Funeral Rites, Pain and Bereavement: A Study Using Textile Art
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As we move into an aging population in England, how we view and respect the aged may help us confront death without fear. We are so used to hospitalisation of the old, sick and dying nowadays; we are often detached from the working through pain and death – perhaps fearful to touch the ill and dying in their pain, let alone facing up to our own pain in confronting recently deceased relatives. We are, nowadays, most likely to be removed from the ritual of cleansing and laying out. These processes such as, touching the body, holding the hand of someone dying, and preparing the dead for funerals could help us with the acceptance of the deceased and also deal with the natural feelings of intense, raw pain at the beginning of bereavement, the realisation that the recently deceased are no longer in life. In bereavement, we are changed, as we feel different types of pain and emotions through all the stages of bereavement. The roller coaster of emotions that ensues makes for turmoil, which does not necessary leave our lives, but we learn to live with it. For the person left behind, the physical presence of the deceased is filled with pain, anger, resentment, and sadness. The ‘white rage of anger’ bubbles beneath the surface long after the funeral. It is extraordinary that most people will be touched by bereavement, yet there seems to be no education in dealing with these types of emotions until they have happened. Our preconceptions of funerals, together with the taboo subject of bereavement, contribute to the lack of preparation of death and pain in our lives and for others left behind. Linking emotional feelings raised from the literature review and practice and extensive testing, using materials that may decompose or disintegrate over time, inform and direct the project. The work disseminated will generate new discussions and approaches to subjects such as death and preparation for the ends of our lives.