Olivia PowellThe Social Distancing Festival, an online community made to ‘celebrate and showcase the work of the many artists around the world who have been affected by the need for social distancing that has come about due to the spread of Covid-19’, has been launched.
The festival hosts a range of mediums, including visual arts, music, dance and theatre, as well as a number of live streams.
Creator of The Social Distancing Festival, Nick Green, said: “Personally, a production of a new musical of mine was cancelled on March 13, 2020. Yeah, Friday the 13th. Like, come on right? It’s such a weird mix of feelings. Yes it was absolutely the right decision. 100%. But so, so, SO disappointing. That production was years in the making, and my co-creator and artistic team had a lot invested. We didn’t just lose a chance to develop the work, but also to share it, celebrate it, and potentially connect with further opportunities. Instead, I went home, where I was alone, disappointed, and facing a whole lot of free time.”
Three main goals for the project are to showcase the work and projects that would otherwise be cancelled, to ‘keep feeling a sense of artistic community’, and to help artists continue to engage with their projects by making videos and sharing their work.