The Bouquet Project

Intention:

Artist/Grief Counsellor Ian McCartor to work with individuals who have suffered loss and hold the cremation ashes of loved ones.

Incorporating cremation ashes as an art medium, Ian will create art pieces representing flowers that symbolize the transcendence of the subject's loved one as well as their own personal growth through loss.

The goal is to express the transformational process of grief and healing facilitated by the symbolism of art.

Over the course of 12 months, 12 recipients will be invited from the community to participate.

Focal points of the process:

1. Commitment. Each person engaging in the process is exercising a commitment to growth and discovery. They are moving forward in their work of healing, reaching out and seeking connection.

2. Surrender. By action of giving the ashes of their loved one for the purpose of remembrance and transformation, they are practicing both physical and emotional surrender. Building a foundation of trust, they are participating in the hope of discovering something new and alive.

3. Nurturing growth. For each individual's project, there will be 30 days of waiting for their flower to be created. During this time they will be guided to journal, reflecting on the key things their loved one taught them. By the end of the 30 days, they will have identified a number of elements to embody presently in their loved one's honor.

4. Purpose. At the end of the 30 day period, they will receive the completed art piece. It will represent a symbolic bloom of what is now realized, and remain as a daily reminder of their reflections - a call to be a beacon of potential for others.

5. Connection. At the end of the 12 month program, each of the 12 participants will be invited to share their flower in a gallery setting, and have an opportunity to share their healing journey and the story of their loved one in a curated intimate public setting. In connecting with others who have done similar work, they will feel an increased sense of community, connecting back to life with a stronger sense of purpose and growth than they had before. 

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Closure

As a final art piece, each participant will be invited to donate a portion of the ashes to a collective bouquet that will incorporate each participants flower with their respective loved one's ashes.

The intention of this piece is to further symbolize the collective work of the participants, for it to be a welcoming icon to others on their grieving journeys. It will be shown in appropriate museums and gallery settings to carry on as a public statement of creative transcendence, promoting grief awareness and community.

The goal is to facilitate a stage of additional closure and celebrate each participants' impact in a bigger picture, emphasizing how their willing efforts go on to inspire others to grow.

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Please observe the gallery and testimonies below.

These people have previously participated in this process and would like to share their encouraging stories of growth through loss; their ever-growing blooms of  hope.