Feeling like you lack human connection because of the pandemic? You're not alone. That collective feeling of isolation is the focus of a video entitled Human Weighted Blanket by British-Canadian artist Joshua Oliver, a.k.a. Red Jay.
To celebrate the launch of the video, Montrealers can participate in a free cuddle therapy session event on World Mental Health Day, Sunday, October 10.
For the Human Weighted Blanket video, Oliver "[invited] three Montrealers struggling with their mental health, who had seen their symptoms worsen during the pandemic, into a studio to test out a specially designed weighted blanket," according to a description.
The three participants then find out that the "weighted blanket" consists of four "human platonic touch therapists," professionals who engage in a session of physical contact with each individual.
Watch the trailer below.
Human Weighted Blanket - A Virtual Hug by Red Jaywww.youtube.com
"Human Weighted Blanket is intended to act as an antidote to this universally felt 'distancing' by offering a vicarious experience of human physical contact, yet achieved through the medium of video," the description reads.
"It poses the questions: Can we live vicariously through art? Can a piece of art heal the mind and if so, can it act as a well-being resource to return back to time and time again?"
In addition to the cuddle therapy sessions, the October 10 launch event will include 15-minute "experience sessions," screenings of Human Weighted Blanket, and a question period with Red Jay and the Montrealers in the video.
Montrealers can register for the event online. Get the details below.
'Human Weighted Blanket' Video Launch & Cuddle Therapy Sessions
Price: Free
Where: WIP Espace Boutique, 3487, boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, October 10, 2021
