“In life, death is the only thing we can be sure of, but we rarely talk about it. It has become a taboo we avoid because the system takes care of most things surrounding death.
But I need to embrace sorrow and pain because they teach me something about myself. I believe these are basic human feelings that will only come back to haunt us if we don’t stay with them.
When making RO, I had to handle that my grandmother Maren Brigitte was dying. I was up close and personal with her death and my sorrow almost every day, and I felt a great responsibility to honour both my grandparents with this last goodbye.
It became a big part of my grieving process because I had to confront these feelings by working on the coffin and staying there. At the funeral, I had a capacity for more than grief and felt deeply grateful for my time with her. It was not a one-sided emotion but a sensation of life and death melting together.”
Words: Danish furniture designer and cabinetmaker Anker Bak.
See his solo exhibition "En ny værdighed / Renewed Dignity" at Officinet, Bredgade 66, 1260 Copenhagen.
29.09-23.10.2022
More info: https://dkod.dk/anker-bak/