Death Be Kind
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DEATH BE KIND 2010 The Memorial The Memorial A display-case collection of inherited objects from over 100 people, and zine. June 29th - 25th July The Memorial )RUWKH¿UVWH[KLELWLRQRI'($7+%(.,1'&ODLUH/DPEHDQG(OYLV5LFKDUGVRQ present The Memorial an elaborate display-case housing a collection of beloved objects that once belonged to a deceased relative, friend, acquaintance or lover chosen by over 100 people from all walks of life who have kindly participated in Dedicated to this project. The Memorial presentation is reminiscent of the small private museum and em- ploys the language of display to create symbiotic dialogues through the relational SODFHPHQWRIWKHZRUNV$FRPSOH[GLVSOD\FDVHKDVEHHQFRQVWUXFWHGVRDVWRHO- evate the importance and meanings of the beloved objects and gently navigate the YLHZHUVH[SHULHQFHRIWKHJDOOHU\VSDFH The Memorial retells the stories behind the objects that we keep to evoke memory of the deceased, how these objects maintain ongoing relationship with the dead, DQGKRZWKHVHPDWHULDOSRVVHVVLRQVUHPDLQLPSRUWDQWLQPHPRU\PDNLQJ(DFK REMHFWKDVEHHQGRFXPHQWHGDQGWH[WVFROOHFWHGIURPWKHKROGHUDERXWWKHLUREMHFW WRFUHDWHDFDWDORJXHRIWH[WVWKDWFDSWLRQWKHREMHFWVSHUVRQDOPHDQLQJVLQD]LQH Zine also features writers Morgan Fayle, Ruth Learner and David Luker and artist Marina Lutz. Thank you to all the participants who have trusted us with their precious possessions. Thank you Lisa Young without whom this project would not be possible, and Huw Smith for his talent and hard work. DEATH BE KIND Upstairs @ The Alderman /\JRQ6WUHHW %UXQVZLFN(DVW9,& Opening hours: 7XHVGD\SP 6DWXUGD\ 6XQGD\SP Or by appointment &/ (5 www.deathbekind.com Alfred Hurle Betty Matear William Morrow Odino Belia WDONV DERXW 1DQD DV LI VKH ZHUH KLV RZQ Tony Nowlan ± 5/10/1927–4/10/2002 ± 0RWKHU+HFDOOHGKHU³/DG\%RVV´6KHZDV ± a servant as a young woman, and when she PHWP\*UDQGGDGZKRZDVDFRDOPLQHU Framed water colour &HUWL¿FDWH Song lyrics written out by A small clear brown capsule/ VKHEHFDPHDVHDPVWUHVV6KHZDVDVQHDWDV A dung ball Present owner: Adrien Allen 3UHVHQWRZQHU$QGHZ+XUOH William Morrow to Cole Porter’s container with two rings of a pin, she always made her own clothes and 3UHVHQWRZQHU$QQDEHO1RZODQ 1934 song Don’t fence Me In, colour on top. Broken, this object furnishings, as well as the elaborate doilies $V D FKLOG , VSHQW D ORW RI WLPH ZLWK P\ /RRNVOLNHQRWKLQJHOVH«$FRZ±PDGHEDOO 7KHODVWWLPH,YLVLWHGP\1DQDKDSSHQHGWR based on original poem Open is in two pieces and placed in a that stopped ornaments from scratching JUDQGPRWKHU 6KH GLHG ZKHQ , ZDV D RI GULHG PXG JUDVV DQG FRZ PDQXUH ,W be on the day she was preparing to leave her Range by Montana Department clear cylinder. the furniture. family home and move into residential care. WHHQDJHU , FDUU\ DQ LPDJH DURXQG ZLWK of Highways poet engineer 3UHVHQWRZQHU$QLWD%HOLD KDVDFFXPXODWHGRQD+HUHIRUGFRZ¶VWDLO me of her face – the glamour of her former ,W KDV EHHQ VKDSHG LQWR D EDOO E\ UROOLQJ The house was being emptied of furniture Robert Fletcher. 6KHWDXJKWXVFDUGJDPHV6KHZRXOGVLQJ life discernible, the disappointment of life from side to side, around the cows behind, DV,DUULYHGDQG,WRRNWKHFHUWL¿FDWHIURP 3UHVHQWRZQHU$QGUHZ+D]HOZLQNHO Morphine was the contents of this small URPDQWLFVRQJVIURPWKH)LUVW:RUOG:DU clear. for months. My father obviously cut it off, a chest of drawers as it was being loaded FRQWDLQHU ,W ZDV XVHG WR UHOLHYH WKH ZKLFK ZH IRXQG KLODULRXV 6KH PDGH WKH /\ULFV WR :LOOLDP¶V IDYRXULWH VRQJ ZULWWHQ and kept it. onto a trailer. H[WUDRUGLQDU\ SDLQ P\ IDWKHU VXIIHUHG EHVW URDVW±FKLFNHQ±DQG±YHJ HYHU 6KH ,Q WKHVH ODVW ZDWHUFRORXUV DV LQ PRVW RI out by him and given to me the last time we WKURXJKKLVFDQFHU,W¶VDQREMHFWRIEHDXW\ KDG GLI¿FXOW\ HDWLQJ VSDJKHWWL ZKLFK VKH her work, she created an arcane space built saw each other. My father was a farmer, a quite stoic man ,W KDG EHHQ LVVXHG WR P\ *UDQGIDWKHU E\ and a symbol of a happier or at least a more would always turn into something of a of memory and fantasy. Only family and who that loved his animals and especially 'XQNOLQJ¶V MHZHOHUV ZKHQ KH SXUFKDVHG comfortable physical and mental state. performance to offset her embarrassment, close friends saw these. his cows. This curio was found along with either a wedding or engagement ring (the DQG PDNH XV UROO DURXQG ZLWK ODXJKWHU , RWKHUVZKHQP\VLVWHUVDQG,ZHUHFOHDQLQJ FHUWL¿FDWHGRHVQ¶WVSHFLI\ZKLFK GLGQ¶WVHHKHUDJDLQDIWHUZHOHIWWKH8.LQ out his bedroom cupboard, about 15ys ago. WRPRYHWR$XVWUDOLD:HZDQWHGKHU *UDQGSDKDGGLHGDERXWWKUHHZHHNVEHIRUH to come with us, but she thought it would The cow–ball now sits on my mantle piece P\ YLVLW DQG P\ 1DQD GLHG DERXW IRXU be too hot. The night that she died, she DV D PHPHQWR WR KLP ,W DWWUDFWV VRPH months after moving into her new unit. spent a long time with a nurse telling her FXULRVLW\«DWDSDUW\VRPHRQHWULHGWRVHW DOODERXWKHU*UDQGGDXJKWHUV ¿UHWRWKHIXUU\FRZWDLOELWZKLFKORRNVOLNH WKHWDSHUWRVRPHVRUWRIH[SORVLYHERPE ,ORYHKROGLQJWKHVHGRLOLHVZKLFKVKHPDGH ZLWKDUWKULWLF¿QJHUVDQGVXFKFDUH Eileen Thomas (nee Marsden) ± Crocheted blanket Present owner : Andrew McQualter This blanket was made for me by my PDWHUQDO JUDQGPRWKHU (LOHHQ 7KRPDV and has been continuously in my possession Elsie Stokes VLQFH 10/11/1905–20/10/1995 Crotchet Doily 3UHVHQWRZQHU%HF'HDQ $ FRXSOH RI PRQWKV DJR , FDPH LQWR SRVVHVVLRQRIZKDW,JXHVVLVP\LQKHULWDQFH or at least a part of it. My Mum has been living in Argentina for the last three years and had been storing all of her stuff in $XVWUDOLD XS XQWLO WKLV WLPH 6KH GHFLGHG WRRIÀRDGHYHU\WKLQJDQGGLYLGHLWEHWZHHQ PHDQGP\WZRVLVWHUV,ZDVQ¶WH[SHFWLQJ VRPH RI KHU FU\VWDO YDVHV DQG , FHUWDLQO\ ZDVQ¶W H[SHFWLQJ KHU HQWLUH FROOHFWLRQ RI P\1DQD¶V KHU0RWKHU¶V KDQG±FURFKHWHG doilies. There are at least 50 of them. 0\1DQDZDVDNLQGDQGJHQWOHVPDOODQG URXQG ZRPDQ (YHQ WKRXJK P\ SDUHQWV can barely stand one another these days, P\'DGVWLOOJHWVDWHDULQKLVH\HZKHQKH Roy Hill Name withheld reassuring and familiar. My knife speaks Paul Tansley ± Mum: 1929–2003 to me directly about my mum, more so ± HYHQWKDQKHURZQNQLIH,W¶VSUDFWLFDOLW¶V 0H KRQHVW DERXW LWV RZQ GLI¿FXOW SDVW DQG LW An aviator helmet accompanied Body jewelry by a funeral card. VD\VWRPH³NHHSJRLQJ´ Mum’s knife: 28 x 3.3cm 3UHVHQWRZQHU&OLQWRQ*DURIDQR Present owner: %UHWRQ6OLYND My knife (broken): 22 x 3.3cm A cock ring or cockring is a ring that is placed Present owner: name withheld 7KLVLVWKHDYLDWRUKHOPHWZLWKZKLFK5R\ DURXQGDPDQ¶VSHQLVXVXDOO\DWWKHEDVH ZRXOGÀ\LQDVRSZLWKFDPHO ELSODQH SULPDULO\ WR VORZ WKH ÀRZ RI EORRG IURP $URXQG WKH WLPH , ¿UVW PRYHG RXW RQ P\ the erect penile tissue, thus maintaining RZQ P\PXPERXJKWWZRLGHQWLFDO The illustration on the front of the funeral HUHFWLRQIRUDORQJHUSHULRGRIWLPH&RFN NLWFKHQNQLYHVDWDIDFWRU\±GLUHFWVDOH6KH FDUG LV DQ XQ¿QLVKHG VNHWFK , FUHDWHG RQ rings can be worn around just the penis passed one on to me and kept the other for KLV GHDWK EHG :KLOH KH ZDV XQFRQVFLRXV or penis and scrotum, or just the scrotum KHUVHOI7KLVZDVWKH¿UVWDQGRQO\SURSHU DQG FORVH WR GHDWK IURP NLGQH\ IDLOXUH , alone, though this is usually designated as a chef–style knife my mum ever owned. decided to take my one last opportunity to WHVWLFOHFXII5LQJVFDQEHPDGHRIDYDULHW\ sketch him. of different materials, most commonly 6RPHRIP\HDUOLHVWPHPRULHVRIP\PXP leather, rubber, or silicone, though nylon involve her battling rock-hard pumpkins ,ZDVDORQHLQWKHURRPZLWKKLP3DUWZD\ and metalare also used either as the main ZLWK WKH FUD]LO\ ÀH[LQJ DQG WZLVWLQJ ROG WKURXJK WKH VNHWFK , UHDOLVHG KH ZDVQ¶W component or part of the closure. The term carving knife she got as a wedding present breathing anymore and quietly informed cock ring is sometimes used as a synonym in the ‘50s. This new knife was a revelation Pauline Cooper the rest of my family. The sketch was left for a Prince Albert piercing, a piercing of WR KHU , FOHDUO\ UHPHPEHU WKRVH ¿UVW ± LQLWVXQ¿QLVKHGVWDWHLWUHSUHVHQWVKLVODVW the penis that is usually, though not always, triumphant pumpkin conquests. breath of life. A collection of Rod Stewart DPHWDOULQJ ZLNLSHGLD 9LFWRU\ , DOVR UHPHPEHU PDQ\ PLQRU albums , GHVLJQHG WKH IXQHUDO FDUG 7KH DYLDWRU LQMXULHV0\PXP¶V¿QJHUVZHUHQRWQLPEOH Present owner: KHOPHWZDVGLVSOD\HGGXULQJKLVIXQHUDO, and she struggled to see clearly through her 'DQLHO0XGLH&XQQLQJKDP DVNHGLI,FRXOGKDYHLWDIWHUZDUGDV,DP ELIRFDOJODVVHV6KHDOVRWHQGHGWREHLQD an avid fan and collector of hats, aviator Mr Crabbs bit of a preoccupied rush when chopping, 0\JUDQGPRWKHU3DXOLQHZDVDKXJH5RG KHOPHWV LQ SDUWLFXODU 5R\ ZDV WK ± usually deep in conversation with someone 6WHZDUW IDQ DQG FROOHFWHG HDFK DOEXP KH /DNRWD6LRX[ 1DWLYH$PHULFDQ7ULEH 7KH ZKLOH VKH ZRUNHG :KHQ VKH FXW KHUVHOI PDGH DQG NHSW WKHP LQ D UHG SODVWLF /3 symbol on the back of the card relates to Ashes of cat (Mr Crabbs) KHUFU\ZDVDOZD\VDORXG³2KSRR´ case, which ran out of plastic sleeves to this heritage. contained in wooden box & Clipping of hair. accommodate them all. Brian John Rogan 3UHVHQWRZQHU&DUPHO5RJDQ 0\GDGLVDOVRERXQGWRWKLVNQLIH+HGLG not use it so much but was quite proud of ± %HORYHG)XU&KLOG$OVR,WKLQNWKHUHDVRQ how he kept it sharp, making an earnest ZK\ , KDG 0U &UDEEV FUHPDWHG ZDV IXVVRILWEHIRUHFDUYLQJD6XQGD\URDVW Akubra hat Mutlu Cerkez 3UHVHQWRZQHU&DUPHO5RJDQ EHFDXVH , KDG WURXEOH OHWWLQJ KLP JR +H ± 0\ NQLIH KDV LWV RZQ VWRU\ 'LVKZDVKHU ZDVP\IXUEDE\ DIWHU\HDUVWRJHWKHU bleached and battered, the blade has broken +DWZDVQHYHUZRUQEXWZDVERXJKWRQRQH he really became an integral part of my Artwork twice. A couple of centimeters snapped RIKLVKROLGD\V,KDYHWKRXJKWPRUHDERXW life. My life revolved around his, much to 3UHVHQWRZQHU&DOOXP0RUWRQ