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Spiritual Grief:
Willow the whippet 

"I think my main aim of this whole project is to explore what spirituality and faith can mean. how far can the definitions be stretched?"

contact sheet 1

selections & annotations 

9 March 2021
friends together
central positioning,
direct eye contact on subject

MARCH 13, drinking milk

MARCH 21

MAY 1 2021: intimate moment 

AFTER DEATH: 
died 24/9/21
those still here:

looking down at his friend; low vantage point 

​NOV 8

teary eyed in a cafe, missing willow 

Candid, direct positioning, eye contact, central positioning

MAY 1ST 2022
memorabilia & memories 
the desire to eternalise 

pictures of Willow, resulting in tears

willow's ashes 
not yet scattered, due to family disputes 

contact sheets of digitial memories 

timeless memories

​DEVELOPMENTS 

AUDIO: how does this relate to spirituality?

Points to make: looking back in these photos its strange how within this life we know very little. We live our lives in a very insular way and things, like death and grief can hit us like a tone of bricks.
Another theme of the way I structured this project was somewhat like a diary. with the physical spect of the dates presented but also the metaphorical, symbolic diary of  everyday life and the way, as much as humans try to control, we cannot. 

AUDIO: how does this relate to spirituality?

Points to make: looking back in these photos its strange how within this life we know very little. We live our lives in a very insular way and things, like death and grief can hit us like a ton of bricks.
another theme of the way I structured this project was somewhat like a diary. with the physical spect of the dates presented but also the metaphorical, symbolic diary of  everyday life and the way, as much as humans try to control, we cannot. 
 

grief,time, faith

ESSAY:

Wllow has taught me so much, and I say this in the present tense because while he is physically dead, he is here. His spirit, I believe lurks all around us, our house, everywhere. 

 

I personally believe I have a quote on quote ‘strange’ relationship with death, it does not devastate me, I do not cry rivers. And I think a major reason of this is due to my spirituality. I truly believe Willow and all those who have passed are still somewhere. I do not know what this is, where it is, what it means. And I am ok with this because it brings me peace, I do not need empirical proof or evidence of ‘life after death’  because actually this defeats the object of life. I am perfectly ok not knowing what waits on the other side, I just have faith and know that part of our loved ones or ourselves live son. Whether this be through our own innate need to still ‘feel’ their presence, this is valid in itself. 

​

One thing that me and my parents have done is associate Willow with a bird. My dad chose his lifelong favourite bird a robin, me a crow and my mum an owl. And every time we see them we shout William or think of him or simply acknowledge our association. Things like this are vital, were vital to help me and I think my parents feel better. And yes willow was a dog but dogs live with us, they are devoted to us. They share our space, maybe even our sofas and beds. It is valid to miss your pet. It is valid to be upset about your beloved furry friend not being with you physically. Associating willow with crows has made me see crows in a different light. They are seen as mundane, they’re practically everywhere but I see them in a new way now. Perspective is everything.

 

On a slight different  note, I should mention how seen as this is part of my photography a level. How vital photographs are. This project has not only encouraged reflection of the power of my spirituality but also made me realise the immense power of photographs. They help us remember better or different times. They help us reflect. Remind us of people, animals, memories. A permanent attempt to preserve a moment; or at the very least jog a memory that makes us shed a tear 

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