Death and Dying: the cut

Death and Dying will consist of two performances, two evening screenings of videos by 13 artists and an exhibition showing work by 30 artists. As early as 1984 sociologist Allan Kellehear wrote, ‘to say that our contemporary societies are “death-denying” has no theoretical or practical explanatory value.’ In 2001 Deborah Boardman, curator of the exhibition Mortal, (University of Chicago) disclosed bravely: ‘in my own life a fear of death compelled me toward art projects that would comfort and assuage it.’ Similarly, Verena Dürr (performing on Wednesday the 10th) has written, ‘my approach is: through the issue of death to examine life.’ Some artists have worked with the subject for years, some respond to specific events, personal or out in the world. Much of the work tends towards theatre. This is a show about art as well as about death, with a huge range of approaches: social, quotidian, bodily; realist, romantic or about the inner voice.

And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen
Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.