On a recent saturday I travelled to Grafton to present a floortalk alongside the Hanky Project Exhibition. It was wonderful to see the show hanging in a smaller, more intimate space and whilst all the pieces couldn't be shown I loved being in a small room surrounded by the hanky works. The works hung by tiny pegs strung across the room were reminiscent of prayer flags whilst the smaller pieces under glass in a cabinet took on a precious momento mori quality.
The grafton photographer who had rushed in to take some photos on her way to documenting the footy was still there at the end of the talk and on looking quite teary was invited to tell her story! She took a very scrunched hanky out of her pocket which had belonged to her father. He had also been a photographer. She used his hanky every time she went on an assignment to clean her camera lens and had been doing so since his death some years before.
A local grief councillor also spoke about grief, in particular men's grief. Interesting morning all round!
