A Requiem in the Garden

2009
Hand-shredded silk flower petals, glass shelves
Gallery Stokes | Atlanta, Georgia

I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses,
And the voices I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.
And he walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there, non other has ever known.

- In the Garden, C. Austin Miles, 1913 (John 20:11-18)

“The term requiem is from the Latin noun requies which means to rest, to repose. The relationship between loss and rest in this particular word, requiem, creates the perfect one for my thesis exhibition. As a visual landscape created by the shredded cemetery flowers becomes a symbolic re-creation of the garden, the gallery space turns into a place of resolution and rest. The references of musical requiems over the years, relating to Catholic tradition enrich this spiritual essence of mourning over the losses of not only my own childhood, but also of the ones who encounter this exhibition. My work seeks to create a visual and psychological space where a saturated serenity of mystery, fragility, and comfort invites the audience to silence themselves for an inner introspection.

… Glass shelves against four walls heighten the vulnerable characteristics of the shredded cemetery flowers. The decision to sprinkle layers of cemetery flowers on the fragile glass intensifies its need for a careful approach in examination. Instead of a glass encasement of sacred and fragile materials, this completely vulnerable layout of the flower shreds beckons the audience to lower their physical demeanor in navigating the space.

The height of glass shelves is 39 inches from the floor. I considered the audience’s way of viewing the flower shreds on the glass up close. It is a height which the audience needs to stand and slightly crouch to examine the details, mimicking a prayerful posture. Ten shelves are installed on the three connecting walls, making a straight line. The glass shelves and the powders create a beautiful shadow along the wall space while another composition of the red flower shreds gush out from a corner of the walls. It replicates a burial site’s dimensions, 100 by 44 inches, indicating its physical vulnerability drawing emotional attention and care from the audience. This visual form references Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ spilled candies. This replica of a burial site, in contrast is meant to transport the burial site into a restful residuum of loss.”

-An excerpt from Hur’s thesis “A Requiem in the Garden”