Walking Through a Day in the Life of a COVID Long-Hauler: A Museum Exhibit for Knowledge Mobilization
Ever wondered what it could look like to mobilize knowledge via museum or art exhibit? When talking about dissemination, I tend to think of the list of activities and products that we share in our KM Hub training programs, ranging from posters to policy briefs, meetings, symposia, and yes–exhibits. But I had yet to see what an exhibit for knowledge mobilization could actually look like.
When the opportunity arose to join my KM Hub colleagues, Lupin, Tiffany, and Cassidy, on a field trip to see our colleagues’ exhibit, I was stoked! So, we ventured to the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) to see an exhibit put on by some of SFU’s knowledge mobilization superstars and their collaborators titled: Living with Long COVID.
The MOV is a small Kits beach-adjacent gem, known for its publicly engaged and decolonial approach–and as a filming location in the latest Final Destination movie. We were excited to see that the Long COVID exhibit was THE featured exhibit at the MOV. It is visible as soon as you walk into the building – you can’t miss it – highlighting the relevance and importance of this project.
We entered the gallery and soon found our colleagues’ names on the acknowledgements placard. We first heard about this project from KM Hub friend and colleague, Dr. Rackeb Tesfaye, Director of Knowledge Mobilization at Bridge Research Consortium, and one of the SFU leads on the project.
Rackeb shared that the project was created by and for people living with Long COVID to amplify their voices and increase recognition of the illness. We also learned that the project team included many of SFU’s incredible knowledge mobilizers including: Dr. Julia Smith, Dr. Kaylee Byers (now at UBC), Kayli Jamieson, Rhien Hare, and Gladys We.
The exhibit featured self-submitted photos telling the stories of 46 contributors, or “Long-Haulers” (People living with Long COVID). On the colourful walls sat images of family, friends, pets, heart rate monitors, supplements, ice packs, and people napping. We saw peoples’ challenges and their resilience.
After walking through the photo gallery, we approached a wall of pillows. By the time we made it here, it was clear that extreme fatigue was a symptom experienced by many of the contributors. Each pillow on the wall had the story of a Long-Hauler written on its case. Their exhaustion was palpable.
Next to the pillow wall, there were pencils, note cards, clothespins, and an invitation for visitors to write down their thoughts and ideas, and hang them on the wall. The notecards were filled with compassionate messages, sympathies, and hopes for the future of folks living with Long COVID.
Sharing knowledge via an embodied experience, in this case by travelling through a photo-voice exhibit, appeals to emotional and relational ways of knowing. As I walked through the gallery, each story was felt as a distinct but connected piece of a larger–and longer–journey.
I reflected on the importance of seeing and being seen–and the importance of respecting and valuing different types of knowledge, including lived expertise, in research and knowledge mobilization. When knowledge is co-created with community, and lived expertise is placed at the forefront, it becomes something bigger and more resonant.
This just in! Living with Long COVID at the MOV has been extended until May 27th–which is surely a testament to the power of this exhibit! So if, like me, you are curious about what this type of knowledge mobilization activity could look like, don't miss seeing it for yourself!