Nous Nous Souvenons

In the last twenty years or so American cemeteries have become increasingly sterile. Efficiency of mowing has become more important than expressions of grief and remembrance as families are prohibited from planting flowers or leaving mementos. Many cemeteries don't even allow vertical headstones anymore. European cemeteries don't seem to suffer from this condition. They are cacophonies of cut flowers, plants, paintings, sculptures, and keepsakes. They are often jumbles of the real and artificial, living and dead, plastic and silk, new and old. They are the complicated expressions of grief-stricken survivors. These tangled displays become impromptu still lifes. The complexity of the colors, textures, forms, and surfaces may reflect the complexity of the lives they serve to celebrate. "Nous Nous Souvenons (We Remember)" is a collection of photographs from cemeteries across Europe. It's an examination of ritual memorials in different cultures and attempts to find beauty in sadness.