8.8 Chapter Assignment

Grief & Loss & Bereavement Assignment

As you learned in this chapter, although there is a tendency to think of experiences of loss and grief as associated with the death of a loved one or someone we cared for or admired, we experience many other forms of grief and loss in our lives. This chapter’s assignment is to create a memory object tied to someone or something you have lost during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It can be any kind of loss you have experienced. It can be the loss of a person you love due to death or other reasons (relocation, end of relationship, disagreement, etc.); loss of connections with people; loss of something you did; loss of parts of your identity; loss of a job; loss of a habit you had; the loss of experiences, etc.

According to artist Alinah Azadeh, when we create memory objects, we “use our hearts, hands, and minds to create small objects that help us to both separate from and honour the things we choose to make our memory objects about” (Craftspace, n.d.). The goal of this creative exercise is to celebrate who/what was lost or those things that we miss, through the process of binding and wrapping of symbolic objects. It is important to complete all chapter materials (chapter content, including all embedded links to readings and videos, and the required course materials) prior to starting the assignment.

VIDEO: Craft in Common: Loss – Wrapping an Object as a Symbol of Loss

Steps to Completing the Assignment

1. Watch the video above (Craftspace. (n.d.). Craft in Common with artist Alinah Azadeh [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/433631731)
2. Identify a loss you have had and a symbolic object to wrap, that you wish to use for this assignment.
3. Gather a piece of fabric and a length of material (e.g., rope, yarn, strip of fabric, etc.) that can be used to bind, as detailed in the video. You can use pieces of fabric or clothing that are personal to you and/or tied to the loss or that you have around your house. You can also go to a local craft or fabric store to find materials that speak to your needs.
4. Decide if you wish to complete this exercise on your own, with other people you know, and/or others in this course.
5. Follow Alinah Azadeh’s instructions in the video to create your memory object.
6. Take 2-3 photographs of your completed object that show it from various perspectives, to submit with your assignment.
7. Write a 500-750 word reflection piece about your experience completing this assignment. Be sure to identify what type of loss you created the memory object for; what object you wrapped; why you chose the object to wrap; what the process of creating a memory object was like for you, how completing it made you feel, etc.

Assignment Submissions must Include

1. A proper APA style cover page.
2. A reflection paper.
3. Two-three images of your memory object.

Click this link to view images of Alinah Azadeh’s art installation The Gift.