Virus: Making & Breaking the Pandemic
The Project
“Pattern Interactive collaborated on this unique community project with Heritage Winnipeg, successfully bringing an interactive and entertaining understanding of the Pandemic 1918-2020, through both innovative digital technology and as a visitors’ exhibit in a historic space.”
—Cindy Tugwell, Executive Director Heritage Winnipeg
COVID-19, like the Spanish Flu a century earlier, marked a dramatic inflection point in history; a perilous, dark moment that forced us to confront uneasy realities: why did this occur, how can we fix it, and will we be better prepared for the next one?
Pattern was engaged by longtime partner Heritage Winnipeg to provide a unique perspective and context for the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Challenge
As COVID-19 arrived in Winnipeg in 2020, the extant buildings of a different time reminded us that it was not the first pandemic to run rampant through the city. The chronicles of Spanish Influenza from over a century ago are captured in the backdrop of brick, stone and wood, stone and wood of Winnipeg’s built heritage environment; in the hospitals that filled up, the shortage of healthcare workers, the gathering spaces that fell silent, the buildings that were repurposed, the homes that people returned to and never left for days on end. What connections could be made between these two world-changing crises?
The Stories
The Spanish Flu and COVID share remarkably similar stories: dramatic impacts on communities, business, and healthcare. Confusion, fear, and ever-changing responses from authorities. Looking back 100 years ago, how did the community confront the confusion, fear, and losses? What is the legacy of those who were lost? With COVID, did we repeat mistakes that should have been lessons learned? This exhibit touches on these questions, and more.
The Solution
The unique exhibition space inside the former Bank of Commerce building at 389 Main Street in Winnipeg inspired the design team to create an intimate, thoughtfully paced experience, using dramatic lighting design, paired with art direction to suit the interior environment.
Key messages, themes, colours, hierarchy, direction, and layouts of the exhibit are all filtered through the question: how can we ensure the visitor is absorbed in this material?
A combination of printed exhibit boards were paired with a beautifully-edited video projection, discovered by the visitors as they rounded the corner into the second half of the exhibit.
The Build
This exhibit is completely accessible, for both visitors to the space, and to those experiencing it remotely. Careful considerations of size, space, and modularity have resulted in exhibit materials that are as easily removed as they are installed; this portability offers the opportunity to show it in different locations around the world. Additionally, the website contains a complete reproduction of the in-person experience, accessed through a 360 virtual tour that also contains the 9min video presentation.
Outcomes and Results
This project proved to be successful, reaching a wide range of visitors – from school groups, to tourists, and history buffs. The combination of the lighting, the inspired venue, and the striking design saw many visitors hoping that it could enjoy a longer run or find a more permanent solution, so that it could be experienced by even more people. The visually rich comparisons between the two eras were especially well-received, and covered by media outlets Global, City, CTV, CBC and the Free Press.
