Death Bed
6’ 9” x 8’ x 22’ 6”
Pine, hardware, concrete, quartz crystals, soil, wild indigo, prairie
clover, prairie violet, prairie smoke, alum root, blazing star,
rattlesnake master, prairie sage, pasque flower, black eyed susan, harebell,
spiderwort, silky aster, and fireweed.
2016
2016 FSP/Jerome Fellow
Artist Statement
Death is a welcomed part of nature, fueling the ecosystem, charting the passage of time, and completing the cycles of our seasons. As humans, we would like to forget this inevitable closure to our brief moment on earth, but perhaps it is the experience of death that can make living more visceral, rich, and enlightening. If we can practice small deaths, intentionally, we can be more prepared for the real transition into the unknown. Death Bed invites the viewer to contemplate death in the comfort of nature. The three tiers are taken from multiple religious beliefs in the underworld, earth, and the heavens. The summit invites the viewer to lay on a bed of quartz crystals to remove negative energy. The middle tier is planted with flowers that support emotions surrounding death. Fireweed heals anger. Black Eyed Susan summons graceful perspectives. Prairie Smoke purifies the internal and external environment. The flowers create a private, safe space for introspection and invite the participant to acknowledge death’s inevitability.
Jess Hirsch
Born: Robbinsdale, MN, USA, 1985
Resides: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Education
MFA, University of Minnesota, 2013
BA, Lewis and Clark College, 2007