Pangolin vs Coronavirus

In Northern Italy, the performance-art duo Fossick Project - illustrator Cecilia Valagussa and musician Marta Del Grandi - is finding a way to re-invent their work in the times of lockdown and coronavirus.

In their area, social distancing started on February 23rd, culminating on March 9th in a strict lockdown, that still sees no end date. Artists and performers have had all their shows canceled at least until the end of May, with summer festivals being uncertain and not confirmed.

Cecilia and Marta decided to use this time as best as they could and started working remotely on the production of music-animation videos to spread awareness and positive messages on coronavirus.

Working remotely isn’t something new for the duo: having met in Belgium in 2016, they parted ways a year after. Cecilia moved to Bologna where she works as a freelance illustrator, and Marta flew to Kathmandu (Nepal) where she lived for two and a half years and where, besides her artistic work, she actively promoted music and culture through Sofar Sounds and the festival Seashells on the Mountains, founded together with her husband Rishi.

Cecilia and Marta met twice a year for production residencies and worked remotely the rest of the time. Their work consists in live performances that can be described as a contemporary form of shadow theatre and tell stories inspired by the endangered animal species and their habitats.

Their first show, “Long Tong Tales” (2018) is about pangolins, the most trafficked animal in the world. It’s set in the Kathmandu Valley where the Pangolin is struggling to survive the rapid urbanization, the increasing pollution, and uncontrolled encroachment of its habitat.

Their second one, “The Great Giant Leap” (2019) is starring the Great Indian Bustard, the state bird of Rajasthan that with a population of less than 200 is on the brink of extinction; it’s set in the desert of Thar and the city of Jaisalmer, in North India.

Hearing the news that the pangolin was initially suspected of having spread the coronavirus to humans, Marta and Cecilia had the idea for their first mini-video #StayHome Workout with Pangolin PT.

In China and some other countries of South East Asia, pangolin meat is considered a delicacy and his scales, rich in keratin, are used in traditional medicine, making it the most trafficked animal species in the world. Today, China officially put a ban on wildlife markets: will this save the pangolin?

While the world gets locked down, this workout tutorial will help us to stay fit and #flattenthecurve!