today, all these touches mean selfishness, tactlessness and thoughtlessness. It’s just because this one new norm, our life has changed 360 degrees. Listen to these stories manifested by our students through their work of art, inspired by this prevalent phrase ‘Physical Distancing’.

LEARNING FROM HOME

“Schools shut down but learning continues. Keep seeking knowledge in a big virtual classroom despite the internet connection is a speed bump.”

This passage brings you to a place called ‘home’. Learning from home, working from home has made that brick-and-mortar a confused place. The phrase charity begins at home has now been ironically revived with the arrival of Covid-19. Forget about the classroom, ICT lab, Science lab, art studio, or library, your home is now your school. You will be surprised thinking how much learning can take place at the comfort of your bedroom and Mr./Miss Independent is a new you in this era of pandemic. You snooze you lose. In the battle of our children thriving to be independent, listen to their cry struggling to learn from home through their work of art.

AWAY FROM FRIENDS

“I meet my friends on the social network ‘meet’, ‘zoom’, discord you named it. This is the only way to get the world together.”

This passage walks us through a point of juxtaposition. We were told that gadgets and social media makes us anti-social. Today, the only way we get to connect is through gadgets. But we cannot deny the crippled social skills gadgets have served us with. We are in a constant worry that our friends will forget us for living their own life without a little update. We are so fearful that out of sight is out of mind. We are in a constant need of being in the picture for that is the only way we know we are not forgotten.

People say absence makes the heart grows fonder. Indeed. Thank you technology for keeping us connected, but nothing replaces the feeling of getting to meet and smile to each other in person. To you my friends, this passage is dedicated to you.

HANG IN THERE

“Everything needs to be kept at bay, no school, friends are away, even family members on quarantine...I also need to cope. always wash my hands, use sanitizers and wear mask..this is how I hang on…”

Walk with us through this passage which will remind all of us on how we cope with the new norms. It is hard to even take care of ourselves doing things we didn’t do before and what more taking care of people who are out of our reach. We are not sure what are we scared of the most? Is it getting sick of being infected? Is it dying of the virus? Is it losing the people we love because of the virus? Is it the uncertainty of when will things go back to normal? Is it not being able to hang out with our friends like before? Is it losing our sanity? We’re not sure what stresses us out the most, but we sure are dying to get back that sense of normalcy. It’s every second that we tell ourselves to hang in there. Walk down this passage and feel the fear we all share.

TRIBUTE TO THE PANDEMIC HEROES

As you walk through this passage, you’ll realise that heroes are not all in fiction. They might not appear in cape but their will and patience are always in the best shape. These heroes risk their lives, time and family just to keep the humanity going. To healthcare workers, we emphatise the sweat you drench yourselves in to keep others safe. To food delivery guys, we adore your vigilance keeping people fed by risking your lives. To courier guys, we grieve the holidays you sacrificed to make sure our supplies are sorted. To teachers, we salute your patience thriving the arduous way of teaching. To our parents, no amount of appreciation would repay everything you have done to put our family together.

With all the things that seemed impossible to happen, thank you our heroes for saving the humankind. To ourselves, thank you for doing our part helping these heroes by #stayingathome. As a tribute to our heroes, enjoy the journey of appreciation, inspiration and admiration in this gallery.

I THANK COVID-19

“Yes, the sobs and sorrows show but pause and count your blessings and don’t let go. Alhamdulillah for the extra time with your family. Good job in unleashing your hidden talent, and finally be thankful for every moment that Allah granted us with.”

Walk down this gallery and look at things from a lens of blessings. Despite the hardships that we are going through, don’t forget to count our blessings. The pandemic has brought every family closer than ever. Take a step back and look at how this pandemic has made us cook together, eat together, work together, pray together, rise and fall together in the name of family. It is a moment of reflection of what we might have been missing as a family because we are too caught up with our work and school activities. Perhaps what we really needed all along was less on our plates and more time with one another.

Move our gadgets away and cherish each other’s presence. Take a stroll on this gallery to be reminded on how much Covid-19 has helped us to liberate and enlighten our souls, reactivate and strengthen our faith and increase our tawakkul in Allah SWT. We might have thought our soul will be gone of Covid-19, but little did we know how much it has revalitized our wilted souls. Thank you Covid-19.