We don’t want to dwell on all the cancelled projects of 2021, but this one would have been amazing. Lowlands was preparing the first festival where people could hug freely again. We designed a special hugging zone, mimicking official COVID flowcharts, announcements, and crowd control—but then completely subverting the “do not touch anyone” message that had dominated our lives.
In our immersive lab, we created a playful environment with hug superspreaders to help people relearn how to hug. This project would have been another experiential art installation emphasizing audience participation, co-creation, and the “as if” quality of a fake lab. We love the approach of a fictional workshop or mock institute, where the line between reality and performance is joyfully blurred.
It was not meant to be 🙂
