Here Lies ART!
Exhibition
A Public Art Exhibition of Victorian Funeral Traditionsin Anglican Chapel at Nunhead Cemetery
Curated by Jolanta Jagiello
Open House Weekend: 18th to 19th September 2010
During Victorian times no funeral was complete without pomp and ceremony provided by undertakers with black-plumed horses, elaborate horse-drawn hearses, funeral coaches, and attendants. It is not easy to understand the Victorian pre-occupation with death nor the logic applied to the expense of a funeral. The onset of World War I brought the demand for ornate funerals to an end.
This public art exhibition brings these funeral traditions alive in the splendid restored Anglican Chapel at Nunhead Cemetery, one of the Magnificent Seven Victorian cemeteries on the outskirts of London, opened in 1840. Here Lies Art inspired by: burials and catacombs, tombs and monuments, mourning dress and stationery, angels and symbols of death. And a photographic tribute to the Leysdown tragedy, where 8 Walworth scouts drowned at sea, one of them, William Beckham, is an ascendant of the footballer David Beckham.
Come and be entertained by death: make our Victorian mute smile played by Megan Broadmeadow, take rest on the bench designed by Julia Peat and then read a poem in rhyming slang, enjoy an informative poetry performance by Narayani Guibarra on Victorian mourning dresses, and hear a Great War poem by David Jones, read by Hywel Wynn Jones and Jill Rock, and special poetry performance by Sarah Reilly. Tours up to the top of the turret tower and into the crypt of the Chapel are available in the afternoon.
Interactive Map
Click here to view map
Performances
A Poetry Performance - Narayani | DOWNLOAD |A Poetry Performance - Sarah Reilly | DOWNLOAD |
Performance - David Jones | DOWNLOAD |
Performance - Megan Broadmeadow | DOWNLOAD |
Comments
Comments Book | DOWNLOAD |In Association With:
 | Ancestral Guardians by Elisabetta Fumagalli Artist Statement |
 | Broken Memorials by Geraldine Hallet Artist Statement |
 | Green Green Grass of Home by Jeremy Turner Artist Statement |
 | Atonement by Alex Halfin Artist Statement |
 | Hairloom by Lorraine Clarke Artist Statement |
 | The Uninvited Guest by Linda Lomri Artist Statement |
 | The Remains of the child by Desiree Ickerodt Artist Statement |
 | Entropy by Mike Hoath Artist Statement |
 | Fell Asleep by Brian McKenzie Artist Statement |
 | Objects of Desire by Deborah Gardner Artist Statement |
 | Never More by Kath Cottee Artist Statement |
 | The Leysdown Tradegy - a memorial walk by Bridget McKenzie Artist Statement |
 | Angel by Elizabeth Chojak-Mysko Artist Statement |
 | Unknown Family by Dorothy Love Artist Statement |
 | CATACOMB by Jill Rock and Richard Cardew Artist Statement |
 | Owl by Gillian Laidlaw Artist Statement |
 | Serpent by Jeff Soan Artist Statement |
 | Rest in Peace by Julia Peat Artist Statement |
 | Memories Remain by Mali Artist Statement |
 | Afterlife by Sara Scott Artist Statement |
 | A Bees Grave by Megan Mckenzie Artist Statement |
 | Twist and Turn by Nick Baelz Artist Statement |
 | ........so cold and stiff from Oliver Twist. (p.6) by Jane Howard Artist Statement |
 | Life Death Mask by Kim Thornton Artist Statement |
 | A slumber did their spirits seal by Debora Mo Artist Statement |
 | Headless Birds by Lydia Hardwick Artist Statement |
 | Ruffled Black Plumes by Jolanta Jagiello Artist Statement |
 | Now I lay Thee Down by Megan Broadmeadow Artist Statement |