Dearly Departed

Dearly Departed is a fascinating free exhibition featuring the often-taboo subjects of death and dying at State Library of Queensland from 14 March to 23 August.

The exhibition examines how Queenslanders talk about and experience death, in both public and private realms, asking the question ‘what is a good death?’.

Through historical records, contemporary stories and immersive artistic experiences, the exhibition explores Queensland’s religious and spiritual diversity, funerary traditions, palliative care and capital punishment from the mid-1800s to today. It reveals the deeply personal impacts of collective events such as pandemics, epidemics, wars and tragedies.

The traditions and practices of Queensland’s culturally diverse communities are explored, offering insights into how communities around the world honour and mourn their loved ones, shaping vastly different understandings of life’s last chapter.

As a memory institution and one of the state’s leading cultural organisations, State Library will draw on its immense collections of objects and stories to examine the social, cultural, spiritual and historical forces that have shaped Queenslander’s experiences of death and dying through Dearly Departed: death in life.

Highlights include:

• Rare historical collection items: sympathy cards and letters, mourning garments and jewellery and undertakers’ ledgers and diaries
• Death Records: pathways into people’s lives: death records reveal much about the lives of your ancestors, discover ways to resolve inconsistent or incomplete information.
• Music beyond the grave: Queensland's first band master, Professor Andrew Seal, communicated a piece of music to his daughter Pauline during a seance in 1911. The score has been brought to life by a Queensland jazz musician.

• Sound art installation Untitled (Death Song) by multidisciplinary Quandamooka artist Megan Cope
• Death Cafe (facilitated event): a welcoming, informal space for open conversation about death, dying and mortality - over a cup of tea or coffee. Following an internationally recognised model, this session brings people together in small groups to talk, listen and reflect.
• Digital Legacy: what is your digital afterlife?: panel discussion and practical workshops to help in managing social media, cloud accounts, and digital assets after death.

*State Library of Queensland is open 12-5pm Anzac Day and closed Good Friday, Christmas Day & Boxing Day.

State Library of Queensland is a valued partner of Must Do Brisbane.com

Image credits/captions:

1.Clifton Family Photographs (0001-0110) Ca. 1900.  Accession number: 31582.  John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

2. Several headstones on display outside J. McCulloch's Monumental Works, Warwick 1911. Warwick and District Glass Plate Negatives. Accession number: 27814. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

3. J. Hislop undertakers premises, with a hearse drawn by horses in ceremonial regalia and accompanied by the driver, Brisbane ca. 1895. John Hislop Funeral Hearses and Premises Photographs. Accession number: 29789. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

4. Mourning ring ca. 1902 – 1914. Goldsmith Bros. Accession number: 34515. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

5. Roma Cemetery at sunset 2018. Tegan Neilsen & Helen Bougoure. Image number: 33286-0023-0014. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.