Gareth Phillips, U.K.

Existence

The last moments of life are often associated with emotional memories and feelings that are experienced whilst in the physical world. But what do we leave in the aftermath of our demise? What do we experience leading up to the finality of death? What is left of our presence?

These images document a presence that is experienced within the latter stages of life -- A physical presence showing the body dying, skin that is wrinkled and aged, the mind noticeably concerned and fearful of its next impending journey. All these attributes make up the physical presence observed. But what about the spiritual presence? Could this be observed? The shapes and contours that have been molded into bed sheets, the movements within hospital and partition curtains, the lights that illuminate hospice wards and corridors, all invoke a spiritual accompaniment to the physical journey that is under taken at the latter stages of life.

These Images were produced at the Marie Curie Terminal Care Hospice located in Penarth, South Wales. They have been left purposely ambiguous, with the intention of stimulating the viewers’ imagination into deciding what it sees. My aim is to provoke thought into the situation faced at the latter stages of life, whilst giving the viewer the opportunity to consider how these thoughts and interpretations might impact on their own existence.