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19: A Data Melody -
Limerick, Ireland (2020)
Audio Snippet 19: A Data Melody
19: A Data Melody is a sound piece translating the daily released case and death figures relating to Covid 19 in the Republic of Ireland. These figures are taken from Irelands first recorded death on the 11th of March 2020 to the 11th of March 2021.
Visual documentation of Limerick city during the second national lockdown: 21st October 2020 - first December 2020
After the first Irish recorded COVID - 19 related death, on the 11th of March 2020, four days later over 7,400 pubs close their doors to the public in a bid to contain the spread of the COVID - 19 virus, leaving over 50,000 bar workers without jobs. In the following days and weeks restaurants , retail and creches followed suit in a bid to protect the health and safety of its employees and community. By mid March nearly 3% of the population (140,000 people) had lost employment in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.
By the 27th of March 2,121 people had been infected by the virus with the lose of 22 lives. The government had announced more intense restrictions, in a bid to prevent spreading and protect the more vulnerable to the virus. People were told to stay at home, only to leave for grocery shopping and brisk exercise within a 2 Km radius of their homes.
Visual documentation of Limerick city during the pandemic
The following months saw the virus grow as people were encouraged to stay home. The country went in and out of lockdowns as the virus surged across the world. By January, 2021, Ireland was recording between one to six thousand cases daily, with just under 2,000 hospitalised. This piece takes the figures of deaths and cases announced everyday by the government for a year and changes the numbers into musical notes. As the cases and deaths grew throughout the country the musical notes go down in octaves creating deeper notes. Each number is allocated a specific note demonstrating a musical representation of the COVID - 19 curve drawn up by figures in which the Irish government wanted to flatten.
Visual documentation of Limerick city during the pandemic
19: A Data melody is a project created with the help of funding awarded by the Irish Arts Council (2020). The work debuted a sample, exhibited from the 21st - 28th of September, for the United Nations 75th General Assembly in a collaborating international group exhibition Global Conversation (2020). It has gone on to be shown in countries such as London, England (2021) and South Korea, (2021)
Visual documentation of Limerick city during the first national lockdown: 16th March 2020 - 1st July 2020
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