Loss becomes Object

An exhibition marking the birth of the The Museum of Loss and Renewal project, which transpired from LIFE IS OVER if you want it!, an installation about the death of Edwin’s father through assisted suicide.

This exhibition marked the birth of the The Museum of Loss and Renewal project, which transpired from LIFE IS OVER if you want it!, an installation about the death of Edwin’s father through assisted suicide.

Loss Becomes Object took place at The Highland Institute for Contemporary Art, Loch Ruthven, Scotland (2011) and consisted of two cardboard display cases, Life is Short, Art Long and Forces of Attraction and Repulsion. Artefacts collected in the Highland Hospice charity shops were juxtaposed with associative material, resulting in a series of still lifes that provoked reflections on issues of loss, death, recycling and the notion of appropriation.

The text in the poster Loss becomes Object, if you want it! sets the framework for the exhibition, and continues Tracy & Edwin’s ongoing use of slogans in The John and Yoko Drawings.

Loss Becomes Object was launched with a public discussion. Contributors included Paula McCormack, Director of Clinical and Education Services at the Highland Hospice who talked about the organisation’s work; Emma Nicolson, Director of ATLAS, presented context-specific art practice; Tracy Mackenna & Edwin Janssen discussed The Museum of Loss and Renewal’s central themes.