Tangible Abstractions is an archive of the Covid-19 pandemic. Students and medical health staff reflect on their experiences of the pandemic through soap carvings and conversations. The sudden outbreak of the pandemic and our unpreparedness for such an event, brought the entire world to a standstill. Locked indoors, most of us were helpless and clueless on how to move forward. Some were struck by the virus, some took the role of a caregiver, and some though unaffected, remained victims of the resultant chaos, surrounded by illness and death. We were exposed to our scientific limitations, confronted with social injustices and vulnerabilities. But amidst our fragility, we also experienced the collective strength of community. The gnawing uncertainty of the pandemic brought out human resilience. We adapted, confronted, introspected, and evolved.

 

After two years of rise and fall, the effects of the pandemic have started gradually diminishing or come to a halt. We are slowly stepping outdoors, adapting to a ‘new normal’. But before our memory fades, let’s take a moment to pause and reflect. What was it like to live through the last two years? What did we learn? What do we want to hold on to? What do we want to let go? This project aims to collect human stories of survival through global crisis. Via listening and sharing, it offers opportunity to process the trauma and prevent a potential social amnesia.

The project uses soap as a prompt and tool for archiving. An everyday object, soap, took centre stage during the pandemic as the trusted ‘virus annihilator.’ As a material, soap is malleable and mouldable, symbolic of human adaptability. By sculpting, writing and etching on soaps I recorded emotional responses and create visual and tactile ethnography. These were complemented by oral history interviews. The project engaged participants individually and in groups. Individuals were invited to a warm, intimate space to share their stories and create sculptures. Participants were provided with soap bars and also encouraged to bring their own.