We're extremely pleased to be holding our 50th Death Cafe in our hometown of London at the fantastic Graveland exhibition. This will be facilitated by Sue Barsky Reid, who also ran our 1st Death Cafe.
We hope you will join us, and also check out what Graveland has to offer. Based on what we know about Carla Conte, the organiser, it will be a wonderfully playful method of blowing away the winter cobwebs.
The Crypt Gallery
29th
January – 3rd February 2013
Opening Event: 31st January 6-9pm.
~ FREE ENTRY ~
GRAVELAND - A playful art & photography exhibition that
~ FREE ENTRY ~
GRAVELAND - A playful art & photography exhibition that
explores cemeteries from around the
world and how we remember the dead.
An
exhibition about cemeteries from around the world opens on 29th January at The
Crypt Gallery in London. Entitled Graveland,
this vibrant exhibition takes
a curious look at cemeteries and tributes from around the world, exploring ways
we remember, through photography and art.
Photography, stories, objects
and decorations will show some of the many different ways we commemorate a
person worldwide, from the traditional to the more unusual. This will be
further explored by artwork including drawings, sculpture, installations, photographic
art, film and craft.
The
collection represents different perspectives, depicting cemeteries across many
continents, both religious and non-religious. It includes work by established
artists, alongside members of the public, as well as incorporating images by
children, who are often left out of this conversation.
The
documentary photography will be exhibited along with cemetery decorations and
objects relating to remembrance from around the world. This will include
artifacts such as Mexican Day of the Dead flags, flowers and Chinese death
money. The artworks will consist of sculpture, paintings, drawings, collage,
installation, textiles, music ceramics and photographic art.
Graveland is a participatory exhibition that asks for the
audiences’ involvement and contributions to the show with their thoughts, ideas,
questions and play. The exhibition seeks to help dispel the idea that death is
solely a sad or morbid subject and will create a space that is beautiful,
inviting, informative and respectful, yet playful.
People
visiting the show will be able to get involved in games, write and make artwork
themselves, giving their views on the questions asked. Those who want to read
more widely on the topic will be able to spend time in the library area. During
the week, there will be various activities for the public to get involved in,
including creative workshops and a Death Cafe, as well as an opening
event with performances.
"Death
is a fiesta!" is what artist and exhibition curator, Carla Conte, was told
on a trip to Mexico during the Day of the Dead festival. She comments:
“I had not
previously heard the words ‘party’ and ‘death’ linked before and neither had I
thought too much about our different approaches to death and remembrance, but
this idea of looking at the subject with both respect and humour appealed to
me.”
Conte
previously exhibited her photography and artwork with the Natural Death Centre
and other organisations for a few years and began collecting photos of cemeteries
from around the world. She comments:
“I learnt a
lot in these years and found that many people felt similarly to how I began to
feel in Mexico. I also noticed that the art and photography attracted attention
and often led to more open discussion on the topic. Death is one thing we know
we can be sure of and is something we all have in common, yet it is also
something that is often pushed to the sidelines. I wanted to bring the subject
to the forefront in this exhibition and create an environment where we can
discuss, learn, think, create and enjoy. The collection of work does not seek to provide answers, but opens up
questions and conversation.”
The
exhibition is primarily supported by Conte’s website Cemeteries Around The World and has support from the Natural Death
Centre, Death Café, The Good Funeral Guide and Martynsey Iles Trust.
Really looking forward to attending on the 29th :)
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