IC w14 Corona

Two uncles of mine died from corona and as a result I had a new alienating experience; follow a funeral online, live stream. You will see a part of the room. 2 camera positions are used and also zoomed in or out from time to time.

The photo below could be someone's funeral. The only personal image that tells us something about the deceased person is the bicycle. An object that I personally have never seen before at a funeral. the flowers are strikingly neutral, having just white tones.

In between, when music can be heard, we see photos pass by as the viewer. Snapshots that randomly show moments of the life of the deceased and the family. Nostalgia at its best. They show us what was. The random order is sometimes quite alienating. The digital images are clearly supplied with the older photos, we see reproductions of the printed image. The way in which the photos are presented therefore plays a part in the perception of the image.

My uncle on the way by bike from the Netherlands to Spain, Santiago de Compostella on a pilgrimage

On the images we see of course special moments of joy, a holiday, a milestone (literally).

These photos were all taken in the analog era when we still had film and so much more attention was taken for a moment. Taking a photo was expensive. What has not changed is the reason for taking a photo; to show others "I was there". Capture a moment to relive it later through the photo. Although I think that in earlier times it happened more than now.

My uncle with daughter and son, while on vacation in Zeeland.

We now take so many photos of "special" and less special moments that they increasingly merge. Photography and photos are no longer special because of the stream of images we produce. We will also no longer sit down to look at those photos for an evening in order to revisit the experiences through the images. What I wonder is whether we experience and remember the events ourselves less consciously.

My uncle, with daughter on a toboggan run, during a vacation or outing.

Photographing the funeral is not very common in the Netherlands, although there is an increasing market for it. I myself photographed three funerals in reportage style. It is done to create a visual memory for children whose parents die when they are still young. This aids in the grieving process. Just as it is currently the trend to record weddings in a report-like manner, this also applies to funerals. They mainly want to have an impression of the day.

In Belgium it has been normal use for much longer; I remember when I was a child I sometimes went to the hairdresser in Belgium where the books of the funerals, clothes and hairstyles were discussed extensively, just like those of weddings. I thought it was a bit strange.

But then I was a child and death was a little further from reality.

I do think that this Corona crisis could mean the end of photographing funerals. I imagine that every funeral can be followed from home in the future and that you will also receive a code to download the recordings at home, as is currently the case, due to the special circumstances.