Video Essay Play with Me by Deepa Nair
Artist Statement
Being sheltered in place has created a new interest in personal spaces and our immediate surroundings. Not only are we exploring old things around us with new eyes but we are also creating newer ways to live, congregate and play together.
The immediate sign of the Covid-19 lockdown and our altered reality were the empty playgrounds in our neighborhood. My daughter and I would go on walks around our neighborhood and find silent playgrounds at every corner.There was something haunted and haunting about these desolate spaces without the children in it. The beauty of public spaces lies in the ways in which they are used by a community. Public playgrounds are not just for play but often turn into spaces where the community gathers.The great silence in these spaces was deafening and a visual reminder of the power of things larger than us, things that could force us to be sheltered at home.
But even though play stopped within the playgrounds, it started appearing in other forms. Children started reinventing play!Public pavements started turning into chalk art and hopscotch centers, bears started peeking out of the windows and each passing day inventive ways of play started materializing. Gradually our neighborhood and many others started looking different as the community came together to keep playing. Children are teaching us how to play and how to keep hope alive when our worlds have been turned upside down.
The Above video is one of the entries from “In Time of COVID19 Video & Essay Contest”
We believe that the pandemic has generated a treasure trove of interesting stories, valuable and relevant contents about humanity in all its spectrums. Stories about generosity, heroism, kindness and outstanding services to fellow human beings on the other.
Ding Ding TV (Silicon Valley Innovation Channel and Voice of Asian Americans) , CLUSA together with 16 partners presented “In Time of COVID19 Video & Essay Contest” bringing these stories to our community and simultaneously acknowledge and honor their creators.
The contestant should read and follow the Contest Rulers published on May 10th 2020 from following link:
http://www.dingdingtv.com/?p=57035
The contestant acknowledge Rule 5, 6
5) If background music and other visual, verbal and sound (reference) material are used from internet, the contestant must possess copyrights or have explicit permission to use such material(s).
6) By entering this contest, the contestants will have given DingDingTV and Contest Partners explicit permission to distribute the video widely on media channels, the internet and social media sites such as Youtube, Facebook, WhatApp, WeChat, twitter….etc.