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- Óran Curran Coleman
Óran
Curran Coleman
The Places That Hold Him
My work largely revolves around the grief I carry for my late father Patrick or better known from his nickname “Happy”, who was killed in a stabbing in 2007. His sudden loss and way in which he passed had a profound impact on me, and I’ve struggled with grief and the idea of his memory fading over time. As the years pass, my memories, his face, his voice become less clear. What has helped me cope with this feeling is finding new ways to reconnect with my father, particularly through nature and the world around me. The significance of materials has become a central part of my practice. For example, I used the grass from his grave, my family garden and several other places to create these anthotype prints. By incorporating the grass, it feels as though a piece of him is present within these prints. One of the most beautiful aspects of anthotypes is that they gradually fade over time, much like my own memories I have with my father. I’ve come to understand that it is important not to obsess over what I will eventually forget, but rather to cherish the memories I hold now. Although his physical body is no longer here, he still lives on in the grass and flowers that grow from his grave, in my mother who took on both parental roles and in the faces of my sister and me. I find comfort in looking for my father in the beauty of everyday life, and in that, I know he is never really gone.