Islanding as a vernacular creative response to crisis: Emotional geographies of pandemic musicianship

Abstract

Emotional geographies of creativity during disruptive crises have received scant attention yet are deeply entwined with unfolding spatial reconfigurations. Drawing upon ethnographic research on the shifting geographies of creative work in the post-pandemic city, we highlight and discuss one distinctive emotional-geographic experience: what Wakefield (2021) calls ‘islanding’, a ‘retreat’ among creative workers to home spaces, consolidating activities and finding ways to inhabit upheaval. Describing the case of four male musicians who play together regularly in Sydney, Australia, we show how, in response to forced lockdowns, collaboration shifted from dispersed networks to home spaces of rehearsal, composition, production and performance. Within these reworked home spaces, creativity and sociality were reassembled. The emotional dimensions of music-making, support from family and friends, gender nuances, and bonds of collective creativity, acquired heightened significance. Pandemic upheaval afforded unforeseen opportunities to experiment, while ‘islanded’ spaces proved vital, socially, as the musicians faced multiple health, employment, and psychological challenges. Transcending masculine tropes, gathering at home to play music proved an avenue to perform care work, share the joys of music, express love and admit vulnerability. We conclude that emotional, gendered, and spatial dimensions must figure more prominently within analyses of creative responses to crisis, including post-pandemic discussions of the creative sectors.