Loans for death: the human experience

death: the human experience
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
24 October 2015 – 13 March 2016

death: the human experience will explore responses to death through hundreds of objects and stories from across the world, from ancient times to modern day.

We’re reaching out to Bristol communities in order for different cultural practices to be represented. The curators are interested in collecting information and possible loan objects which specifically look into the practices of funerals and mourning.

Funerals

The first area will look at what happens at a person’s funeral and we are looking at getting loans of objects or photographs which represent and symbolise a particular faith or culture. Is there a specific set of events which take place? What does the funeral look like?

Mourning

We want to know how people display their grief and whether it differs between faiths and cultures. As with funerals, we are hoping to collect objects which can be loaned to us as well as photographs and supporting information. The questions we are trying to answer through this section include; what items of clothing are worn by family or within the community where a bereavement has taken place? And are there any objects which symbolise how you or your faith/culture display grief?

The collection of project material is constrained by time and for that reason we would need any objects/photos/information by the end of May 2015. Any loaned items will be credited and must be available from June 2015 – April 2016.

If you would like more information or would like to discuss loaning objects to the exhibition, please contact us.

We would be grateful for your consideration to join in this project and hope to hear from you soon.

More death posts

• March 2015: Exhibition planning: Curators’ update on death: the human experience
• December 2014: Exhibition planning: Curators’ update on an exhibition about Death
• August 2014: Death exhibition at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery