Maintaining social distance is a serious and necessary action during the COVID-19 pandemic, and an artist from Comox is urging Canadians to do so in a fun and lighthearted way.
Sue Pyper, an artist in the Comox Valley, has created a video in collaboration with people from across Canada and California to inspire everyone to follow the guidelines set out by health officials.
The video, “Stay Home” is a montage of clips sent in from people, all featuring actions, dancing and miming to the song “Big Mistake” by Big Little Lions. According to Pyper, the clips came in from a variety of places including Vancouver Island, Ottawa, Nunavut, and even California.
“This is what happens when you ask Canadians who are self-isolating to contribute to a video,” said Pyper in a Facebook post, when the video debuted on Sunday.
“This video project started as a way to raise awareness about staying home, as I was frustrated that people were not taking it seriously, and partly to give myself something to do, as I was starting to get a bit depressed being home alone and the magnitude of what we are facing.”
For Pyper, the fun video started out as a neighbourly project for people to share, but it ended becoming a national collaboration. She just asked everyone to send in whatever they wanted, and this collection of videos is what she received.
She acknowledges how serious the COVID-19 situation is and suggests this video was made as a cheery, joyful way to inform others about social distancing.
“It is not my intention to trivialize the dire situation we are in, it is a serious time, and many people are dying, but sometimes serious messages are easier to digest in something fun.”
The Comox artist said in her Facebook post that many of the participants of the video are musicians, artists and businesses that are facing hard financial times, and encourages anyone who is able, to donate.
Rebecca Lawrence
