Rio de Janeiro Staged an Elaborate Projection to Transform Its Christ the Redeemer Statue Into a Doctor to Honor Healthcare Workers

With churches and other houses of worship closed to maintain
social distancing measures, Brazilian archbishop Orani Tempesta
conducted an Easter service at the feet of the Christ the
Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro—and projected a
special message onto the 125-foot-tall statue.

For the second time since the coronavirus escalated to
a global pandemic, the statue appeared illuminated with images of
the flags of countries hardest hit by the virus, including the
United States, China, Spain, Italy, and Brazil, and the words
“hope,” “thanks,” and “stay home” written in various languages.

The statue, depicting Christ with outstretched arms, was also
dressed up in a doctor’s scrubs, lab coat, and stethoscope as a
tribute to the healthcare workers on the front line of the
pandemic. Projected images of doctors and nurses also
intermittently appeared on the figure, putting individual faces to
that vital workforce.

The images that lit up the sky on Easter Sunday provided a
different message than the one that Brazil president Jair Bolsanaro
has been amplifying. Over the weekend he scoffed at social
distancing measures, telling local media outlets “No one will
hinder my right to come and go.” Since the first case of COVID-19
was reported on February 26 in Brazil, the number of confirmed
cases has risen to 2,000, with 1,230 deaths.

See more images of the illuminated statue, below.

The post Rio de Janeiro Staged an Elaborate Projection to
Transform Its Christ the Redeemer Statue Into a Doctor to Honor
Healthcare Workers appeared first on artnet News.