THE COVID CARNIVAL, ANIMAL CROSSING, AND THE POWER OF VIRTUAL INSTALLATIONS

Abstract

The pandemic has casted shadows upon us all, but fortunately, there is the healing power of art. The COVID Carnival and its subcomponent screencap-illustrated story “The Monster of Nian” are the memorabilia of my own struggles under the pandemic, and also an experimental installation aiming to try out the innovative medium of social video game Animal Crossing. It is an exploration of virtual interactions of the mind, and a combative prescription against the isolating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project embeds multi-layered metaphors in its expressions and reflections, as the symbolisms of a carnival, a temple fair, a night market, the Lunar New Year, and a fable story visually autocorrected by adorable anthropomorphic animal characters. Together, I welcome you to my virtual island, my COVID Carnival.