How to stay connected, have cultural experiences and virtually meet new people while in lockdown
Everyone is required to stay at home as much as possible and if your moral is below zero, don’t despair. Even in these trying times, we’ll give you some tips on how to stay in contact with your loved ones, meet new people and have some cultural experiences while in lockdown.
Article by Camilla Van Grembergen, header photo by Cottonbro
STAYING IN TOUCH WITHOUT HAVING TO TOUCH
Craving for a Houseparty? This app makes video chat effortless, alerting you when your friends are 'in the house' and ready to chat so you can jump right into the conversation and even play games together. The same goes for you opening 'Houseparty'. Your friends will know you’re in the app and ready to talk.
Another interesting piece of technology is the Netflix Party Chrome extension. It lets you watch your favorite Netflix series or films with anyone, automatically synchronized and chatbox included (or excluded, according to your preferences). For it to work, you all have to get the extension up and running, one person starts watching and shares a link and then you have to click on the Netflix Party (NP) icon for the chatbox to appear.
GETTING YOUR CULTURAL FIX FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME
New movie premieres are being canceled all over the world due to the Corona crisis. But cinema ZED in Leuven decided to offer the most recent releases to watch from the comfort of your own home. Enjoy ‘ZED vanuit je zetel’!
Looking for more visual art? Google Arts & Culture teamed up with 2500 museums and galleries from all over the world to bring art closer to everyone. The list includes MoMa, Uffizi Gallery, Rijksmuseum, Pergamon, Musée d’Orsay... Also definitely worth a watch, if you have some time to kill, is this one-take tour of Russia’s iconic Hermitage museum by Apple.
Of course, all concert venues also had to close their doors for an indefinite amount of time. But for those of us who thrive on going to concerts, Ancienne Belgique has a solution. Every night, they post an iconic AB concert on their Youtube channel. Sit back and watch artists such as Glints give it their all.
You can also follow our Chase - Stay The Fuck Home playlist on Spotify to soothe your musical needs. This month's playlist is curated by none else than Chase's intern Nina Dakota Szyf. While you're at it, you can take this extra added time to read up on your favorite artists, really get to know their lyrics and what's behind them on Genius.
VIRTUALLY MEETING NEW CREATIVE PEOPLE
Do you miss telling stories or listening to them? Relaas is a podcast where people come together every month to tell stories in front of a live audience. Because the ‘live’ aspect is impossible in quarantined times, they have found a clever (digital) solution. On Sunday 29th of March, you can listen to or participate in the storytelling, from the comfort of your sofa. Go check out their Facebook event for more information.
The coronavirus outbreak has many people, designers and non-designers, working from home. Live!, a series of live talks on Instagram tries to alleviate boredom and to instill hope. You can also visit their website to see the list of speakers and convert the timezone to yours.
Lockdown Type Beat is specifically calling on all musicians. This concept by producer Corrupted urges musicians to keep creating music until the corona craze is over. Head on over to the Instagram page, find the link in bio and drop your samples in there.
Looking for a community? Black History Month Belgium is redirecting its audience to its digital channels. Go follow their Instagram for updates on live yoga classes, talks, debates, online open mics and more.
Do you have more tips on how to stay connected and have cultural experiences while in lockdown? Let us know in the comments!
All new articles
