Key Post- Investigation

Here is where the first ideas for my final work are starting to form. After some research shown in a previous post I learned about the history of the language used on a tombstone. Puritans from England travelled over to America who strongly believed in ‘momento mori’, images that reminded followers of their death and to fear it. Skulls, grim reapers and sickles are included on tombstones to remind those viewing that would will come for you. Language used such as ‘Here lyes’, ‘the body of’ and ‘near X years departed’ language considered more cold and factual was replaced as the religion soften. Tombstones became an item used to visit loved ones and something that you could come to, to respect and remember them by.I love embroidery because it is a medium that I see as gendered and softened which helps me get my ideas and feelings cross in a less dramatic and shocking way. I started trying to highlight well known burial phrases,(image 1&2) I wanted to play with the imagery to see what kind of response the work gives. Image 1 was interesting for reflecting back on what one of the key elements to tombstones were back in the 17th century. Puritanes also didn’t believe in images or the creation of anything material in the name of religion. So it is interesting to see how from strict religion of fear; we have burials, funerals ,wakes and items to honour the ones we have lost.

Moving on from history I then wanted to capture modern ways in which we remember our loved ones. I looked at cremation and how that could be looked at as an embroidered design. In image 2, the phrase ‘Ashes to ashes’ derives from the English Burial Service. The text of that service is adapted from the Biblical text, Genesis 3:19:

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” which then altered in the 1662 version of the Book of Common Prayer, “Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.”. Which means ‘ashes to ashes’ is actually a burial related phrase and not to do with cremation. I point this out as this is a good example of me encouraging myself in my work as an artists to always know what my subject matter is rather than assumption. 

Moving on from this, as part of my collaboration I asked a fellow class mate to draw a design from a list of modern western funeral methods I gave him. I noticed a re-occurring pattern of my work in that I always used black thread and it was always on calico, with this I wanted to experiment on a more transparent fabric and with a contrasting thread.