An imaginary voyage: pandemic approaches to virtual exploration, embodiment, and creative practice

ABSTRACT In the lockdown era researchers and writers must engage in new ways of working, especially in the realm of field work. On the ground field work is a key characteristic of much diasporic third generation Holocaust literature: place becomes a substitute for experience and a key aspect of connection to history. But when a pandemic hits, what is to be done when international travel becomes impossible? This paper explores the medium of virtual field work: in lieu of an ‘on the ground’ expedition, the writer/researcher engages in virtual exploration situated between documentary material and imagined worlds. Through this analysis I argue that virtual field work can offer a unique, multi-faceted field work experience, and given the similar necessity for imagination as a tool for connection, lends itself to the third-generation Holocaust writer’s investigation.