MOURNITHOLOGY

Jo my brilliant partner in crime and I have collaborated on this series of images. I'm really pleased with them and its prompted me to want to do more pieces together. The beauty of collaboration is you each bring your strongest asset to the table, what the other person lacks is compensated by the strength of the other. I would never have come up with this myself and likewise Jo has said the same. Together we formed a new creative entity which is stronger than each of us working alone, it helps shake you out of those cliches and old habits I spoke about in previous entries.

What I find interesting about us focusing on using a dead bird and the backdrop of letters, old notes and manuscripts is that letters have formed a strong element in Jo's work over the last few years. Old letters to me represent family and friends and also a dying art in and of itself. The dead bird was one of the girls finchs, they are very sensitive little creatures and we have lost a few. Jo took the photos and I think they have a eeriness to them and also a quiet dignity. Birds in many cultures symbolise loss or the souls of dead loved ones, I've heard that if a bird comes in the house it is really the soul of a lost relative trying to connect with their loved ones. Read into it what you will, I'm just very proud of our collaboration and its symbolising a renewed sense of closeness and shared purpose.