Shot in a single day during the social-distancing response to coronavirus, film-maker Vitùc’s poetic film takes viewers on an almost silent three-minute journey through the capital, people by, among others, a homeless man at the Kanonenhiwel, a singular cyclist, a dog walker and someone working out at the skatepark in the Petrusse. Yet there is something peaceful and even cathartic about the short film

“I see the city is like a village. With people, it’s quiet, without people it seems to be strange. But, I like the silence,” the Luxembourg-born artist with Italian origins told Delano on Wednesday.

Set to an apocalyptic soundtrack, Vitùc said he wanted to provoke a response in the currently fearful public and to remind them not to be afraid.

He said: “In spite of the apocalyptic atmosphere intended, there is not only emptiness, there is the wind, the singing of the birds. It's already life, it's hope. And hope is the future.

The earth is resting, taking a break from humans.”

Viewed over 70,000 times at the time of our interview, the video has provoked a variety of responses. In addition to appreciation, some viewers have criticised the film-maker for leaving his home for a non-essential activity.

“My answer is without art we could be in the void more than we are,” Vitùc said, adding: “I have something to say. That’s why artists are here.”

This is not the first time the artist has examined silence in his work. “Somewhere USA”, shot during a roadtrip in 2013, has a similar atmosphere. “We’ve forgotten what silence is. This is also what the film says,” Vitùc said.

COV(o)ID Luxembourg City from Vitùc on Vimeo