Story 4
Beating Hearts
Connection
When the pandemic began, I had just moved to Peru a few months earlier. On March 15, 2021, a national lockdown was declared by then-President Vizcarra (who would be impeached later that year amid protests resulting in fatalities).
I could never have imagined that I would move to a country that, unfortunately, had the highest percentage of COVID-related deaths in the world.
The government implemented extreme measures to contain the virus. The lockdown was enforced, borders were closed, and people were forbidden to leave their homes.
From my balcony, I witnessed a post-apocalyptic scene. Lima, a cosmopolitan city with nearly 10 million inhabitants, was now eerily silent, with armed soldiers patrolling the streets.
Each night at 8 PM, the silence would be broken as we gathered with neighbors to applaud those who continued to work. Emergency vehicles and ambulances raced through the empty streets with sirens blaring.
One of those nights, I felt a surge of creativity. Perhaps as a way to cope or out of creative idleness, I decided to transform a medicine box and a flashlight into a projector. At 8 PM, a heart made of light danced on the building’s exterior wall.
It pulsed for a few minutes, creating a greater impact than I had anticipated. People from surrounding buildings cheered and applauded, regardless of whether the heart represented Brazil, Peru, or any other part of the world.
The projector took on different shapes, but none were as successful as the beating heart. Perhaps it was because it was the first, or maybe because it symbolized the collective feeling of connection we all experienced in that moment.
What did I learn? If we don’t notice our own heart beating in our daily lives, how can we perceive others? If we can pause our chaotic lives for just a moment, we may realize that we are alive and connected. We can see that our hearts are moved by many things and sometimes by very little. More importantly, we can recognize the other hearts beating around us. As an experience designer, it is my duty to prioritize people, and as a citizen, even more so.
4/10: This story is part of a series of personal narratives that embrace vulnerability and illustrate how human experiences have shaped my journey as a digital experience designer. A reminder that even in a robotic world, we ultimately find ourselves—human.
