Face masks as floating signifiers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium

Research-based drawings are used to demonstrate how face masks functioned as floating signifiers in the public space in Belgium during the 2020 pandemic. Face masks have become the external hallmark of a pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, a potentially life-threatening virus that is, by definition, invi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Visual studies (Abingdon, England) England), 2021-03, Vol.36 (2), p.124-132
Main Author: Van Gorp, Baldwin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Life threatening
Masks
Medical personnel
Medicine
Pandemics
Public spaces
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
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Summary:Research-based drawings are used to demonstrate how face masks functioned as floating signifiers in the public space in Belgium during the 2020 pandemic. Face masks have become the external hallmark of a pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, a potentially life-threatening virus that is, by definition, invisible. Paradoxically, the presence of face masks seems to indicate a risk of infection, while the absence of face masks indicates safety. Unlike in Asian countries, a mask is not a sign of solidarity in Belgium; it is a personal attribute that can be worn in many different ways. These observations are contrasted with how medical personnel is wearing protective equipment in a COVID-19 unit at a hospital.
ISSN:1472-586X
1472-5878
DOI:10.1080/1472586X.2021.1915703