The pandemic altered the dynamics of relationships within domestic walls and deeply affected the learning process that pre-COVID was taken for granted and was the domain of our educational institutions.

The idea of formal education changed to accommodate the rules dictated by the health authorities. Schooling became homeschooling and technology was handy to aid in this abrupt transformation. Students and teachers lost out through this as direct approach and human interaction were no longer possible.

However, technology on many occasions was a saving grace as all actors in this dystopian reality show endeavoured to ride the wave of Zoom meetings while YouTube and other platforms showed us how to manage the boredom and alienate ourselves from the COVID statistics issued daily. We realised that some of our concealed capabilities could be tapped into, releasing the creative spirit within us.

Another untitled image from the exhibition.

“Technology was the only channel through which we could interact − the light in the darkness. It offered possibilities for communication, collaboration, cooperation and for building new communities,” artist Etienne Farrell, who, for a number of years, was head of school in local primary government schools, said.

Her current exhibition, titled Pandemic Lives, is a collaboration with the Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) research group, comprising five female academics from the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education within the Faculty of Education, University of Malta. Charmaine Bonello, Rosienne Camilleri, Josephine Deguara, Josephine Milton and Tania Muscat collaborated and worked together on research intended to fill a gap in knowledge brought on by COVID-19.

“The ECPE research group’s online formation, collaboration and collective research was underpinned by the social learning theory, foregrounding social behaviour and the interaction with others as indispensable ingredients for the promotion of learning,” Farrell points out.

Etienne Farrell

The COVID-19 and Education in Malta (Cov-EM) study explored how the pandemic impacted five key stakeholders’ personal and professional lives in early and primary education. The primarily quantitative study was conducted over two phases.

Technology was the only channel through which we could interact − the light in the darkness

The first phase, which consisted of sending online questionnaires to five stakeholders (university students in Initial Teacher Education, early and primary educators, education leaders and parents) via social media platforms, was conducted in September 2020. The second run, which, likewise, consisted of sending adapted online questionnaires to the different stakeholders, was conducted in September 2021. The study outcomes resulted in five research reports offering perspectives from the key stakeholders in Maltese early and primary education with a focus on three main concepts: teaching and learning, learning spaces and well-being and relationships.

Farrell’s installations are the result of this research in which she explores the key outcomes of the project. She explains that the installation includes three main components: technology, light and darkness and the written word.

The artist notes that, since technology had a key role as the pandemic played out, she used it to portray her ex-colleagues’ findings.

Another untitled image.

“Most of this work is made up of rotating objects, very similar to zoetropes, and light,” she says.

“The exhibiting space will be left in the dark so that the projected words can be visible on the walls. I see the darkness in the room, broken by the light produced by technology to emulate the situations we experienced when we were forced to spend more time at home.”

She continues: “The need to communicate through technology is at the core of the ECPE’s academic reports and is echoed in the installations that point to creating networks and dialogues, referring to the social learning theory. I know, and I’ve discussed this with the rest of the team, that ‘COVID’ and ‘pandemic’ are words that we’d rather delete and forget but it happened and is still happening and we have lessons to learn. And we’d be stupid if we don’t take opportunities to learn from what we have experienced.”

Farrell’s installation will complement the key outcomes of the Cov-EM research study which will be shared with the public during the five research reports’ launch at the Arts Lecture Theatre, University of Malta, Msida campus, tomorrow between 12.30 and 1.30 pm. Farrell’s installation will be on show to the public at Open Access Area A – Tent B, University of Malta, Msida campus, tomorrow and on Friday.