After the death of a loved one, personal possessions become physical embodiments of memories by virtue of their entanglement with the deceased.
Presence/Absence uses latex to cast these personal items, aiding in the accommodation of loss by curating a fragmented yet archaeological trace of life lost.
In the front room, there is a gallery of images showing the places and possessions that have been cast in latex.
Bachelor of Design with Honours
This project addresses the difficulty of mourning during these isolated times and material culture’s role in the process of grieving death. Presence/Absence is a proposal for an installation that explores possessions and spaces that through their entanglement become body surrogates for the deceased. Latex castings of these objects of personal memory are sewn together to create a tent-like structure, providing the experience of contact between the living and dead.