Not Even For A Moment Do Things Stand Still

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us in different ways. For some, it has brought forth fear and cautiousness. For others, there is a sense of independence and entitlement over their rights. And even for others like the ones in Jamie Meltzer’s Not Even For A Moment Do Things Stand Still, the processing of loss and grief of those who have perished. Meltzer’s focus on the two-week art installation brought forth an even stronger message: despite our differences, we all feel the impact.

In September of 2021 artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg planted white flags on the National Mall for each person who died of COVID-19 in America in an installation titled “In America: Remember.” The exhibit ran from September 17, 2021 – October 3, 2021, adding flags as new deaths were reported daily. During that time many visited the exhibit to pay their respects and honor those that were lost during the pandemic.

As visitors wandered through the rows upon rows of white flags, the conversations between families and friends were indicative of the emotional range many Americans feel for the losses the country incurred during the pandemic from nurses who lost patients to families who have lost a mother or father to elderly saying goodbye to friends and many others just sitting down on benches amidst the sea of flags, grasping the new reality that a global pandemic has foisted upon not just the American people but also the world.

Meltzer’s film Not Even For A Moment Do Things Stand Still is a reminder that not only are we still processing the loss of American lives…it is a continual loss occurring. During the two weeks more than two thousand flags were added per day to the installation, starting at 670,032 when the exhibit opened and ending at 701,133. The flags became a ceremonial burial as many of those who died were unable to have funerals and their friends and families unable to give proper goodbyes. Meltzer’s ability to pack a proverbial punch in this short film does not go unnoticed as you empathize with those that visited the memorial. You feel their anguish and determination all in one.

But not all is lost. While many were unable to have proper closure, others viewed the memorial as a place to do so. One visitor commented how the flags were waving in the wind almost as though it was loved ones waving back at them. You see a child in their stroller holding an American flag. You see many writing messages on the flags to those they lost, hoping their message is received. Even in grief humanity is always prevalent and thriving. In death, there can still be beauty and peace.

Not Even For A Moment Do Things Stand Still is a reminder that for many of us the pandemic has left long-lasting effects. And for others, that the fight continues. If “In America: Remember” had extended their exhibit to keep running to the present those flags would be closer to a million. While the pandemic may not be as scary as it was in 2020, the devastation left in its wake still affects us today.

For more information on the “In America: Remember” exhibit and the artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg, please visit https://www.inamericaflags.org/.