I took a series of images looking at the abstract symbolism seen on gravestones.

I was interested in the skulls, bones, urns and many more of the designs I found. Interesting in so many ways. To see the difference between modern and older graves. One thing which caught my eye was all the gravestones that are smashed or toppled, overgrown with moss or plants or where the names have worn away. Interesting to imagine the people buried in such graves and wonder who they are and where are their relatives and friends who might have looked after their grave.

Some of the artwork on these stones is amazing. I enjoy it all the more because of the age and unkempt nature of these stones. Clean, new graves in a sterile environment interest me much less. I wonder if this sense of age and untidiness or being uncared for is something I can bring to my own work somehow?

I show a contact sheet of some of these photographs but as they are on the small side will pull out some which interested me.  These taken at graveyards in North Berwick and in Dalkeith.

This gravestone is leaning up against a wall so is remote from the grave which it commemorates. Even if words had been clear, the grave the stone relates to seems lost. Is it supposed to be upright or is it a lid? Where is rest of the grave? It seems that even the orientation and position of this stone is all confused. I thought about the context of a grave and my mind wandered to ancient Egyptian tombs and grave goods scattered in museums and collections around the world. This made me think of the context of my work and the relevance (or should I choose, the lack of relevance) of how I position it, where I display it and what it is placed next to .

I am attracted to this stone because of the layers of decay on show. Hard to look at it and not have the desire to reach out and touch the stonework. Some words are still readable, some is very faded and where stone is worn and eroded, the words are gone. There is even a hole showing underneath the carved slab. It is like a cross section.

This elaborate headstone has carvings and symbolism on the front, back and sides. I wonder who this person was. I assume their family were wealthy to afford such a stone. I also assume they held great affection for the person who died to go to this effort. The image shows a skull almost watching us. With carvings on every side, there is no way to approach this stone without being watched. Do the carvings serve as a warning to keep away?

The words on the stone are long worn away. I was attracted to it as the pattern of the stonework reminded me of a map. A peninsula with 3 dimensions showing hills and an island offshore. When I look at this I think of creating a new story about the person buried here. Such a stone could become a part of a new artwork.

Like the previous example, this stone is very worn. I was reminded of a beach, the sand washing in and covering the words and leaving an imprint of the waves. It seems to me about time. The waves crashing in for long enough to erode the stone and in the same way eroding memory of whoever this stone commemorated. Could I use such a stone in my own work?

Who was Duncan McArthur? Is seems strange that the name and date have survived but no other words. An elaborate headstone slowly withering in the elements. I wonder where Duncan McArthur’s relatives might be. I wonder what he did in his life and whether the worn carvings would have told us any of his story.

This stone has some words that can still be read but most of inscription is gone. I was attracted by the colour and texture of the stone with the imprint of whatever been growing on the surface. Maybe someone cleared away the plant and in so doing, removed some of the surface of the stone. The thought here that whoever this person is just doesn’t matter.

This stone been assembled into a pattern. The pieces of this jigsaw clearly not in right places. Where are the missing pieces? It all speaks of someone tidying up but not caring about overall result or of giving the person in this grave their name. This fragmentation is an interesting way to arrange a collection. A series of artefacts of symbols which might or might not be related and might or might not be in their ‘correct’ or ‘logical’ place.