The Corona foregrounds the experiences of young people aged 3 – 24 in their own voices during the rolling lockdowns of the COVID19 pandemic in early 2021. It is composed of drawings posted to VISUAL by young people and audio interviews conducted over phone and video calls.

The film shows the experience of lockdown from the perspective of children in early years settings, primary schools, afterschool care, young people from Comhairle na nÓg, early school leavers, third level students who have just made the transition from secondary to third level and children and young people with disabilities.

In the interviews, young people reflect on how the COVID-19 pandemic changed their lives. The work was commissioned as a way to listen to young people’s experiences of the pandemic and use their reflections to inform policy for the future.

VISUAL’s Learning Curator Clare Breen gathered audio interviews from 42 children across the region and over 250 drawings from young people ranging in age from 3 – 24. These drawings were edited together into an animated film by the award-winning Irish artist Daniel Tuomey, and the film was scored with original music composed by the Carlow-based composer Aoife Kavanagh.

The Corona was commissioned by Children and Young People’s Services Committees, Carlow (CYPSC) and produced by VISUAL Carlow.

Trailer: