Understanding Death

Re-interpreting Death–

More than a few have made note of my connection to dead things. Each time the word death pinched me, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. Recently I found myself drawn to an oracle card (Death, of course) and researched further into its meaning. I recognized two elemental factors that have created tension within myself as others associate my work with death.

The simplest acknowledgment was that my work is deeply coded: however passive viewers see superficially and Object overpowers Symbolism. In my work, however, an object is rarely the subject. When I hear these comments, it tells me the viewer’s interpretation is limited to sight, and thus my intention for the work has not been fully translated. This creates frustration stemming from a sense of failure to convey complex thoughts and emotions through my work.

I was thinking of another time when a friend correlated my work with death. She was right on the mark, speaking of it as a theme and not a literal presence. But in that instance, it was me who misinterpreted the meaning. I realized that my visual symbolism mismatched my understanding of the word itself. I felt like my images were natural and quiet and connecting to a deeply spiritual source, yet my interpretation of the word ‘death’ called to mind repulsive images of darkness, morbidity, etc.

I realized my grasp of the notion was in opposition to my definition of the word. A link was missing between concept and language. It wasn’t until I read this excerpt, that the two fused themselves together:

Untitled, Ziatype, 2016

DEATH
Natural, timely endings. Release. Liberation.
…
Without [Death] to clear the world, there would be no room for growth or new life.

…it indicates a significant change, one that involves letting go of the old life in order to move forward into the new.

We may be experiencing great pain as a result of holding on to aspects of life that we have outgrown, but humans tend to hold on anyway because we don’t know what is next. We want guarantees, and instead we get open doors into unknown, darkened spaces. Yet, when we go through these doors, closing them behind us, we discover a whole new world– one in which we can grow and develop into more of what we have the potential of being.

— from The Faeries’ Oracle by Brian Froud and Jessica Macbeth