Daily Death Journal

Growing up just 40 minutes from Joshua Tree, I was quick to notice the relevancy to the description given by Caitlin on her way to the Mojave Desert. "You know you've reached desert not from the change of landscape but from the casino billboards, advertising performances from a rotating cast of slightly less relevant celebrities." I can confirm this is 100% true on your way into the desert. I always know I am 20 minutes from home when you pass the Morongo Casino, haha.

Although it may not deal with death directly, the inferences made are for great debate from the correlation between violence and mental illness. The author describes the correlation to have the audience misinterpret the effects of having a mental illness that could drive people to do the same if encountering the same problem. Read more: Here "According to the  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services , the vast majority of people with mental health problems are no more likely to be violent than anyone else: Only 3% to 5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. Meanwhile, as "Joker" illustrates, people with severe mental illnesses are 10 times more likely to be victims of violent crime than the general population."

I found this quote to be a great interpretation of elapsed time in a photograph. A photograph is a medium to where the time within it is already dead, but is also relived in the present. It causes a déjá vu of sorts. "Vertigo of Time Defeated"

“The worst part about having a mental illness is people expect you to behave as if you don’t.”

Year of the Ox - Thoughts & Prayers : Look If you ain't' got the melanin, you don't know black If your family don't got veterans, don't joke of the flag I wish is it was simple as that Love, let's focus on that Until we become one, man Our soul's getting trapped I'm sayin' Is the world really coming to a end? I don't want to vent But there are times I really wonder that shit

Glass shards pierce thin layered cloth, But no found blood, Just hollowness. Mental ache with physical pain, Fills this void with a heavy darkness. One knows light, But surrenders to the hope of finding it, And instead accepts this darkness, As its only friend.

A newfound artist for myself, Miles Johnston, is a UK based artist and says his art is left open to interpretation for the viewers. His work consists of drawings, sketches, and mostly paintings. I personally found a coherent theme of surrealism, identity, and death. He also hosts a podcast of talking to other artists called " Dirty Sponge Podcast ." Here are some of his works:

Probably the most important post I will make on this Journal; The photography of Marvel Harris. Harris has created such emotional imagery with their series, "Inner Journey," that focuses on the complex identity of gender, and their lifelong struggle with the terms. Here is just a few photos that stem from the series, and I hope you will see the emotional rollercoaster I notice when looking at these images. Great ups and downs are displayed so beautifully in this imagery. Marvel Harris' Website

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a website for Zhou, but I found him on Instagram. Instagram: @tooyang2simple I found a common thread through many of his images (but not all) relating to the theme of death and loss for multiple subjects. Here are a few screenshots of photos I found relative and enjoyable to the theme of death in photography:

Calling back to an older song by Linkin Park, Crawling, it deals with a sense of loss of self. It also relates to the loss of touch in reality. Crawling in my skin These wounds, they will not heal Fear is how I fall Confusing what is real There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface Consuming, confusing This lack of self control I fear is never ending Controlling I can't seem To find myself again My walls are closing in (Without a sense of confidence I'm convinced That there's just too much pressure to take) I've felt this way before So insecure

Remembering the song Fully Alive from Flyleaf, caused me to think of perspective, and how one usually has a revelation after encountering death or suffering, or even the slightest turmoil to change their perspective to a more uplifting view. [Verse One] Telling Layla's story spoken 'Bout how all her bones are broken Hammers fall on all the pieces Two months in the cover creases [Chorus] Fully alive More than most Ready to smile and love life Fully alive and she knows How to believe in futures [Verse Two] All my complaints shrink to nothing I'm ashamed of all my somethings She's glad for one day of comfort Only because she has suffered

I always found Tim Burton's drawings and art direction to be fascinating to say the least. The unique form and depiction of each character, and then an added personality through voice acting, gives his art a unique genre that has a growing fanbase surrounding the many facets that make up the human of Tim Burton. I recently found an article detailing the 200 drawings he submitted for commissioned work, and sketches for upcoming films, and found memorable scenes and similar creatures that have similar characteristics to those we cherish today. Tim Burton Drawings

I recently made a blacklight series highlighting the topic of Mental Illness. It was using blacklight photography to manipulate the forms of the faces through blacklight paint to illustrate an emotion that can be narrowed down to more of an experience rather than just a emotion in and of itself. I have no titles for these, but here they are:

On an untitled series of photos posted on Instagram on November 18, 2019, Brooke had an interesting story to compliment the work: " I remember being in Thailand and waking up early one morning to the thick fog. I gathered all I had with me - my camera, a laundry basket I found in the closet of my temporary home, and my bed sheet. I wandered into the field next door and set my camera on the laundry basket to take this self-portrait, a local stray dog attached to me the whole time as I begged him to scoot just a few feet out of the frame. 🌙 I remember thinking about how fleeting that fog was, but how beautiful it was while it lasted. I felt grateful to simply capture it - not manipulate it, not project a story into it - just to feel it and let it dissipate. 🌙 I remember sitting on the edge of a pond after - cold, but letting my feet dip into the water, dog by my side, still wearing my bed sheet - and thinking about how my life has felt like that fog; sometimes heavy, somet...

When I first started this class, I assumed it would focus more on the abstract representation of symbolism within the current contemporary world of art. Rather than just illuminating that specific part of the topic, there was much more waiting for me on the other side. I found it interesting though that the class did not mention the obvious usage of the form within the judicial system of Forensic Photography. Below is an excerpt from the article titled, "Importance of Still Photography at Scene of Crime: A Forensic vs. Judicial Perspective" "Similarly, for fingerprints also, photography is the best way of preserving evidence. Visible fingerprints can be photographed alone instead of lifting prints. Latent prints are photographed first followed by developing techniques such as: powder dusting method, or SPR suspension method [4] etc. and patent prints are photographed alone for preserving prints. Thus, it is possible to reduce the chances of forgery going undetected ...

I felt in these quotes, it illustrated the intimacy that is related to the ritual of respecting ñatitas, was well as the controversy that revolves around the evolving tradition that is challenged against Catholicism beliefs, and the overwhelming response that comes from practicing Catholics, that actually rejoice in the process of the ritualistic practices involving ñatitas. "In La Paz, it was just me and---alas, poor Sandra."  - Caitlin Doughty "They don't wish to appear to be bad Catholics. There is still an underground aspect to the practice. Many more Bolivians keep ñatitas than would ever admit to it publicly." - Caitlin Doughty 

Dead trees branch into family, Where pigeons claw onto the structure, Some nest; Some fly away. Giving way to fleeting life, To both animals and humans alike, Where each branch details much more than family, But of life itself. Life of a tree, Life of an animal, Life of a human, Life of a cycle. A Family Tree.

After discovering Joel-Peter Witkin from the presentation, I found the depicted image mention, "Harvest," to be extraordinary to both relate to the subject of death, but also create a beautiful depiction of nature, symbolism, and death into one image. Harvest. Witkin. 1984.

I found this article to be a quick overview of what we have learned so far in the course, with some additional historical details that were unbeknownst to me until I read about it here! The Story of Death Is the Story of Women Today, most of us die in busy hospitals or nursing homes, often in the company of strangers. Funeral homes quickly remove our dead and perform those final physical acts of care in preparing the body. We then go through the motions of performing sterile rituals—devoid of meaning—forced to sum up the significance of a human life during the brief couple of hours the funeral home or church has been rented to us. And in people’s final moments, they are again abandoned to strangers, who will either bury them deep in the earth or, like the mythic Charon, ferry them into the flames. I loved this excerpt, because it was reemphasizing the negative affect that correlates with funeral home traditions, where we are losing contact with death, which will only make us m...

I recently went hiking in Portland, OR, to the "Witch's Castle," and along the way, found signs from visitors that left an eerie feeling amongst the environment. I took this as an interpretation rather than representational, and decided to photograph the surrounding area. This was a dead tree amongst the plentiful vegetation of the forest, which is why it called to me instantly!

Following the previous article, there was a specialized link geared towards the new system that has been put in place by a Buddhist priest that has a great technological advancement that can solve the country's burial problem. HIGH TECH LED AFTERLIFE IN JAPAN Crystal Buddhas The inventive Ruriden columbarium, operated by the Koukokuji Buddhist temple, houses 2,046 futuristic altars with crystal Buddha statues illuminated by LEDs that correspond to drawers storing the ashes of the deceased.

This is an article detailing the different traditions that are taken as death rituals in other countries. DEATH IN TRANSLATION For Japan it was stated, Japan is running into a burial problem, in that it’s a pretty small country with a  rapidly aging  population. It’s impractical to bury every body there, as it would completely overwhelm the available cemeteries. Nowadays, everyone in the country is cremated, which has helped. 

"You want a megaphone like a defense weapon. You want to point it like a gun and shout, 'Go away, go away!' But No one listens to what you can't say, so you are the one to leave."