Rest in Grief

The collection Rest in Grief originates from my personal experience with grief and from the process I went through. With Dutch traditional costume as my inspiration, and in particular the Mourning costume, I have built up the collection in 6 phases of mourning. Grief is a process consisting of various emotions, the order of which can vary from person to person.

In this collection I will show you my personal phases of grief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The collection consists of the following stages of mourning and in my personal order this manifests itself in; Anger, Denial, Displaced, Sadness, Acceptance and Finding Meaning.
I edited several portraits and photos from my family and used them as prints. The photos have been edited into a negative image to increase the black and white contrast. Now it's 100% my story, but I want to leave room for the consumer to add his or her personal image to the items. 

For my designs I started writing out my own emotions at every stage and that's how my collection was born. To take the anger phase as an example, anger expresses itself implosively in me and I prefer to hide rather than speak out. I can release this anger in a large coat that partly covers my head and in which I can disappear.

In this stage, Denial, I refused to accept the reality of loss. The person in grief may deny that it has happened or try to minimize it's impact. They may also experience feelings of confusion, disbelief, and numbness. 

 

The stage Displaced involves redirecting one's emotions and behaviors towards a substitute object, person or activity that is unrelated to the loss. It may involve overworking, excessive drinking, drug use or any other self-destructive behaviors. It's a way of coping and avoiding the pain of the loss.

It's common for people to experience sadness in different ways and have different perspectives on it. Some may see it as a natural and necessary part of the grieving process, while others may view it as a negative emotion to be avoided or suppressed. The use of colors to represent different emotions or perspectives can be a creative way to convey these differences. Ultimately, it's important to allow oneself to feel and process emotions, including sadness, in a healthy and constructive way.

 

 

Acceptance: At this stage, people come to accept the reality of their loss. They may start to feel a sense of calm and begin to focus on rebuilding their lives.

 

This final stage, Finding Meaning, involves making sense of the loss and finding a way to move forward. People in this stage may look for ways to honor the memory of their loved one or find new purpose in life.

It's important to note that these stages are not linear and may overlap or occur out of order. Everyone's grieving process is unique, and there is no "right" way to grieve. It's important to seek support from others and take care of oneself during this difficult time.