Tomorrow Never Came (2018)
Tomorrow Never Came explores the unexpected passing of my Grandfather James (Jimmy) Angus, in aged care, in November 2017. His passing took a massive toll on my family and the uncertainty surrounding his death affected me deeply. Due to my closeness with my Grandfather, I thought that his passing was something I would never be able to cope with. Though his absence has been difficult, creating a body of work exploring his death, and the struggles that come with losing a loved one, have proven challenging for me to explore, I have found catharsis within my studio process and the strength that it took to explore such a personal struggle. Unfortunately, sometimes throughout the year, I would go the other way, and experience feelings of depression and anxiety as a result of this. However, seeing the finished product of a year’s worth of hard work I couldn’t be more proud, and I’m sure my Pa would be of me too. Throughout my series, I have put my blood, sweat, and tears into creating a body of work that I believe accomplishes what I had set out to do in my exploration proposal which was, “to honour my Grandfather James Angus's life, to express my hardships and frustration surrounding his passing, and to explore the grief and memory I have of him.” The result of this year-long exploration is Tomorrow Never Came, all shot on film which explores the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of my Grandfathers passing, from the afternoon that was going to be the last time I would spend with him, to having to sell his house and throw away his belongings. Tomorrow Never Came explores the profound effect death and loss has had on my family and the fragility of life.