Thank you to the 161 people who responded to the survey we sent two weeks ago. Many of you wrote to us in the comments section with personal stories of how your lives have been affected by the novel coronavirus.
While some (about 16%) were in favor of maintaining the May 31st submission deadline for LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch, most of you told stories of why more time would be beneficial—some who are either themselves sick with COVID-19, or who are taking care of sick family members, or whose lives have in many other ways been thrown asunder by the pandemic.
The fact is that everything has changed. The existential commitments that define us—to family, friends, career, creative expression, research, play, and exploration—have suddenly been jumbled together, competing for our time in ways that blur together the hours, the days, and the weeks. As we write this newsletter there remains much uncertainty as to what the next few months will bring. While for some, sheltering in place means more time for creativity, for many others it means struggles in the wake of losing a job, increased workload, constant childcare, or life-changing illness. It has become difficult for collaborations to take place between team members as physical distancing remains one of the few tools we have on hand to fight the spread of the virus.
We have therefore made the decision to extend the submission deadline by five months to October 31. The selection process will take place beginning in November and selected teams will be notified in February 2021. Prototype development and installation will still take place as previously scheduled in the spring and summer of 2021.
If you are aligned with the 16% of respondents who prefer to maintain the original deadline we ask for your understanding and hope that you will see this extension as an opportunity. You are still welcome to upload your submission by May 31. You can have the comfort of knowing that if at any time between May 31 and October 31 you decide you would like to change your submission in any way, you are free to go back and swap out any of the files you had previously uploaded to the web application.
Thank you for your understanding and for bringing your ideas to LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch and to the world. We hope that this design challenge can provide a healing creative outlet for many, a learning experience for others.
As Arundhati Roy remarked this past week, “Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.” We hope that you will be inclined to use the LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch design challenge to create what you see on the other side of the portal.
We’re wishing you health and safety in this unsure time.
With warm regards,
Elizabeth and Robert
Land Art Generator Founding Directors
