Saturday, April 8, 2017

Wake


 Wake, video stills



Yesterday I spent time in an old English cemetery in a small town west of London. I attended a Lenten prayer event, and was inspired to take my reading outside to enjoy the sun. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, death is an impermanent state. I had the urge to “tuck in” the tombs as if the occupants were sleeping and would soon wake up. Some of the grave stones date back to the 1800’s.

When I shared my idea one woman told me about an eccentric painter from the nearby village of Cookham. Sir Stanley Spencer had made several paintings around the theme of resurrection. His most known painting depicted a local church cemetery with people emerging from their graves as if they just woke up. His work was exhibited in the Tate a few years ago.