LUCINDA PAKES

Memento Mori, Memento Vivere

Memento Mori, Memento Vivere is an anthropological study of trauma, capturing the fragility and resilience of humanity. The work consists of five broken and reconstructed ceramic vessels that transcribe the struggles, hardships and challenges faced in life, each break and crack visually symbolising the experiences of friends and family as well as the collective trauma that makes up the human experience.

Captured in a museum-style vitrine, the vessels depict the journey of trauma and healing from I. Et Frationis (The Breaking), II. Abscedit (The Abscess), III. Et Accetatio (The Accepting), IV. Ad Sanitatem (The Healing) to V. In Regeneratione (The Rebirth). Each of these stages is given further personalised insight with a quote collected from the interviews carried out with those individuals in my life that have experienced some form of change or trauma.

Through the art of Kintsugi, as inspired by the work of Yee Sookyung, the scars that these traumatic experiences leave behind on individuals are embraced both physically and metaphorically whilst honouring the raw and sometimes ugly journey an individual may undertake during the healing process

I. ET FRACTIONIS

“You never know what someone has gone

through or is going through”

II. ABSCEDIT

“Fear, disappointment, embarrassment, sadness…”

III. ET ACCEPTATIO

“Forced me to protect myself…”

IV. AD SANITATEM

“I... feel like I’m observing life rather than

participating in it ... working toward physical

healing… my emotional healing was a

much longer process”

V. IN REGENERATIONE

“Made me more wary of people… more empathetic

and helpful… makes me help

those who have been through similar”