Hayley West: Remnants of the dead and demands on the living
9 April – 15 May
An artistic inquiry into death rites and its representation Remnants of the dead and demands on the living creates a transitional space for the contemplation of loss and life. Through sculptural and performative works West invites viewers to consider their own mortality.
West’s practice relates to a lived awareness of death and memorial. This exhibition focuses on the realities of grief and how remaining objects and memories are interconnected. Objects left behind from the deceased become keepsakes that form new histories and identities. Dealing with what is left behind can be difficult and arduous yet necessary in facing how we move through grief. Holding onto the same love is somehow impossible.
By accepting death, life and what is left of it can then be celebrated. Once we understand that we alone are responsible for the possibilities presenting themselves including the possibility of death, the more our world opens up to us.
A deeper consequence of this exhibition highlights the importance of ‘death literacy’ – being informed and prepared. By becoming more knowledgeable with ways of dying and options in death we become empowered and our knowledge becomes a resource for others.
A Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Exposé Program exhibition
HAYLEY WEST 1 million years 2014, digital format 6:36 mins (loop)
