Friday, February 18, 2011

Funeral Party for the Living

Funeral Party for the Living took place on January 1, 2011. It is one of several ritual projects I utilize in my art practice as an ongoing exercise to explore healing and death rituals. The audience participates in actions encouraging realizations of the brevity of life and aiding in connecting to the present.

Front of the 14 Pews church with mourning wreaths on the doors.

View from behind the desk of the "Eulogy Writing Deaconesses." During the visitation before the funeral, a eulogy writing service was available for attendees needing assistance or last minute advice.

The fashionably mournful.

A "Eulogy for Art" was read.

A brass band lead by Nick Cooper.


The back yard funeral pyre where participants said good-bye to such things as addictions, jobs, bras, lovers, and hemeroids, among other things.


The funeral food potluck included foods such as ambrosia salad, funeral pie, severed arm cake, cooper coins for the afterlife, and sweet funeral wine.

All images courtesy of 14 Pews.

Ice Staffordshire


These ice sculptures are modeled after Staffordshire ceramic dogs my mother collects. Seeing them in the impermanent material of ice reminds me of the fragility of her and the power of objects--whether as surrogates or collectibles.

This ice sculpture is dedicated to a Staffordshire Terrier, referred to as Scrappy, I helped a friend rescue. Scrappy seemed unusually aware, keen to people and situations. My friend kept the dog as his own. I longed for this dog or at least to know her condition and location. Neither the friend nor his father would tell me what happened to her...

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Funeral Party for the Living

"Funeral Party for the Living" will take place on New Year's Day at 5pm at 14 Pews. The event will include visitation and drinking, eulogy writing assistance, a funeral service open to the public to speak, sing, etc., a funeral sound procession created by the audience along with whatever instruments they'd like to bring, a funeral pyre for burning symbolic items contributed by the public, and a funeral food pot luck and recipe swap, so bring a dish!

Funeral attire is encouraged.

This event is free and open to the public. Observers are welcome.

Contact info.: emily@emilysloan.com, 713-582-1198

For more info. visit: www.thelivingwake.blogspot.com

Please feel free to re-post and share this event!




Organizer/host: Internationally unknown artist, Emily Sloan was born on April 1, 1983 outside of Beulah, Texas to John Bartholomew Sloan and Sue Nan Hoya Sloan. She presently survives and practices art inspired by healing and mourning rituals, longings, and social contexts. Outcomes include object making, performance, social involvement and spaces, and curating for unique venues including a contemporary art salon, The Kenmore: an exhibition object, and a secret gallery hidden behind a bookcase. In 2010, Sloan has had a solo show at Redbud Gallery in Houston, Texas; Napping Affects Performance (NAP), a participation and performance project at Art League Houston which is ongoing in Houston, east Texas, and upstate New York; Wash, a public, all day performance hosted by Gallery 1724 (Houston); organized a Salon des Refusés; and founded the Universal Nap Church.

About 14 Pews: Located at 800 Aurora St., Houston, Texas 77009, this Houston landmark is the oldest white wooden church in the Heights. Built in 1924, it has housed the Sunset Heights Church of Christ, Aurora Picture Show, and is now home to 14 Pews. 14 Pews is a non-profit microcinema providing regular screenings of independent documentaries and feature films, along with 4 annual film festivals and several affordable film/video educational classes. For more information, please visit: www.14pews.org

The Houston Entertainicle gets involved!

Casket Transport!

Lost Staffordshire

Monday, December 20, 2010

Solstice with a total eclipse of the Moon...

This night is the first solstice with a total eclipse of the Moon in over 400 years. Astrologer Bob Mulligan states, 2011 "will be a breath of relief, the death of one way of doing things and the very beginning of something brand new." Read more here.

Also read: Darkness Births the Light by KK Ledford. KK and I grew up together. Wild Moon Wisdom is her website.

The next few months will be a very powerful time for new beginnings!