SELENE, the solitude in the times of COVID-19, aimed to promote greater social awareness and universal values such as empathy, closeness, and solidarity among the communities of adults affected by COVID-19, through art and humanistic mediation. The sadness and loneliness of patients hospitalized in intensive care, the anguish of their families, and the healthcare personnel who have been on the front lines are something that cannot be described unless one has experienced it firsthand. We wanted to give them, and ourselves, the opportunity to tell their stories; therefore, we collected testimonies of something that has deeply remained within each one of us, little known outside of those who have experienced the tragedy. The fear of contracting the virus, the awakening after being intubated unable to speak or move, without knowing whether it would be temporary or not. The testimonies of healthcare workers who became channels of communication between the families and the hospitalized patients to alleviate the paralyzing anguish. There are numerous stories of what happened to these individuals, and we have shared them through the SELENE project.
The Covid-19 crisis until December 17, 2022, has caused the death of 6,664,842 people worldwide. Neither Bergamo nor Valencia or Barcelona were spared. These cities have recorded a very high number of victims and have seen their social fabric deeply torn apart. A demand arose in these cities: for someone to take on the task, with sensitivity and expertise, of processing grief, the loneliness in the face of the death of family members, but also the stories of those who, in healthcare facilities, communities, and nursing homes, accompanied these individuals until their last moments. Death has left its mark on those who were there, professionally and committedly, as well as those who couldn't be there due to health restrictions. Injured and suffering voices and universes, in need of dialogue and sharing to move towards a path of regeneration. The scarcity of resources and pandemic containment measures, in fact, have accentuated vulnerabilities and inequalities, disrupting individual lives, especially those of adults. There was a need to release the vibrations that have matured during the long solitude imposed by the pandemic.