I recently visited Death: A Self-Portrait, an amazing exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London.
The collection contains drawings, sculpture, photos, models and other artistic representations of death from different perspectives. I'm immersed in this world right now as I research death and dying for my next book, working title Hunterian.
I find myself increasingly fascinating with the duality between the death of the body and the mind, a theme I will be exploring within the bounds of essentially a crime novel.
The sculpture left is ‘Are you still mad at me?' by John Isaacs (2001), a gory representation of a body that has been hacked apart, presumably in a brutal murder. There is a visceral reaction to looking inside human flesh, and the sculpture is made more real by the foot, still covered in skin.
In the video below, the collector Richard Harris explains his fascination and you get to see some of the art exhibits that focus around death.
I agree with Richard that you can essentially be a happy person but still be interested in death. Certainly, people question my own fascination with the morbid, but I feel it is an essential part of life and I can't help but write about it.
Dying is a part of living, and I want to explore some of these areas that others shy away from. It's also my own curiosity, for however much we study and explore, we can't experience it ourselves until the end. These artworks fascinate because they make us think more deeply about an inevitable future, and help us to live more in the present.
Nice post, Joanna! Have been to the Chapel of Bones in Faro? If not it will be right up your street! 🙂 It’s very small so probably only worth the visit if you’re there already – here are some photos! https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=chapel+of+bones+faro&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Zol&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-2IBUcnSOKqr0AWIkoDwDA&ved=0CFwQsAQ&biw=1461&bih=1081
K
That looks very cool Karen – there are so many of these sepulchres I want to visit!
“Dying is a part of living.” I have been pondering on this (and our tendency to want NOT to ponder on this) for some time, ever since the sudden, unexpected death of my father. I’m glad someone (you) writes on these things….
Thanks Lauren, it’s a topic I am fascinated with and our culture doesn’t deal with so well, so I am trying to weave it all into my books. Part of the joy of writing is the time to think more deeply about these things. Of course, it doesn’t help when you lose a loved one, so I hope that you find extra strength in this time.
Hi Joanna!
I also have a fascination with death/The Bible/Revelation and so on. What’s your take on Jesus and the resurrection? Cards on the table – I am a committed Christian but very interested in your opinion of the New Testament writings. We have such a wealth of early manuscripts for these (especially compared with other ancient writings, ie Caesar’s Gallic War accounts etc). Do you think that they represent (the NT writings, I mean) actual historical truth?
Keep up the inspiration and the writing!
Best,
Scott.
Hi Scott, at some point, I will write about this in detail – it’s a big topic 🙂 but basically I was a Christian but then I studied Theology at Oxford University and changed my views based on what I studied. However, I am deeply respectful of all religions and I believe in something other than this ‘realm’ but I am not a Christian – as in, I don’t believe Jesus died for our sins and rose again – although I do believe there was a historical figure, Jesus, who had a big impact on the world. I am spiritual though and nurture that through nature and being alone and deep thinking, meditation and perhaps something like prayer.
I am clearly obsessed with Christianity and religion in all its forms and this is what I like to explore in my books. Some of Morgan’s thoughts around finding her own path to God are my own, and I continue along the path of a seeker, I guess. Short answer to a very deep & meaningful question 🙂
I have a different take on this topic than that expressed here. I write Gothics – a genre some people consider morbid and death obsessed, but that actually has more to do with loss, especially of the beautiful. This contemporary death obsessed art makes the word ‘morbid’ seem poetic. The graphic nature of it, the disassociation with implied suffering of the victim – and there is a victim even if it is only the viewer who is having their soul assaulted by crass visions of our greatest fear.
I worry that we as a human race are becoming desensitized. Religion has always been humanity’s response to the mystery of death. Sometimes I think those who craft popular culture seek to rob us of all mystery and replace it with dead objects.
Death is something that comes to everyone. It inspires fear and even a funny comment from Woody Allen who said: “I’m not afraid of it, I just don’t want to be around when it happens!” When I was young we were told by Catholic nuns to pray for a happy death. After all this helps us to bear the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Like Joanna Penn I am spiritual, and believe in meditation and prayer. We must save our souls from the greed and corruption which pervades our world.