Haley Bassett

"To rest" is a continuation of my inquiry into personal histories and past traumas. The cow skull, a recurring motif in my work, is a reference to my upbringing on a cattle ranch in northeastern BC. I also draw upon my experience as a florist, using the Victorian tradition of floriography, or the language of flowers, to create this work.

A shroud of dried hydrangeas, which means “heartless” in floriography, is draped over a broken cow skull, invoking the tradition of laying flowers on a grave. The shroud is painstakingly adhered together, representing the delicate process of confronting one’s trauma in order to put it to rest.