15 May 2020
The impact of the coronavirus on the city of Amsterdam and on the daily lives of Amsterdammers is central to the contributions on coronaindestad.nl. ‘Through this exhibition we want to connect Amsterdammers in isolation, provide a broader context and historical interpretation of the crisis period and capture this unique moment in time for the future,’ says Schavemaker. ‘The UvA and Amsterdam are inextricably linked. The stories and experiences of students and staff should therefore not be missing from the exhibition. So, if you have a story or experience of vulnerability, comfort, loneliness or solidarity, send it in.’
'The UvA and Amsterdam are inextricably linked. The stories and experiences of students and staff should therefore not be missing from the exhibition.'Margriet Schavemaker
The UvA’s Julia Noordegraaf, professor of Digital Heritage, and Tobias Blanke, university professor of Humanities and AI, are involved in the initiative through their project 'Archiving Covid-19 Communities'. They are working on an application in which citizens can share their experiences of the corona crisis. ‘The idea is that this will lead to a personal COVID-19 crisis diary,’ says Noordegraaf. ‘In the longer term, we will soon have a wealth of sources for historiography about this special period in recent world history.’
In the longer term, we will soon have a wealth of sources for historiography about this special period in recent world history.Julia Noordegraaf
If you want to contribute to ‘Corona in the City’, you can send your written story, photo, GIF, video, audio clip, drawing or any other type of expression about an aspect of the corona crisis via coronaindestad.nl/en/submit-story. Submissions could include anecdotes, memories, dreams, wishes, reflections or any other message related to corona and this historical period of crisis, self-isolation and resilience in the city. If you are an UvA student or UvA staff member, add the hashtag #uva to your submission.
The submissions will be collected and judged by a team of curators and artists, after which a selection of them will be presented in the digital exhibition. The contributions will later also be included in UvA research into the impact of the crisis in Blanke and Noordegraaf’s ‘Archiving Covid-19 Communities’ project.
The exhibition was made possible in part by the Amsterdam City Circle and the Municipality of Amsterdam.