Immortality
Artist Statement
Imagine being remembered forever – in eternity – to be immortal. Scientifically, there is no such thing as human immortality. Yet, there are things such as music, scripture or even pre-historic discoveries that have accompanied the human race since the existence of humanity.
Humans have always searched for ways to remain immortal, or rather be remembered by humanity. The depiction of corporeal immortality has dated from the Greeks, whose Gods remain immortal through the statues; to the Chinese, with the Samurai Warrior statues.
Similarly, the Ancient Egyptian culture was founded around the culture of eternal life. Their entire world revolved around the preparation of the after life.
The ritual of mummification to preserve the body in a life-like state was formalized and structured to enhance the body in the afterlife.
My interest in historical imagery associated with this project began with study of albumen prints of 19th century mummies in the Egyptian Museum. Over a period of time, I gained numerous accesses to the mummies, and sought to assemble a series of portraits of them, and this extended to Roman period mummies and sarcophagi in Bahariya. This rare and intimate look granted introspection and a deeper appreciation of immortality and my own place in it. Indeed, to be truly immortal is also to be infinite – like the cosmos – an extraordinary concept. This was a fascinating look into the life of ancient Egyptians who would never have expected to be on display to the public.