Tag: death

Death and Mortality 3

In June I attended Photo 24 2016 in London. During this photo marathon I was pleased to visit and photograph one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries, Brompton Cemetery.

This cemetery opened in June 1840 and it is one of Britain’s oldest and most distinguished garden cemeteries.

Brompton Cemetery 1
Brompton Cemetery 2
Brompton Cemetery 3
Brompton Cemetery 4
Brompton Cemetery 5
Brompton Cemetery 6
Brompton Cemetery 7
Brompton Cemetery 8
Brompton Cemetery 9
Brompton Cemetery 10
Brompton Cemetery 11
Brompton Cemetery 12
Brompton Cemetery 13
Brompton Cemetery 14

It was a wonderful mixture of the wild and the managed. Art, architecture, flora and fauna all rolled into one place. It is only a moments walk from West Brompton Underground Station to the North Lodge entrance. This grand Victorian cemetery is a visual feast and many people were taking advantage of its environs. Free to enter and I highly recommended it to anyone.

I would like to try and visit the other six cemeteries of the magnificent seven:

I can only hope that they are as photogenic as Brompton Cemetery.

Death and Mortality 2

Colours of Death and Mortality

Colours associated with death and mortality vary around world according to race, culture and religion. Please find some listed below:

RED

  • Red is the colour of mourning in South Africa

GREEN

  • In many Latin and South American cultures, green is the colour of death

BLUE

  • Blue is the colour of mourning in Korea, Mexico and Iran

BLACK

  • In many Western cultures, black is the colour of death, mourning and funerals
  • The ancient Egyptians and Romans associated black as the colour of death and mourning

WHITE

  • In many Eastern cultures, black is the colour of death, mourning and funerals
  • White is the colour of mourning in China
  • In India white is associated with funerals and widows clothing
  • In Japan a white carnation symbolizes death
  • In Korea white is associated with death
  • White is the colour of mourning in Middle East

PURPLE / VIOLET

  • In Thailand purple is associated with widows clothing
  • Purple was carried out as a mourning colour in Brazil as well, alongside black dress
  • In Catholicism purple is a colour of death, mourning and crucifixion

GREY

  • Grey is the colour of mourning in Papua New Guinea

YELLOW

  • Yellow is the colour of mourning in Egypt and Burma
  • In the Middle Ages, actors portraying the dead in a play wore yellow
  • In Spain, executioners once wore yellow

BROWN

  • Brown is the colour of mourning in India

The above list is only based on my investigations and I would be very interested to know from anyone who knows of any other colour associations with death and mortality, either currently relevent or even historically.

Death and Mortality 1

I have decided to start a small project based around the symbology of Death and Mortality. I had Friday off and the weather was nice so I decided to kick start the project with a visit to Brookwood Cemetery.

Brookwood Cemetery first opened in 1854 and was at one time the largest cemetery in the world. Today, it continues to be the largest cemetery in Western Europe and since its opening, approximately 250,000 people have been laid to rest within the beautiful grounds.

An unusual feature of Brookwood Cemetery was that it had its own private railway running through the grounds. The main reason for this was that the Cemetery was over 25 miles from central London, and the only convenient method of transporting coffins and mourners was by the London & South Western Railway. The funeral trains began to operate from 13 November 1854 when the Cemetery opened to the public.

Please find my first images below. I decided to give them an antique plate camera feel using Silver Efex Pro 2.

Brookwood Broken Column 1
Brookwook Broken Column 2
Brookwood Weeping Statue 1
Brookwood Urn 1

I am sure that everyone has a graveyard or cemetery close to them, and you will find that they are interesting places to explore in quiet contemplation. They also are a haven to wild flowers, insects and wildlife.