Alex Berry | 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

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

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

The Ghost Horse

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In Memoriam

I See Dead People

The Body Count Rises

Tragedy at Barnstorm – Dozens Die While Making Art

Play Dead – Ars Moriendi

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