Remembering out loud: invitation to share a remembrance (June 2022)

Remembering out loud

An invitation to share a story of unacknowledged
loss through pandemic times.

Through the shadows of a global pandemic, many people have been denied access to important rituals of death and farewell because they have not been able to travel to attend funerals or sit at the bedside of dying loved ones. The pandemic has limited avenues of collective mourning and changed the way we say goodbye.

If you are someone who has not been able to publicly acknowledge an important loss in your life because of lockdowns, restrictions, mandates and border closures over the last two years, I invite you to share a story of remembrance with me, to write a brief letter or record a short video honouring the gifts you carry from someone who is no longer present.

This is a gentle invitation to a confronting space. It asks for compassion and for the time and space to actively and privately contemplate loss in your life.

We may have never met but if you're reading this, you and I are connected in the universal experience of loss. With your permission, your remembrance will be included as part of an intimate evening of remembrance, archival art and music in north Brisbane on Saturday 4th June, 2022: Somewhere in the Light

If you do not wish for your remembrance to be used in this way, you are still welcome to make a submission. I will read, treasure and care-take each remembrance received. Please indicate your wish clearly in the form below.

You are welcome to share this invitation personally with others.

Questions?
If you have any questions about this project or how your remembrance will be used, please contact Mira here

Name: *

Email address: *

Would you like your response to be anonymous? *

Yes No

Brief description of the situation. (ie. "I was unable to travel from Queensland to say goodbye to my father who died in palliative care in Sydney, New South Wales.") *

When did this happen? *

Where are you based in the world? Where was the person who died? *

Your letter of remembrance
Please share your letter with me below. Write as little or as much as you like (maximum 1000 words). For ideas on how to get started, visit this link. If you prefer, you're welcome to write longhand and take a photograph of your letter and upload it below. You may also submit your remembrance as a word document too.

Write your remembrance below:

0/1000

Upload images or documents (maximum file size 100mB):

Upload a File

Link to your video remembrance (YouTube only, max 2 minutes)

Do you give permission for me to share your remembrance in a live event about loss and remembrance? *

Yes No

Thank you.
Thank you for your time and willingness to step into a hard space with me. I’m so grateful to receive your remembrance and get to know a little about an important person who’s touched your life. Due to the sensitivity of the subject and the personal nature of what’s being shared, photography will be minimal at the event but I will be in touch afterwards to share more about the experience and how your remembrance held space for others. If you are local to south east Queensland, you are warmly invited to attend Somewhere in the Light in person.

Do you know someone who has not been able to publicly acknowledge an important loss in their life because of pandemic-related restrictions? If yes, please feel free to share this invitation with them personally.

About the artist
Mira Chorik is based on Gubbi Gubbi land in south east Queensland, Australia. Her creative work explores loss and asks what it is to remember well, the gifts we carry from those who are no longer present. About her work she writes “When loss first entered my life, it was a shock. Nothing prepared me for the destruction of identity and loss of safety and meaning. I became aware how hard it is to talk about loss without feeling like a burden, how hard it is to share stories of someone important to me, and how so few could hold a space of acknowledging sadness and uncertainty without presenting solutions. I also became aware I lack role models who know how to share meaningful stories of those they have loved who have died. My work investigates how we may be enriched by remembering the gifts we've been given by those who have touched our lives and even though conversations, spaces and practices like this are hard, for me they are ultimately life-affirming, strengthening and connecting. I invite you to join me in the hope that it will be for you too.” You can find out more about Mira at www.mirachorik.com and see a previous related work, Something Your Hand Touched