Art exhibition exploring grief takes over house due for demolition

A HOUSE due for demolition is hosting an interactive exhibition about the importance of objects in peoples lives.

The free exhibition, called What is left opened at 4 Paxton Close on Stockton's Victoria estate today (Friday, October 10) with the aim of exploring how our dead loved ones are remembered through objects they have left behind.

A series of 50 photographs of people from across the UK, including Stockton, will be displayed, each with an audio recording of the persons voice explaining how the inherited object they are holding reminds them of the person they have lost.

Visitors sit in a special viewing chair to look directly at the photograph and listen to the subject speaking.

The portraits - depicting people from a wide range of ages and backgrounds are the work of collaboration between Leeds-based performance artist, Ellie Harrison and London-based photographer, Roshana Rubin-Mayhew.

They photographed the subjects in their own homes in order to capture the intimacy of their stories in their native surroundings.

The audio accompaniment to each photograph involves an interview conducted with them about their memories, along with a written transcript.

Examples of subjects presented include Adele, who is from Gateshead, sitting at her grandmothers dressing table and Rene, from Middlesbrough, holding a porcelain figure she bought in an antiques shop with her husband, Glyn.

Others taking part include Tess, from Newcastle, and Christine, from Stockton.

Ellie Harrison said: One thing that really struck me working with people from all walks of life, young and old, was how glad they were to have the opportunity to talk about their loved ones. Everyone involved seemed to enjoy the experience of picking an item to represent the person they had lost.

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Art exhibition exploring grief takes over house due for demolition