Call for entries: Long COVID co-created science and art installation

Contemporary art and immersive installation community leader Relational Space announces today a new arts and science collaborative exhibit, Long-COVID - We Are Here. Designed as a fearless exploration into the COVID-19 Long-Hauler experience, the spring 2021 virtual event will feature the collaborative work of diverse artists, scientist and others impacted by the lingering and debilitating effects of the novel coronavirus.

Interested participants are encouraged to submit artwork and scientific papers that reflect upon the current crisis and the impact of living with the syndrome before December 15, 2020 for consideration. Click here for the exhibit's submission specifications.

"There is every indication that response to post-COVID syndrome requires a holistic perspective, crossing discipline specialties, geographies and sectors. We recognise the need for multidisciplinary, cross-sector knowledge exchange to develop empirically-based insights that can be broadly and efficaciously disseminated in engaging ways," said Dr Leigh W Jerome, Founder and Executive Director at Relational Space. "Long-COVID is a critical concern for individuals who develop enduring symptoms; physicians who require evaluation and treatment strategies for individuals presenting with Long COVID; researchers who require funding to ensure comprehensive and accurate research focus; and moreover, our global society where the impact of Long COVID will manifest in multiple ways including issues of healthcare, economics, policy and more."

Globally more than 60 million people have been confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 - more than 12 million in the U.S. alone. Ten to fifteen percent of people who contract the virus will experience enduring symptoms - meaning millions of people are long-haulers already, suffering from puzzling symptoms that affect the entire body. Long-COVID constitutes an epidemic by itself. ?The long-term effects of COVID-19 are insidious and far-reaching, affecting the whole body, with symptoms ranging from extreme fatigue, dizziness and brain fog to neurologic, GI, cardiac, and/or cardiovascular distress.

Relational Space is bringing scientists and artists together to exchange expertise in order to co-create a virtual, immersive installation exploring Long COVID which will take place from April 29 - May 30, 2021.

The exhibition seeks to raise awareness about the impact of this disabling post-viral epidemic; open doors for a research/medical community already strained by the COVID-19 pandemic; compel the establishment of an international, funded Long COVID research agenda; and, urge widespread physician training related to COVID long-haul syndrome.

"We are humbled by the courage of 9 million people who experience lingering symptoms from COVID-19 and are struggling to find answers to their puzzling conditions, often completely on their own" says Jerome. "Until this pandemic is over, more people will be affected, every day."

The Open Call for submissions, which will close on January 4, 2021, seeks to source both scientific knowledge and artistic expression that will inform and inspire the global community to understand and support the needs of long-haulers. Relational Space is also extending an invitation for partners and volunteers to join them in forging the initiative.

Visit https://www.Relational-Space.org  or call 808.783.4455 for more information.

About Relational Space:
Cross-pollination quickens creativity and innovation. Relational Space brings scientist and artists together to collaborate around powerful data-driven narratives for knowledge exchange, new knowledge creation and to co-create immersive installations able to inspire and mobilise our global community.