'We will remember them': Covid-19 and Grassroots Memorial Practices

In March 2020, the WHO classified Covid-19-a novel coronavirus-as a pandemic. By late-May, the UK death toll had passed 35,000. The restrictions on burial rituals and closure of faith spaces may have impacted the commemoration of Covid-19 victims but the emergence of grassroots memorial practices-from yellow hearts in the windows of bereaved households to crowdfunding campaigns for local tribute events-has demonstrated the extent to which communities have adapted ceremonial processes in a period of trauma. This project will investigate these makeshift memorial activities and their post-lockdown counterparts. Data will be analysed to assess their societal role: the methods used, the groups involved and the relationship to community resilience. Alongside scholarly publications and two exhibitions, project outcomes will include the founding of The Covid-19 Memorial Archive, a digital collection of artefacts from across the UK, reflecting the scale and diversity of commemorative responses to Covid-19.