Ars Moriendi | The Ghost Horse

In Memoriam

July 17, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

This Thursday, I opened a show of artwork, which was very meaningful to me – work made of the remains of an art installation called Ars Moriendi, which is Latin for the Art of Dying. Ars Moriendi was a labor of love, born when six artists and more than one hundred and fifty community members came together to reflect on our mortality. The project was designed to evoke feelings and thoughts revolving around our society’s attitudes towards death and dying. […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Perspiration, Pet Projects • Tags: Alex Berry, Andre Elias, ars moriendi, art, Damon Vecci, death, James McHendry, Jessie Wilson, Mark Verner, mortality, photography, post-mortem

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Reviving the Dead

July 7, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

Back in May I participated in an arts extravaganza called Barnstorm. Myself and five other artists came together to create a living installation that focused on the art of dying – Ars Moriendi. Over three nights more than one hundred people engaged with the installation, had conversations about their mortality, left last words, and posed for their own post-mortem photograph. I’ve finally found a place to display all those beautiful photos. They’ve been printed and inserted into a large-scale U.S. […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Perspiration, Pet Projects • Tags: ars moriendi, Barnstorm, Blitz, flag, Jessie Wilson, post-mortem

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I See Dead People

May 13, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

“While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.” – Leonardo da Vinci If you’d like to see any of the post-mortem photos taken thru Ars Moriendi, please go here. By the time the lights went out in the Ars Moriendi installation at Barnstorm, more than one hundred and thirty five brave souls had channeled their inner dead model during a post-mortem photo session. Most left behind last words and advice, scrawled […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Perspiration, Pet Projects • Tags: Alex Berry, American flag, Andre Elias, ars moriendi, art, Barnstorm, Damon Vecci, death, dying, James McHendry, Jessie Wilson, Mark Verner, post-mortem photography

The Body Count Rises

May 9, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

One hundred and thirty-five souls, posed a deathlike pose (at Barnstorm). Some were reverent, some took flight – some smelled of alcohol downed, all night. With at least three photos of each lovely corpse, there’ll be plenty to fill up the flag. Thanks to every valiant one for bringing the zig… and the zag. Soon I’ll post updates on the results of our secret mortality experiment, but first I need to clean up the laboratory, i.e., my apartment looks like […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Perspiration, Pet Projects • Tags: Alex Berry, Andre Elias, ars moriendi, Barnstorm, Damon Vecci, dead, James McHendry, Jessie Wilson, Mark Verner, post-mortem

Tragedy at Barnstorm – Dozens Die While Making Art

May 6, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

Last night we opened the Ars Moriendi installation and ushered a few dozen people through our experiment about death and dying. It took us a few tries to get into the groove, but once we did, it was amazing to hear all of the death experiences people were willing to share with us. Some seemed a little confused and weirded out, and others appeared truly moved. I even got a few hugs. Some people had recently lost someone close to […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Perspiration, Pet Projects • Tags: Alex Berry, Andre Elias, ars moriendi, art, Barnstorm, Damon Vecci, death, dying, James McHendry, Jessie Wilson, Mark Verner, post-mortem photography

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Come Die With Me, Come Die, Come Die Away

May 4, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

I’m dead tired, but getting really excited for Barnstorm tomorrow. Here’s a sneak peek of the Ars Moriendi installation. It’s a living piece of art that is focused on death. Wrap your head around that, suckas! Here’s a preview of the progress so far. This has all come together with the assistance of my friends and fellow artists, André Elias, James McHendry, Alex Berry, Damon Vecci, Mark Verner and the many hands of Quiet Heroes on a Rainy Night. But […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Perspiration, Pet Projects • Tags: ars moriendi, art, Barnstorm, death, Jessie Wilson, photography, post-mortem

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Constructing The Skeleton

April 26, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

André was kind enough to come down to the Barnstorm space to help me build on Easter Sunday. We worked from 9am to 6pm to build the frame for the Ars Moriendi tent. Don’t feel too sorry for us. We took plenty of breaks to go eat down at the Pike Place Market. This 2 x 4 skeleton will be draped with fabric and gussied up by May 5. I sketched out a blueprint and my dad helped me come […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Pet Projects • Tags: ars moriendi, Barnstorm, Jessie Wilson

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Who wants to bone?

April 14, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

My boning has arrived! 60 yards of the stuff, to be exact. It’s hard to find this quantity in Seattle for less than an arm and a leg. Thank gawd for eBay. In the coming weeks this will help add structure to a large American Flag I’ll be building out of more than two hundred Mylar baggies. The bags in the flag will eventually contain more than two hundred post-mortem photographs, taken of live subjects pretending to be dead. The […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Perspiration, Pet Projects • Tags: American flag, ars moriendi, Barnstorm, boning, Jessie Wilson

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The Flag Starts to Come Together

April 5, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

The flag for Ars Moriendi is beginning to come together. We’re calling the flag portion of the installment the Flag of the Dead. Ars Moriendi, or “The Art of Dying”, is a live art installment that incorporates craft, photography, video and performance. It takes place in Seattle over three nights on May 5, 6 and 7. The project is one of several performances and art installments happening at Barnstorm: The Cabaret Re-Imagined. Ars Moriendi is a collaborative endeavor that will […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Pet Projects • Tags: American flag, ars moriendi, Barnstorm, Jessie Wilson, Memento Mori, photograph, post-mortem

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Play Dead – Ars Moriendi

March 18, 2011 by The Ghost Horse

**UPDATE – The installation has past. To find photos and a description of the outcome of Ars Moriendi please see I See Dead People. Access the post-mortem photographs of participants here. We have become passive observers of death. American society leaves the orchestration of dying to physicians and funeral directors. Our disconnection from death influences the health of our grieving processes, our reverence for life and even shapes our relationship with violence and war. “…in many ways, our lives are […]

Categories: Ars Moriendi, Perspiration, Pet Projects • Tags: Alex Berry, Andre Elias, ars moriendi, art, Damon Vecci, death, dying, James McHendry, Jessie Wilson, Mark Verner, momento mori, postmortem

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The Ghost Horse

Giddyup to the next dimension

Category Archives: Ars Moriendi

In Memoriam

Reviving the Dead

I See Dead People

The Body Count Rises

Tragedy at Barnstorm – Dozens Die While Making Art

Come Die With Me, Come Die, Come Die Away

Constructing The Skeleton

Who wants to bone?

The Flag Starts to Come Together

Play Dead – Ars Moriendi

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