This piece is meant to showcase how the private body becomes public after life is over. The skull of a person is placed on a pedestal so that it may become a display that people visit. The flowers growing out of the skull are funeral flowers symbolizing peace and love in grief. On the wall behind the installation is a sign that reinforces the fact that the skull has become the object of observation, instead of an individual who deserves respect in death as they do in life.
Bodily autonomy is— more often than not— a privilege only white cis men have. Yet in death, every body is stripped of its right to privacy. In almost every culture there is a death ritual varying in degrees of celebration and lamentation. Mainly in Westernized death rituals, we strip the deceased of their autonomy. Unless the deceased’s family opts for cremation, the body is embalmed, dressed up, and displayed for any to see. Their organs are taken from their body and thrown away or donated; they are dressed in the outfit of the family’s choosing and made up to make death look more palatable for the living. There is no consent in this procedure, just a silent understanding that in life this is how we celebrate death.
