Page 51 - Antennae Issue #52

Selena de Carvalho
Selena Selena de de Carvalho
Carvalho
and Dan Rooke [That orchid it remained silent] aluminium plaque 2017 © Selena Selena de de Carvalho
Carvalho
which life life can reemerge Beware of of o
of Imposters (the secret life life of of o
of flowers) takes its title from the the the the prolific offerings of of o
of immortal plastic flowers flowers that that adorn gravesites the the the the world over A ritual that that enacts the the the the desire to to connect grieve and pay homage to to loved ones passed while also maintaining the the tidy appearance of of care convenient for for those with less oppor- tunity of of of frequent visits Flowers become a a a a a a a a a a a a a symbolic language for for connecting to ghosts they represent the the the the invisible labour of of of mourning mourning Perhaps these never decaying flowers are all too fitting in in in in in in in in this age of of extinction and and the the the the the the mourning mourning fit it will bring Reverend Jeff Sickland 18 however bans plastic plastic flowers flowers from the the the the the the cemetery he he he he he he he oversees For him the the the the the the plastic plastic bouquets miss the the the the the point of of the the the the the metaphor of of (real) flowers: ‘the beauty that weath- ers and decays’ In the the Campbelltown cemetery extinction the the ultimate death of of of a a a a a a a a a a a species sits side-by-side nostalgic pollution resistant to to cycles of of of of of decay and and regeneration Death of of of of of an an an an an entire species the the erasure of of of of its web of of of of relations and and life-world is is perhaps the the ulti- mate haunting If flowers enable links to ghosts can a a a a a a a a a a a a ghost ghost flower flower that haunts through
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