Flatten The Curve

Animators unite to put a positive spin on lockdown

Flatten The Curve is a new compilation of over 90 animated clips that look at the small pleasures and unusual habits that come with life under lockdown

Life has been turned upside down by the coronavirus outbreak even for those who haven’t suffered a loss at the hands of it. The news has become an ongoing source of despair and the general public is rapidly tiring of life under lockdown. However, the crisis has seen a pushback of positivity, whether through the nationwide Clap for our Carers initiative or the sense of solidarity seen across the creative communities and the wider public.

Flatten The Curve is a new compilation video embracing the positive, with animators from around the world contributing over 90 uplifting clips based on their time under lockdown. The first film in the series has just been released, with two more to follow.

The project was initiated by London-based animators Kathrin Steinbacher and Emily Downe, who together run Studio Desk. Steinbacher and Downe asked animators to submit a clip that would “highlight something positive they have experienced in these difficult times”, and the outcome is a diverse array of colourful takes on the new normal.

The animations are a joyful reminder of the benefits that come with staying at home – from devoting energy to creative projects to spending time with pets (and, every now and then, a giraffe). The compilation also highlights the small daily pleasures that many of us previously took for granted, like interacting with neighbours, checking in with family or enjoying the outdoors.

Flatten The Curve
Top image: Good Golly. Here: Bryan Lee

Among the animations are clips showing the wave of trends that have come about during lockdown, such as the world’s new-found affinity for house plants or DIY haircuts, and there’s even a nod to Joe Exotic – the king of both tigers and quarantine binge TV. And of course, it wouldn’t be a true representation of lockdown without nods to the great toilet roll shortage of 2020.

Flatten The Curve taps into a wave of positive responses to staying at home, which has been embraced by everyone from the BBC in its new idents to Pentagram’s home poems.

@studiodeskanimation