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The images aren’t pretty. With the eyes of the subjects closed, the photographs could be portraits of the sleeping. Black thread lacing up the skin across a naked chest suggests something else: these are photos of the dead, interspersed with images of the living.
The grief-stricken are captured on film. So are intimate moments, from the first moments after death occurs to celebrations when the departed are fondly remembered and their souls are encouraged to witness from beyond the love and devotion that lives on.
In all cases, the Bridgehampton photographer Bastienne Schmidt hopes the images portray something other than someone else’s nightmare. Her aim is to impart the beauty and poetry she witnessed when people gathered together and shared experiences after death’s arrival forever changed the lives of survivors.
By refusing to flinch and staying open to the rituals and ceremonies of the Day of the Dead in Latin cultures, Ms. Schmidt has uncovered a common humanity while showing how grief is experienced and the dead are celebrated by remembering.
Some of Ms. Schmidt’s visual discoveries are currently on view at the Mosquito Hawk Gallery on Shelter Island. “Vivir La Muerte: Photographs by Bastienne Schmidt” opened on October 24 and will remain on view through November 23. The exhibition takes the same name as a book by Ms. Schmidt published in 1996 by Edition Stemmle. Subtitled “Living with Death in Latin America,” the book offers a photographic narrative of Day of the Dead ceremonies.
For the unacquainted, the first thing to know about the Day of the Dead is that it doesn’t involve zombies, trick or treating or sexy costumes donned for parties. The Day of the Dead is the time when the souls of the departed are believed to be closest to the Earth. On this day (or days), the living gather to honor the dead and to affirm the continuation of life. By embracing death openly, it becomes an integral and accepted part of life.
The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Latin custom that can be traced back at least 3,000 years. Traditions differ, but they can include donning wooden skull masks and dancing in honor of deceased relatives, creating altars to the departed, eating sugar skulls, and leaving
ofrendas,
or offerings, to welcome the spirits of the deceased.
Celebrations can encompass spending the day and evening in the graveyard, decorating graves with flowers and candles, bringing toys for dead children and leaving pillows and blankets so the dead can rest after their journey. Dancing, music and picnicking are common and the atmosphere can be both joyous and sad, Ms. Schmidt said.
Far from macabre, the rituals and celebrations of the Day of the Dead give the living the chance to mourn. Death is made an accepted part of life’s experience and its burden is shared among family and community.
Ms. Schmidt said she found the rituals comforting after she decided to undertake the project following the death of her father—a loss she felt keenly. Caught in grief’s grip more than 20 years ago, the German native began researching how other cultures mark the passing of loved ones. Then 27 years old, Ms. Schmidt was captivated by the Day of the Dead celebrations.
“The people make their own rituals, which means it’s so much more personal than the traditions we have here,” Ms. Schmidt said. “They are celebrations of the person’s life and what the person liked. The rituals provide a way for people to grieve in a way that’s personal to them. Sadness and loss doesn’t get tucked away; it’s acknowledged.”
The Day of the Dead rituals transform death into a natural part of the human condition, Ms. Schmidt said. She saw kindergartners visiting the graves of children in a cemetery to mark the occasion. Introducing the idea of death is a matter of course in parts of some Latin American countries where death comes frequently for children and adults.
“Death is a known part of life from the time they are little,” she said. “They are not afraid of death. It’s a natural passing. Like it or not, it’s something we all will face.”
Ms. Schmidt’s photographs were taken over three years in six countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, Cuba, Peru and Colombia. The images were made with black and white film using a Rolleiflex. She selected the classic camera because its bi-focal lens has a silent shutter and wouldn’t intrude upon the intimate and sometimes dangerous moments she witnessed.
Photographs from “Vivir La Muerte” are in the collections of 14 museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. The images have been exhibited around the world. The book won the 1996 Kodak Book Award.
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