The power of objects …
‘Here today …’ was the title of a piece of work I made in memory of my late grandmother. It included a used powder compact and eyeshadow, alongside a 1930s hand mirror on a bedside cabinet. I wrote about it at the time (in 2016) and have included an extract from a blog post below:
‘It’s reminded me also that out of the dozens of items I’ve sorted through these past few days, some stand out as truly special. The hand mirror, the used make-up palettes, the vintage silk flower, which ‘Here Today…’’ is made up of, are classic examples of objects like this – they demonstrate perfectly for me the incredible power of objects, how deeply attached we can become to them and the extremely powerful emotions they can evoke.
‘Here Today’’ is composed of objects that belonged to and were actually handled by my late Nana; she left her mark on them, and while they are still here, my Nana no longer is. This small assemblage of objects conjures up for me something that I write a lot about here, a theme that is at the core of my practice – a fascination with the contrast between the permanence of objects and the fragility of life.’ (2016)
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rip Maisy, our beloved pet cat for 17 years
Our pet cat Maisy’s water bowl has brought up similar feelings these past few weeks – a sharp realisation that although the bowl was still there, as a physical thing, Maisy no longer was. It’s been a sad time, saying farewell to a pet who brought so much pleasure to us all as a family over the years. The house was never empty, even when we were all away from it and I always found something quite comforting in that.
The link between material objects and grief is undeniable: Maisy left her mark on an otherwise, unexceptional object – a white ceramic water bowl with CAT imprinted on it. It was unmistakably hers and once she died, it became charged with the strength of our love for her. It didn’t have any use any more and accepting that, was a part of accepting that Maisy, after 17 years of being with us, no longer existed.
