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30. At the Hour of Our Death
1 year ago
Filmmakers Mark and Angela Walley follow photographer Sarah Sudhoff as she works on her series titled At the Hour of Our Death. In the series Sudhoff creates large-scale color photographs of stained fabrics from trauma scenes and discusses the invisibility of death in our culture. Learn more about the artist at SarahSudhoff.com. Learn more about the filmmakers at WalleyFilms.com.
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It's interesting how death is mostly casted away in the United States, yet in Mexico for instance, death is something which is strongly cherished and celebrated. I'm fond of that mentality of embracing death and seeing the beauty within it.
Thanks for sharing. We completely agree with your mentality. Working with Sarah on this project really helped us see death from a different perspective. Her work is very important for that reason. Thanks again.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Thanks so much! Hows it going with your feature?
i loved it.
you guys are so f**king talented...
Sorry we missed you this year in Dallas. Thanks so much for your support. How are things going over there?
BUSY...ever since i premiered my feature, things have been 100 mi/hr....constantly....but it's a good thing!
Online and in the exhibition of Sudhoff's work she shares the age, sex and how the person died. That is all the information she is given and she passes that on to the viewer. They all share one thing in common, they died alone, which is why she feels it's even more important to honor their passing.
It's like Christmas when I see an email announcing a new project from you guys. :)
You continue to be an inspiration, thank you for including me.
Thanks as always for your support. We're always so glad to hear your comments on our work.
What a master piece!
I received the link to this video from you guys in my channel's shout box to feature it over there..
I ususally feature the very best videos on the x-hundredth addition to the channel, and this is so beautiful I can not decide if I can make it wait to the 500th video feature or post it right away....
I'll do it right away, nobody should wait for this...
Thanks for your comment.
I wonder what the family members would say if they recognized the material and the age/sex/cause of death in the photo?
On a side note I find it interesting that she wore bio hazard gown, gloves, respirator and face mask but had bare legs and sandals on...
Thank you for your post.
Regarding my attire I'm mainly protecting myself from blood flakes. Also while digging through boxes I might encounter a sharp edge and try to prevent getting any scratches. The clean up crew I worked with was very cautious with the material I worked with. I was never allowed to photograph a scene only what was brought back in boxes. Therefore minimal protective gear was needed. Not to mention the boxes are in a warehouse with no a/c. Its typically over a 100 degrees inside.
Regarding my photographs...I think all art albeit music, painting, poetry is an artist exploring their world around them through the medium which is best suited for the project and the artist. For me this happens to be a camera. I was trained as a photojournalist. I once heard a beautiful quote "Photographers are like flashlights, they bring light to the darkness". I often think about this when I'm working on subjects such as 'At the Hour of our Death'. I certainly realize the work is not for everyone and that people might be offended. However I have not posted the names of the victims nor have them in my records. I feel this series is close to photographing war or some other tragedy. No one would know this was happening without a photographer being the witness. We know everyday that people die however we rarely see photos of this. I often wonder why??? Maybe if people were reminded in a more visual way the fragility of life, people might slow down, take better care of themselves, choose a different career etc.
The project is not the answer to a specific question. However I do hope it raises questions about our behavior and reaction towards death. And how frightened we are to be reminded of it.
I just love this bold step you took with this amazing footage! Yesterday, I learned that my cousin passed away and unfortunately, I will not be able to attend his funeral. I was devastated when I received the news...we were close relatives up until we were teenagers. Up until the moment he moved away. For the first time in about 5 years I was going to see him again in December. Now I will not even get the chance to say goodbye. And all I hear is "don't cry:, "don't let yourself get depressed" but, I just want to know whats so wrong with crying? What is so wrong with taking the time to remember my cousin? :(
This video definitely helped me get through today as these thoughts raced through my head. I would like to thank you for sharing Sarah's enlightening perspective. I hope other people accept death as a natural part of their lives. I hope they don't let time take the only memories they have left of the people they have lost. I know will share this with my followers on Tumblr. Thanks again.
We read your blog just before this comment. Thank you so very much for sharing your situation with us. We understand how difficult it can be and we encourage you to take all the time you need to think about and mourn the loss of your cousin. We're very glad to hear that Sarah's work has helped you deal with your loss. Thank you so much for sharing our work with others. XO.
Very emotional video. The Photos and the video show the repect to all those people passed away.
Those little marks may never noticed by anyone, but you make it done and it realy means something!
+like! Love this video!
Well done and keep going! :)
Thanks so much for your feedback. It means so much to us to have you and others share their experiences with us.
Your words were a huge aid to understanding,your personal experiences and how as a photographer the visual element tells such a telling story (of beauty and form) that you are able to isolate and present.
This was a fine film and I really thank you for it.
I'm going to the Sheffield Documentary Festival in England next week and I'll be surprised if I see something as good as this there.
I hope you are planning on disseminating this far and wide and have some success with it because you deserve to.
Really inspiring work. How did you find Sarah? What beautiful work she produces and what a moving story as well.
I'm normally very cynical of films on the front page of Vimeo but this was very much deserving.
Incidentally which camera/lenses did you film on, beautiful look and grade.
Well done and I look forward to seeing the next film!
We appreciate all your feedback more than we can express. We are currently working on a new documentary with artist Vincent Valdez which may be our first step toward a longer length film. Sarah was our photography professor and friend before we made the film. We have an amazing art community here in San Antonio that has been an incredible resource for subject material. We shot on a Canon XH-A1 and T2i with 50mm f1.4, 85mm f2.0 and 24mm f2.8 Nikon lenses. Thanks.
I think you definitely have an amazing resource, especially when I think what I could make films in my local area, falling down buildings and angry london commuters. Actually sounds quite good if I think about it!
My fiancee Nell just watched this and loved it too. We both think this would do brilliantly at festivals!
Thanks
Dave
Thank you very much for sharing with us. We appreciate your comment.
I wouldn't ask an artist to do something conventional, because the profession doesn't respect that. And while I do appreciate originality and fresh ideas, I couldn't feel a natural respect for this work.
Despite my previous comments, I do respect anyone that persists as much as you did to get what you wanted. I can imagine you were faced with some very opposing forces to get these shots, and for that I can say, well done.
I was lucky enough to be in the vicinity to give him a final sendoff but many of his closest friends back in Singapore did not have the chance to do so. It was heart wrenching to know that people that mattered to him most suddenly found an empty void in their lives. It was like erasing him off physically from their lives and the next time they could be with him again was just memories and photos of him. A time shared with a large crowd.
That I think is the hardest part when we all lose someone special.
Thank you for sharing.
I'd like to share a thought: I wonder if this is how anyone would want to be remembered? I believe in a person's death is an opportunity to celebrate their life. I'm curious how you see that happening in these pictures (genuine question, not a critique)? OR perhaps thats not the point at all. Perhaps what these photos do is help people surface feelings they have always suppressed who have dealt w/ a death through a trauma of someone they loved. Your right, Death is natural, but not all death happens through a trauma. This series left me confused as to what was the point. Was it to help me cope w/ a tragic death of a loved one or to encourage me to celebrate death like we celebrate birth? I feel like if you focused on one or the other it could be even more impacting then it already is (and its very impacting!).
I do think this should be explored in the work of an artist & I appreciate you stepping out and being vulnerable.
Thank you for commenting. We believe these photos allow the viewer to see and accept death as a potentially beautiful/natural thing, so instead of fearing it we can celebrate it. Many people experience death as an invisible force that makes their loved one vanish, but by focusing on that moment between live and death these photographs may help people cope with that loss. It might also give people the opportunity to think about how they will cope with the loss of a loved one in the future. We agree that not all death ends in trauma, but the artist is dealing with a specific incident she experienced as a teenager. We don't believe that coping and celebrating are mutually exclusive. There are several points in the film because we didn't want to simplify her work and edit her down to a single statement. We're glad that this film intrigued you enough to comment.
Beautifully filmed...
Congrats!