Living Warriors: COVID
“We’ve all been on our own in the choppy sea with Covid. This book, we hope, is a lighthouse. Us Living Warriors are now in the lighthouse together, and we are sending our light out to you. There is hope, we are not alone. There are people who know what this feels like, and there are many of us, all across the country, across the world even.” - Georgia
The Book
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic and funded by NHS Kent & Medway, Living Words worked with individuals and groups whose lives were impacted by contracting Covid-19. Project members included those with experience of long Covid, hospitalisation, and coma - leading to job loss, isolation, disability, and relationship changes.
Living Warriors: Covid include a teacher, a nurse, a social worker, parents, grandparents, a student, and a filmmaker. Throughout this project, Living Warriors shared their words and stories to give strength and hope to themselves and others. All co-created books of their own words, and together their words were published in a book.
To order a copy, please email: info@livingwords.org.uk
The Films
Living Warrior, Oliver Pratt, an illustration & animation student, was supported to create short film ‘Intensive’ based on his experience of being hospitalised and at the brink of death, due to contracting the virus. The text for Oliver's film are his Living Words. His dreamlike recollections are humorous, harrowing, and yet often life-affirming. From 1027 submissions, from over 110 countries, and a judging panel of Sharon Stone, Emilia Clarke, and Mia Maestro - Intensive was selected as a grand prix of the World Health Organisation’s ‘Health For All’ international film festival, Health Emergencies category.
The animation has been shared locally, nationally, and internationally: within 4 local festivals and at a special screening at SPACE Bar & Gallery in September 2021; screened at the British Library for the International MED fest, where Oliver and Living Words lead (and film’s producer) Susanna were interviewed by Dame Carol Black; featured as the leading story for BBC Ideas coverage of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (500,000 + complete views on socials/across digital means).
The film and this project continues to be viewed and shared across the globe.
‘Many Talking’ brings together the voices and words of all project participants into a visual montage, for accessible listening.
