The Viral Portal
Over the course of four years, the Viral Conjunctures collective aims to gather a wide array of stories, images, and other creative contributions—both mainstream and marginalized, found and curated—that illuminate the many ways pandemics intersect with art, storytelling, politics, social values, and visions of planetary health. From personal testimonies to experimental media, our project embraces multiple forms of knowledge and expression as part of a growing public research hub and online resource.
We imagine this hub or portal as a dynamic and multi-voiced gateway—one that invites conversation, reflection, and collective discovery. It will feature ongoing public events such as Viral Books, a collaborative monthly book club open to students and general readers alike; links to related events; podcasts and lectures with artists, writers, and scholars; and interdisciplinary roundtables and conferences that bring together health workers, activists, artists, writers, activists, and community members from around the globe.
We envision this portal as a living archive: a continually evolving, open-access resource for educators, high school students, researchers, artists, and the broader public. By creating both virtual and in-person spaces for dialogue, creativity, and critical reflection, the Viral Conjunctures group hopes to foster new ways of thinking about pandemics and the possibilities of just, decommodified, and collective health futures.