Brileigh Hardcastle

My dad once told me that when he dies, he wants his remains stored in one of the plastic fillable peanut containers we would get from the grocery store and have me, and my two sisters toss the ashes into a lake while we’re travelling in a speedboat at max speed. For the majority, people want themselves and their loved ones interned in a more traditional setting; either an urn or underground, typically in a field alongside family and friends. Unfortunately, this cannot be the case for everyone with a world that is exponentially growing when the supply and demand for land is also increasing.

Buried in Plain Sight focuses on the daily disruptions that cemetery spaces are confronted with as new builds rise up around plots. Depending on the layout and land surrounding a memorial, a visitor can be left in peace, hearing only the wind blow past trees or birds soaring above, others in less lavish cemeteries may feel displaced by the every day sounds of a bustling city; from cars and cyclists whizzing past, or even just acknowledging the backdrop of an apartment complex. As time goes by, some graveyards may be deemed insignificant, with only a few headstones remaining and an empty lot where church once stood. The images invite the viewer to consider how we dictate the act of preservation and maintenance for only certain cemeteries, and asks what can be said about how these spaces may hide in plain sight to one person, yet remain significant to another.