Doing Arts Research in a Pandemic: Dis-traction ... or suddenly its Thursday

As a rheumatoid arthritis sufferer, this pandemic has literally stopped me in my tracks, forcing an essential stoppage of travel in any form. Housebound since March 11th and now entering my 10th week of isolation, COVID-19 has made its unwelcome way into my world. I had been expecting to fly to London in June for the Elixir Festival, to conduct face to face interviews, attend performances, and discuss the research at conferences, now all is postponed, perhaps cancelled indefinitely.
Confined to “barracks” in the hinterland of the Gold Coast in Queensland, has meant
spending many hours watching dance in all forms streamed online, the internet providing a virtual lifeline to watch performances, dance films, to share work, converse and be inspired. With social media platforms providing “limitless connectivity” how much is too much? (Dobell, J 2016) All this sharing of work through these mediums has great importance, and relevance, but with this global upheaval ever present, I wondered, “does any of this matter anymore?”