To Have and to Hold: Touch and the Objects of the Dead

Introduction

At the heart of this chapter is a personal journey through a period of grief, a journey given meaning through photographic practice. It is based on the events and feelings associated with the sudden death of my partner and the invisible, constant, and silent sense of loss.

Working within the still life genre and focusing on the objects left behind when a person dies, the chapter examines the history of a life as evidenced in the wounds and scars that distinguish personal possessions from commodities. By reference to what is lost in terms of embodiment and a sensuous relationship to objects, it will highlight those aspects of possession that differentiate individuality through surface descriptions that trace time and ownership.

Two themes emerge from the photographic interrogation of personal possessions: the role of creative practice as a place to make, reflect and gradually work through a period of mourning and the theme of touch as evidenced in the genre of still life photography. Still life provides a framework through which connections can be made between the world of objects and the realm of the senses. Evidence of interaction with objects is embedded in surfaces. Still life photographs, often associated with the celebration of visual appearance, can be shown to trace this evidence. What we perceive optically bears witness to sensations of touch that are woven into memory.

As the investigation progresses, through a process of overlapping and interconnected phases of creative photographic practice and critical reflection, my understanding begins to take shape. This process follows an iterative model of theory and practice that demonstrates the recursive nature of artistic endeavor. For the sake of clarity, the chapter has been divided into two parts. The theoretical positioning and discourse on touch will follow the personal reflections relating to the photographic journey. However, in accordance with the nature of my practice, there will be some overlapping areas of exploration.