COCO-lands

March 2020 – December 2021

COCO-lands was a growing digital diary collection of international media artists dealing with the global COVID-19 crisis.

Starting from March 15th, the first lockdown day in Austria, contributing artists shared their personal reflections on the various forms of isolation from a variety of geographical contexts: from almost complete isolation in Italy, over the strict measures in Austria, to the serious social consequences in the USA — and a permanent isolation condition on a remote island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.

The contributing artists decided to create their digital diaries as a ritual without knowing when the process might end — first and foremost in order to inspire each other against the quarantine of their passions, against the virus as a social epidemic, to understand and overcome a personal and social anxiety and repression that are slowly becoming a crucial element of the globalized lifestyle.

(Text by Smirna Kulenovic)

cocolands.xyz
On IG: @_coco_lands

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The project was exhibited at:

BestOFF 2020 – Kunstuniversität Linz

Ars Electronica 2020 – CAMPUS exhibition by Interface Culture ‘State of Intimacy’
Watch me and my team talking about COCO-lands from minute 18:30 – 55:00

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With my video diary work walking_blues I was contributing to COCO-lands during the lockdown in Austria.

After first following a diary concept that caused a feeling of stress, I felt the urge to do something more ritualistic and simple. So it was that walking became this ritualistic activity for me, and as I observed also for many other people. During the lock down period I collected ‘walking-portraits’ and reflected walking as an activity that on a certain level brings people around the world together, who are experiencing the effects of social or physical distancing due to limited space and predominantly digital communication with the outside world.

cocolands.xyz/tagged/carlazamora

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Core Team of COCO-lands:

Carla Zamora (AT) – project lead, coordination, curation, contributing artist
Smirna Kulenović (BIH) – project initiator, curator, contributing artist
Indiara Di Benedetto (IT) – graphic design, editorial & social media, contributing artist
Tiia Suorsa (FI) – visual communication & web coordination, contributing artist
Iosune Sasarate (ES) – technological lead, contributing artist