Eight is a new body of photographic work by Christopher Young. It looks at end-of-life cultural experiences; how people respond to such experiences; and the environments and institutions they encounter.

Utilising spaces such as hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and funeral homes, it addresses the paradox of highly-charged, emotive events in seemingly sterile and controlled spaces.

The sterility of these places should be calming and reassuring but Christopher found the ‘otherness’ difficult to overlook in his own experience.

This project stems from visits to funeral homes when Christopher’s father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The first was a macabre behind-the-scenes tour and later for his funeral. He found both experiences disturbing and thus far unique in his adult life. 

“My relationship with my father was distant and often dysfunctional. Our collective apathy left us with limited shared adult experiences as well as an inability to communicate. Despite his diagnosis and the associated ‘deadline’, we never found the language to sit down to discuss his looming death.”

Despite it being inevitable, death is not something we freely discuss. It is often seen as a taboo subject, especially intergenerationally. The passing of a loved one can be further complicated by the foreignness of the surrounding experiences. This is particularly the case with ‘stoic’ men, even more so those in regional communities.

As death is inescapable and inevitably part of everyone’s experience, this series has opened a dialogue with Christopher’s audience that has been enriching for all involved.

The series also includes anonymous interviews with people about their own end-of-life experiences and, further to the Perth exhibition, will be shown in Albany and Bunbury in 2020. A limited-edition book will also be launched at the Perth exhibition.

The project is made possible by the Australian Governments regional arts program, the Regional Arts Fund, which gives all Australians better access to opportunities to practice and experience the arts. The Regional Arts Fund is administered in Western Australia by Regional Arts WA.