Critical Reflection

Death is a universal phenomenon that transcends cultural and societal boundaries. Despite this, discussions about death are often intentionally avoided. However, our lives will eventually come to an end, prompting us to reconsider our views on death. In Unit 1, based on Plato's theory of Forms, I portrayed the idealized world as the beauty and perfection pursued in the real world. No matter how much suffering exists in the real world, even as we ultimately face death, we can still strive to approach that perfect world of Forms through our efforts. This is meant to encourage the audience to live actively. In Unit 2, I wanted to continue the idea of healing real-world suffering through art, this time focusing on death.

Starting Idea

Not long ago, my grandfather passed away. It was the first time I had experienced the death of a family member since I was born. It was a difficult time for me, as well as for my family. How to accept my grandfather's departure was a question we all pondered during that time. I realized that I had never truly appreciated death and what it represents. It is a topic that everyone avoids, yet it is something everyone must face. As a part of life, death influences people's attitudes towards life and their understanding of it.

Different Cultures’ Understanding of Death

In Western culture, death is typically perceived as the culmination of life and an irreversible event. Within Christian traditions, it is believed that the soul ascends to either heaven or hell, its destiny shaped by its beliefs and actions in life. Funeral ceremonies commonly incorporate both secular and religious rites to honor and pray for the departed.

In Eastern cultures like China and Japan, death is often regarded as a transition, with the soul continuing its existence in another realm. Traditional Chinese beliefs maintain a close continuity between the world of the living and the afterlife, where ancestors' souls still play a guiding and protective role within the family.

In certain Aboriginal cultures, death is understood as a harmonious process within the natural and universal order. Life and death form part of a cyclical continuum, with the soul returning to nature or the ancestral realm to perpetuate its connection with the living.

Funeral Culture

Different regions and groups may also have various unique funeral customs and rituals. Each funeral form reflects a specific culture's understanding and attitude toward death, as well as the way it respects and commemorates the deceased.

Despite being influenced by various factors such as different religions and social traditions, different cultures attribute different symbols and meanings to death. However, they all reflect people's exploration and contemplation of death at present. With the advancement of medicine and science, death is increasingly viewed as a natural stage of life rather than a mysterious or supernatural phenomenon. Although people's views on death are becoming more rational and medicalized, they still haven't overcome the fear of facing death.

Memory Plays an Important Role in Mourning

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's book The Five Stages of Death describes the emotional changes people experience when facing death or bereavement.

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

Kübler_Ross_grieving_curve_(edited).svg.png

Kübler-Ross' ideas produced by France Telecoma Abramović

George Bonanno's Study of Bereavement Trauma

Resilience Theory
Most people show great psychological resilience when dealing with bereavement rather than wallowing in long-term grief and depression. He found that many people quickly returned to their normal routines after experiencing bereavement and showed amazing resilience in adapting and recovering.
Individual Differences:

Bonanno emphasized the importance of individual differences in coping with bereavement loss. His research has found that individual responses to bereavement vary, with some people showing greater coping skills while others may be more susceptible and grieve for longer periods of time. He believes that these individual differences may be affected by factors such as genes, personal experience, and social support.
Psychological Adaptation Process:

Bonanno conducted in-depth research on the psychological adaptation process. He found that many people will experience a series of emotional reactions after bereavement, including shock, denial, anger, depression, etc., but as time goes by, most people will gradually return to a normal mental state and regain a balance in life.

Elizabeth Loftus‘s Memory Reconstruction Theory

Individual memory is dynamic and plastic. During the grieving process, recalling the memory of the deceased can help individuals re-examine and reconstruct their relationship and experiences with the deceased. This memory reconstruction process helps individuals understand and accept the death of the deceased and find hope and meaning for the future.

When people face death, they will go through a period of grief and gradually return to normal. I would like to understand it as a stage of mourning in which the fluidity of human consciousness and memory and remembrance shape our view of death. Memory plays an important role in mourning.

Psychologist GeorgeBonanno, At Columbia University, May 2010

Elizabeth_Loftus-TAM_9-July_2011

"Memento Mori"

Pablo Picasso, Goat’s Skull, Bottle and Candle (1952), Tate, © Succession Picasso/DACS 2024

Edward Collier, Still Life with a Volume of Wither’s ‘Emblemes’ (1696),Tate

"Memento Mori" is Latin and literally translates to "Remember that you will die." The phrase is often used in art, literature, and religion to remind people of the brevity of life and the inevitability of death. "Memento Mori" artwork often includes symbols that symbolize death, such as skulls, brooding figures, rotting flowers, etc. These works are intended to evoke people's thoughts about the fragility of life and end-of-life, to help them better appreciate and utilize the time they have now.

In religion, "Memento Mori" is also used to guide people to reflect on the meaning and purpose of life, as well as their responsibilities and mission in the world. By becoming aware of the existence of death, people are motivated to live meaningful and valuable lives and to pursue eternal spiritual realms.

"Memento Mori" reminds us of the transience of life and encourages us to cherish and experience life within a limited time, as well as to pursue a higher spiritual realm.

Death is often represented in art as various symbols and images, such as skulls, skeletons, butterflies, candles, tombstones, etc. It often gives the audience a sad and heavy atmosphere. I want to express the theme of death, and how to avoid bringing about sadness has become my biggest difficulty. I want to convey to the viewer the concept that death is not the end of life, but a continuation in a different way.

Coco (2017 film)

The movie Coco tells the story of the protagonist, a little boy named Miguel, who dreams of becoming a musician, but due to a family ban, he cannot touch music. During Mexico's traditional "Day of the Dead" celebrations, Miguel accidentally traveled to the world of the dead and met his late grandfather. On his way back home, Miguel discovers his family's secrets and traditions and re-examines his attitudes and values about his family.

"The real death is that no one in the world remembers you."

"Death is not the end of life, forgetting is the end of life."

Coco film, 2017

Coco film Theatrical release poster, 2017

In the movie, memory is used as a channel between the real world and the world of the dead. Through the themes of death and memory, the film explores the boundaries between life and death, the power of memory, and human nostalgia and nostalgia for the deceased. Memory in mourning is not only a tribute to the deceased, but also a kind of healing and comfort to the living themselves, helping them gradually accept the passing of the deceased. The key to accepting death is to reconstruct the relationship between the living and the dead. The living and the dead can still "live" together again through memory. Life does not end, but continues in memory. Death should not be seen as the end of life but as a change in communication. I started to appreciate the importance of memories and tried to incorporate old photos or objects into my works.

Christian Boltanski

His creations revolve around topics such as collective memory, death, and trauma. He is famous for his multiple photographs combined with installation works. Through artistic creation, he blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, repeatedly questioning the relationship between memory, death, and life. dialectics of time.
After 1980, he created altar-style installations, combining homemade square boxes, bright light bulbs and photos of Jewish schoolchildren taken in the early 1930s, emphasizing their placement in the composition, so that the presentation of the installation could better reflect its meaning. The importance of culmination.

Christian Boltanski, Boltanski in 2016

Boltanski's "The Reserve of Dead Swiss" in 1990 was composed of forty-two photographic portraits of men, women and children of different ages and bright light bulbs, arranged regularly on three rows of supports. The photos in the work were appropriated from obituaries published in Swiss newspapers by the artist. These extremely grainy images were re-photographed and enlarged to life-size photos. Among these forty-two photos, there is no discernible trace. The identity and commemorative text have also been forgotten over time, but the light bulb hanging in front of the portrait illuminates the naked person in front of him.

To play, press and hold the enter key. To stop, release the enter key.

His work’s exploration of themes such as memory and death, as well as its unique artistic expression, attracted me. Altar-style installations are the best form of death and commemoration. I also tend to use a variety of media, such as photographs, recordings, and installations, to express my thoughts on death and life. In my work, I combined the video of my grandfather’s funeral and old photos of my grandfather with sculpture as a form of commemoration. I hope that through my work I try to make the audience empathize and face the meaning

of death.

References

Chinese and English Bible Online. Available at: https://www.o-bible.com/gb/hgb.html (Accessed: 19 May 2024).
Kübler-Ross, E. (1970) On death and dying. New York: Macmillan.
Bonanno, G.A. (2021) ‘The resilience paradox’, European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1). doi:10.1080/20008198.2021.1942642.

Poetics (Aristotle) (2011). Betascript Publishing.
Loftus, E.F. and Ketcham, K. (1996) The myth of Repressed memory: False memories and allegations of sexual abuse. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.
Loftus, E. and Ketcham, K. (2013) The myth of Repressed memory: False memories and allegations of sexual abuse. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
Coco (2017 film) (2024) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(2017_film) (Accessed: 19 May 2024).
Tate (1990) Christian Boltanski 1944–2021, Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/christian-boltanski-2305 (Accessed: 19 May 2024).