Love in the Time of COVID: Local and international artists team up for video

Video promoting love in pandemic From CTV Kitchener's Nicole Lampa: A video inspired by a book is helping promote community love during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KITCHENER — A dream inspired by a book has become a virtual love letter to Waterloo Region and the world.

The video features local and International artists with one central theme: Love in the Time of COVID.

"As quirky as it sounds, it came to me in a dream," said Isabel Cisterna, manager of cultural programming at the Wilfrid Laurier University library. "How I could bring arts to the forefront during a special time like COVID."

The idea was sparked by the classic book, "Love in the Time of Cholera."

"It spoke about how love permeates everything and, in the end, it will save us," Cisterna said.

The WLU library team is on a mission to collaborate with the local arts and cultural community like public libraries do.

"It really did engage the community," archivist Gohar Ashoughian said. "Something that we really miss these days, that togetherness."

There were more than 50 participants, including the prime minister .

Alysha Brilla said performing and creating a theme song for the video provided unexpected solace.

"It really was medicine for my heart to get through the first part of the pandemic," she said.

The video is meant to be a love letter, helping the arts community in Waterloo Region feel stronger together.

"Everybody that gave from themselves and to this project, they gave themselves generously and that's what moved me so much," Cisterna said.

The video was released on YouTube in November.