Visions of a Post-Pandemic Future
Lockdown Lessons: Proximity and Distance

In ways we never imagined a virus now compels the world to keep its distance and regulates the closeness we are allowed to have with others. What happens with us when cultural practices of proximity are so fundamentally questioned? Which forms of distancing has the pandemic required in different social systems? The Goethe-Institut aims to explore these questions in Brazil, Korea, India and Germany. The focus will be on the future: How close to others can we be, and how close do we want to be?

From Our Experts
Phenomena of Distance
Impact on Education and Equal Opportunities
Care and Community
The way of dealing with death

About the project

From Our Experts

Editorial

Brazil
Time to Be Together - But Not That Close

Brazil has withstood the virus. When a kiss on the cheek could become synonymous with death, the population has to face the necessity to rethink socialising. Within this new reality, visual artist Rosana Paulino asks: What does it mean to be close and what does it mean to be distant?

South Korea
Life perspectives for a time after COVID-19

What role will state and society play in a post-COVID era? Kwang Sun Joo speaks about the meaning of freedom and rights in South Korea and why we should be thinking about a new world order.

Illustration of Prof. Dr. Jan Paul Heisig

Germany
A Counterbalance of Regulations and Social Interactions

While its long-term impacts of the pandemic remain difficult to predict, sociologist Jan Paul Heisig discusses how COVID-19 has spotlighted previously unnoticed issues in German society, how it has changed social interactions, and how these changes interact with preexisting social inequalities.

India
Now It Is Come to Distances and Both of Us Must Try: Proximity and Distance in the Pandemic

The pandemic of 2020 befell in a hyper networked world, whose buzzword was, connected. The distance we were meant to observe for fear of infection, revealed the disconnections, which teem beneath the surface of networks and visible mobilities.

Online discussion on 25 August 2021 - Participants (left to right): Paromita Vohra and Kwang Sun Joo (above), Jan Paul Heisig and Rosana Paulino (below)

Experts in Conversation
Reflections on the Pandemic

Associations, effects, outlooks - what do the Indian author Paromita Vohra, the South Korean professor of philosophy Kwang Sun Joo, the Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino and the German professor of sociology Jan Paul Heisig associate with COVID-19 and the worldwide pandemic in their countries and in a global context?

Panel Discussion: “What is next? What is here to stay? What is gone?”

In conversation with Ms. Paromita Vohra (Filmmaker, Mumbai) and Mr. Jan Paul Heisig (Sociologist, Berlin) moderated by Ms. Namrata Kohli (Author and Journalist, Delhi).

In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the discussion between the two experts centers on the question “What is next? What is here to stay? What is gone?” The focus is on the future, on changes ushered in by the pandemic: How close to others can we be, and how close do we want to be? How important is physical closeness really and what other forms of proximity are conceivable?

Phenomena of Distance

Everyday life has shifted to the virtual on numerous levels during the pandemic.

Transition to a Digital Space
Bridging Distance Like Never Before

While the pandemic brought the digital centrestage, it also foregrounded the way in which our lives are now “phygital”, a mix of the digital and physical.

Experiencing Concerts at a Distance
Digital Music Spaces

The event industry, and especially live music events, was one of the first sectors of the economy to be shut down in Germany when the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020. Musicians and fans did not let this stop them enjoying shared musical experiences, however. Digital spaces offered refuge during a time of contact restrictions. Which future prospects do they offer?

Project Colônia Juliano Moreira, Jacarapaguá, Brazil 2019. The photo was taken during an artistic residency of the programme CASA B at the Museum Bispo do Rosério for Contemporary Art, Rio de Janeiro.

Network Noise
Disruption Takes the Lead ahead of Courteous Disagreement

Throughout the world, especially in Brazil, social media algorithms have contributed to the rise in political radicalism, polarisation, and eroding human relationships. Why are networks keeping people away from each other when they could be bringing them closer together?

In times of social distancing, digital rooms allow proximity where physical contact is not possible.

Proximity in the Digital Age
New Rooms, New Connections

In 2020, as measures to contain the corona virus dominated social life, many people began to connect even more online. In an interview Dr Doo-Hun Choi, professor of journalism and broadcasting at Konkuk University in Seoul, speaks about the development of digital rooms in South Korea.

Remote Culture

Local culture as perceived during the pandemic in India.

Arguments for a Cultural Transition
The Digital Stage in India

Theatre, dance, music, art, film or literary festivals - the pandemic has forced the creative sector to rethink its relationship with the digital realm. Why going digital is not a bad approach for cultural practitioners in general, explains Indian cultural entrepreneur Rashmi Dhanwani in the following contribution.

Rhizome Project Collection: work developed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Belo Horizonte, 2020.

Insights into the Brazilian Art and Culture Scene
“What We Need Is to Imagine a More Porous Museum”

During the pandemic, museums opted for more open spaces and drew in a portion of the Brazilian population which is traditionally distant from art. On social media, the user substituted the visitor: actively demanding, provoking, and questioning curatorial strategies.

In addition to online services, visitors can also visit the exhibitions of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul on site - and see works such as "I Will Disappear" by the Korean artist Kim Sang-jin.

Museum Work in Seoul
“I am anxious that national borders could remain closed”

How do museums remain a place of encounter and exchange - even in a digital, post-pandemic world? An interview with Leeji Hong, curator of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul (MMCA).

As part of their Project “4x4-Raum für Neues”, AMP Dance Company developed yellow square ´action spaces´ that were used for the first time at the Making Frankfurt Action Day in August 2020 on Frankfurt's Mainkai.

Art in the Public Domain
Raum für Neues – It’s Time for Something New

How can artistic productions be staged and brought to their audiences when everyone is forced to social distance by the pandemic? Florian Geiger, a dramaturgist and co-founder of the AMP Dance Company, describes an innovative new format that brings dance closer to audiences than ever before – beyond the big city theatres.

Distance Behaviour Scrutinised
Manifestations of Everyday Life: What Remains? What Comes?

The outbreak of the pandemic transformed our daily lives: Within families, at work, during free time and in interactions with each other - we experience ramifications and upheavals everywhere. The definitions of closeness and distance seem to have altered. Srishti Gupta Roy takes a closer look at how and where exactly. The illustrator examines diverse areas of life and artistically implements new proximity and distance behaviour in these spheres.

(Not) Allowed Contact

After a long lockdown, Jan and Undine, who were already a couple before the pandemic, spend the first warm summer day in May 2021 enjoying the fresh air in Leipzig. Photo taken: 09.05.2021, Leipzig.

Physical Closeness and Distance
Corona Rhapsody

“Corona Rhapsody” is a contribution to the discussion on the question of what has changed in our society since the pandemic. The photographer Rafael Heygster has captured various scenes of public life and diverse social situations.

Distance Proverbial

Collage – Illustrationen von Beatrice Davies (oben links), Nik Neves (oben rechts), Anjali Mehta (unten links), Jinyoung Choi (unten rechts)

Multifaceted Illustrations
How Proverbs Connect Us

There are many sayings and proverbs that we use almost on a daily basis without thinking of the meaning behind them. How do proverbs connect us internationally?

New Culture of Availability

A man is sitting in his garden at home and works at his laptop. Photo taken: 13.09.2021.

Virtualisation for Distancing Purposes
Hybrid Working Worlds

Due to the pandemic, a third of the German workforce is mostly working from home. The concept of “new work” allows for flexible work models and a new work-life balance. David Wandjo, a research fellow in the Globalisation, Work and Production research group at the Berlin Social Science Center, takes a look at the future of the working world.

Remote Work
“A New Availability”

People never worked remotely as much as they did throughout the pandemic. Now, professionals working from home are just as available as when they were working from the office. In many cases, even more. In the end, what is gained and what is lost when work does not require physical proximity?

Impact on Education and Equal Opportunities

Social Injustice

Migrant workers stand in queue in Mumbai, India, to board a bus home during a nationwide lockdown in 2020.

Exposing India’s Inequities
Social Injustice in Pandemic Times

Proximity to metropolitan hubs, the political capital, and major cities is always found to be a better guarantor of social justice to the disenfranchised and marginalised than the interiors, especially in India. The pandemic proved this as never before.

Biker from the series “Daily Life”, Brazil 2020.

Social Gaps between the Rich and Poor
Distancing as a Privilege

In Brazil, the pandemic magnified the social gap between the rich and the poor. While the former has been able to work remotely from their homes, the latter could not afford the luxury to abandon the streets.

A family walking home with pre-packed food distributed at the window of the Salvation Army in the Paunsdorf district of Leipzig. Donations of food and, as needed, homemade face masks are distributed by municipal companies and by the Bundesliga club RB Leipzig. Photo taken on 15.04.2020.

Links between Health and Social Inequality in Germany
“Disadvantaged groups face elevated health risks”

Health inequalities suddenly became the focus of a broader public debate during the pandemic in Germany. Jan Paul Heisig, Professor for Sociology at the Freie Universität Berlin, analyses these inequalities and their links to persistent social inequalities in the German society.

Inequality between employees in South Korea has increased during the pandemic.

Developments of the South Korean Labour Market during the Pandemic
“A new basic law for working citizens’ has to be created”

Due to the pandemic, the South Korean labour market has gone through drastic changes. In an interview researcher Jong-jin Kim speaks about the winners and losers of the Corona crisis - and how social problems that have arisen should be dealt with.

Children and Adolescents

Bleak times - this is how many children experienced the lockdown in India.

Children and Adolescents in India
Lockdown and Its Mental Health Impacts

The pandemic has been particularly hard on children. Indian journalist Nimish Sawant writes about the consequences of lockdowns on the smallest in our society. Which impact do school closures and the ban of social contacts have? He looks at behavioural changes and disorders, while the full impact of the lockdowns on children continues to be researched.

School, Daily Life Series, Tiradentes, Brazil 2021.

Post-Pandemic Education
“It was not lost time”

In Brazil, isolation caused by the pandemic also brought schools and families closer together. Christiane Sampaio describes, how teachers became more aware of the realities of children’s lives, and how urban public spaces came to be seen as more important for socialisation and conviviality.

The social distancing measures also mean great restrictions for South Korea's children and adolescents in their everyday lives.

The Situation of Children and Adolescents in South Korea
“We should not ignore the difficult conditions”

Children and young people have suffered the most from the effects of the pandemic so far. How has the life of children in South Korea during the corona pandemic changed and how can there be equal opportunities for all? An interview with social worker Jinhee Sunwoo.

The corona pandemic increases existing social inequalities.

Rich and Poor in Germany
The Evolution of Inequality

Having space to live, work and keep your distance – all of these things suddenly became a luxury item during the corona pandemic. Why social distancing opportunities have become a parameter for inequality and why children have been particularly affected.

Digital Education Opportunities

The pandemic has challenged school and education systems worldwide. From one day to the next, students had to stay at home because they could only be taught at a distance – in other words digitally. In a letter exchange, the Indian author Paromita Vohra, the Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino, the Korean philosophy professor Kwang Sun Joo and the German sociologist Jan Paul Heisig discuss the new possibilities based on the situation in their respective homeland.

Illustration of Rosana Paulino (left) and Paromita Vohra (right)

India's New Normal
Is Distance Learning an Equaliser in an Unequal Education System?

As brick-and-mortar educational institutions remained shut, digital education became the new normal. Filmmaker and author Paromita Vohra starts the letter exchange by answering how sustainable this model in India is. Will digital learning close or intensify the educational gaps or take a new form altogether?

Illustration of Kwang Sun Joo (left) and Rosana Paulino (right)

Brazil's Way Out of Poverty
The Internet as an Educational Tool

Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino answers the question posed by Indian author Paromita Vohra: "Which questions regarding Brazil's education system arise as a result of the pandemic?" Here, the issue of social inequality in the education system becomes particular apparent. However, the internet also creates new opportunities.

Illustration of Jan Paul Heisig (left) and Kwang Sun Joo (right)

South Korea’s Way of Digitalisation
Education Means Isolation

South Korean philosophy professor Kwang Sun Joo answers the question posed by Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino: “How do parents in South Korea react to their new role as digital educators alongside teachers? How are families supporting students in regard to an educational setting that places strong emphasis on digital content?” It becomes clear that digital education causes isolation and poses major challenges for single parents.

Illustration of Jan Paul Heisig (left) and Paromita Vohra (right)

Needs of Children Should Be Put First
Germany’s Insufficient Data Infrastructure

Jan Paul Heisig, professor for sociology at Freie Universität Berlin, answers questions raised by the South Korean Professor of Philosophy Kwang Sun Joo: “In the era of digital learning has the social inequality in Germany increased its influence on education? If so, how has it increased? And what can be done to solve this problem?”

Illustration of Rosana Paulino (left), Paromita Vohra (middle), Jan Paul Heisig (right) and Kwang Sun Joo (far right)

A Chink in the Imagination
Rethinking the Meaning of Learning

Paromita Vohra answers the final question of this letter exchange posed by German Professor of Sociology Jan Paul Heisig: “Can you find at least some indications of how the experiences of the past months might also lead to changes for the better in India?” While the disparity of digital access raised many questions of educational scarring, the pandemic also offered an opportunity to reimagine education away from its formulaic structures.

The Collective Memory

“What will happen to the generation whose desire for freedom is considered a crime?”

Remembrance culture among young people
Collective memory of the pandemic

Today, children and adolescents are growing up in the midst of restrictions on physical contact and bans on recreational activities. What will they remember once it’s all over? How will their experiences shape the collective memory? In her comic, the illustrator Beatrice Davies looks for answers.

Care and Community

People in India opened their wallets, threw open their kitchens to share food, and most importantly, their hearts.

Pandemic Perceptions
When “I” Got Replaced With “We”

What do you do, when you cannot go outside? You go inside. A time to reboot, reset and reinvent, the pandemic transformed both: the self as well as the society. Namrata Kohli discovers a new willingness to help and care in India.

The once positive reciprocal relationship between the younger and older generations in South Korea is being severely strained, not least since the pandemic.

Living Together in the Pandemic
A Society in Transition

In South Korean society, it is quite common for parents to continue to support their adult children financially for many years, and thus there is a close bond between the two. However, their relationship has been strained, not least since the beginning of the pandemic. Professor of philosophy Kwang Sun Joo talks about a conflict between the generations, which the South Korean government also takes advantage of.

It wasn’t just help that was in demand during lockdown. Sometimes it was about social interaction as well.

Neighbourhood help
Better neighbours thanks to corona

Along with the coronavirus, a wave of helpfulness spread through German neighbourhoods in 2020. But will the new solidarity continue “post-corona”?

The photo shows four young people sitting. Location: Riemer Park in Munich

Generational Responsibility in Germany
After the Void

In a very personal contribution, 19-year-old student Luka Leonhard describes how the lockdown has affected her and her peers. What kind of social responsibility do under-20-year olds bear to protect older generations during the pandemic? How does she see the future?

The way of dealing with death

Project Collection: “Como costurar às margens?" (How to sew on the Margins?), São João del-Rei, Brazil, 2019. 81-meter-long installation made with the artists Hana Brener and Ana Pi Videira.

Loss and Reinvention
“There Is Much Talk about Death, But Not as Much about Mourning”

In some Afro-Brazilian religions, certain funerary rituals cannot be shared on social media. Among indigenous communities, traditions associated with death were made invisible due to the virus. In Brazil as a whole, there was more talk about the number of deaths than about ways to mourn them.

Leaving a family member alone to die was painful for many relatives. The grieving process has changed.

Funerals during Corona in Germany
Stolen Time and No Goodbyes

A funeral director talks about grief counselling and saying goodbye to loved ones during the pandemic in Germany, how several things had to change and why a personal face-to-face contact is difficult to replace.

More about the Project Lockdown Lessons

Lockdown Lessons

For a year and a half now the whole world has been preoccupied with a virus. We have experienced the global, if somewhat staggered, nature of the pandemic in multiple phased waves. And already early in the beginning of the global crisis a question emerged: What can we learn from this catastrophe? In five thematic modules, the project “Lockdown Lessons” searches for answers on a global scale.

Top

Visions of a Post-Pandemic Future Lockdown Lessons: Proximity and Distance

From Our Experts

Editorial

Brazil Time to Be Together - But Not That Close

South Korea Life perspectives for a time after COVID-19

Germany A Counterbalance of Regulations and Social Interactions

India Now It Is Come to Distances and Both of Us Must Try: Proximity and Distance in the Pandemic

Experts in Conversation Reflections on the Pandemic

Panel Discussion: “What is next? What is here to stay? What is gone?”

Phenomena of Distance

Transition to a Digital Space Bridging Distance Like Never Before

Experiencing Concerts at a Distance Digital Music Spaces

Network Noise Disruption Takes the Lead ahead of Courteous Disagreement

Proximity in the Digital Age New Rooms, New Connections

Remote Culture

Arguments for a Cultural Transition The Digital Stage in India

Insights into the Brazilian Art and Culture Scene “What We Need Is to Imagine a More Porous Museum”

Museum Work in Seoul “I am anxious that national borders could remain closed”

Art in the Public Domain Raum für Neues – It’s Time for Something New

Distance Behaviour Scrutinised Manifestations of Everyday Life: What Remains? What Comes?

(Not) Allowed Contact

Physical Closeness and Distance Corona Rhapsody

Distance Proverbial

Multifaceted Illustrations How Proverbs Connect Us

New Culture of Availability

Virtualisation for Distancing Purposes Hybrid Working Worlds

Remote Work “A New Availability”