The idea of a living loss came about when mothers lose their chid through no fault of their own. This could be through tragic accident or when a child is taken away, disappears, or when there is no physical body to bury after a child dies. This can happen to any person through life, whatever age, and for the parent or relatives, there is no closure. The sadness comes about when a parent cannot or does not want to move on, as that would mean to clear out the memory of that child. Moving from homes when a child has suddenly disappeared, would mean breaking down a child’s bedroom is one of the most challenging aspects. Memory takes all sorts of forms, loss can be complicated and unresolved.
Small 4” figures were made to connote complicated grief discussion of death without a body, guilt and shame. The figures were made from paper clay. Choosing not to fire the clay figures, they gradually disintegrate into dust, which became part of the process of decay.
‘…without a body’
