I Could, Forever.

The Concept

This paper flower installation displays the effects of pancreatic cancer on the U.S. population, while also exploring the cultural impact on those grieving the loss of a loved one.

The topic of grief is often avoided in today’s culture, or those grieving are pressured from outside sources to rush through the perceived healing process and return to ‘normalcy.’ The beauty of the floral content in this piece symbolizes the facade often worn by those who are grieving, as the topic stirs up discomfort in many. The immense nature of the work not only represents the complexities of grief, but also the capacity for love, for they are one and the same. As quoted by author Jamie Anderson, ‘Grief is really just love with nowhere to go.’

This piece presents an opportunity for viewers to speak openly and without judgment about a disease that touches the lives of many around us, often unknowingly. While many are affected, this particular illness goes unspoken of, for there are few survivors to tell their story.

Final Work

Symbolism

MICHAELMAS DAISY
Symbolizing a farewell or a departure. Stunning purple in color, directly tying to the purple ribbon which is recognized as a symbol for pancreatic cancer.

GINKGO BILOBA
Longevity and profound endurance. Survived the bombing of Hiroshima and still growing today.

WHITE DAISY
Innocence, new beginnings and true love

BLUE CAMPANULA (BELLFLOWER)
Affection, constancy and everlasting love. Often planted on graves.

DARK CRIMSON ROSE
Sadness, mourning and death. Also known to represent rebirth and love.

Specifications

Twelve panels feature various hand-printed, cut flowers and leaves. Every flower or leaf symbolizes an individual who either passed away or survived pancreatic cancer in 2019. An estimated 56,770 adults in the US were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2019, while only 11,020 were estimated to have survived beyond one year after diagnosis.

Each panel represents one month of the year, creating a focal point using a single live daisy on the ninth panel. This particular flower symbolizes the artist’s mother who passed away from pancreatic cancer in September of 2019.

The laborious efforts experienced in hand-printing every element represents the many complexities of grief. The creation of the work itself is a physical manifestation of the grieving process, between long hours of contemplation and physical exhaustion, to distraction and creative methods of coping.