UMLÄUT 2020 - THE PANDEMIC ISSUE
PANDEMIC
Parker Burrows
Pan-demic Artist Statement
When the quarantine began in early March, I, along with many other people, felt terrified of the uncertain. Even to this day, it is difficult to envision a non-lockdown future, where we can all walk safely in the streets and go back to our jobs, picking up life where we left off. Because of this uncertainty, and the domination of the coronavirus in all major news networks, the word “pandemic” has become associated with fear. When one thinks of the word “pandemic,” their mind goes to images like crowded hospitals, unemployed families, and desolate streets. My mission with this art project was to try to remove the power that the word “pandemic” has over us as a society, and instead to associate it with a crisis that people can laugh at, rather than feel fearful.
My project is a series of photos taken by me and many of my friends, that explore a fictional pandemic. This pandemic is not the disease we would typically think of, but rather an invasion of literal pans. This frightening arrival of the kitchen utensil takes on many forms. Some of the pans form an army and corner the petrified humans. Some people find themselves in shock of the pan’s sudden arrival. In another, a mother mourns the loss of her son to the fate of vile paella pans, a modern rendition of Michaelangelo’s Pietà, appropriately titled “Palleatà.”
I hope that my art is able to bring some levity and humor in a time where such things are greatly needed.
