Collective Distance was conceived out of the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic. In the project I was interested in hearing from and speaking with people living in Valletta and other areas in Malta to hear the impact of the pandemic on their lives. Since most of the world has experienced some sort of lock down I wanted to hear how a country with a relatively small land mass, that is primarily accessible by plane was effected. The intent was to gather peoples experiences and tie them together in a narrative that creates a collection of perspectives allowing the viewer to find bits and pieces that they can relate to. Globally the pandemic has made people feel somewhat isolated and confined.  The film was created to allow people living thousands of miles apart to be able to experience a journey while allowing them to see that they are not alone by hearing the experiences of others.

In the project I created the website CollectiveDistance.org, to collect experiences. The responses from the participants ranged greatly in terms of the overall effects. Many were very content with life, adapting to the changes as they have been put forth by the government while others were using the time to reflect on the future moving towards big life changes. The feedback seems similar to how people in other parts of the world are responding.

In the film, I constructed a narrative that is intended to provide a variety of viewpoints which was reflective of the submissions I received. The film in itself is an observation of residents in Malta and their experiences during Covid-19. The film takes an unusual approach in regards to time by setting itself 20 years in the past, observing the pandemic as a future event. The narrative explores the idea of the perception of time with the main character recollecting a story from the past which is now present day.

The project was part of the Valletta Cultural Agency’s InnovAIR @home residency program. It was completed in August/September 2020.