Gabriella Gould explores how rituals help us navigate grief
What happens when you experience loss for the first time? And how do you make sense of what remains? In her graduation film Lorg, Animation Design student Gabriella Gould explores how different cultures approach grief. Through animation, she brings together rituals, religions and cultural traditions in a short film.
'For me, grief is more than just an emotion, a feeling or an event,' Gabriella says. 'It is a world where we as human beings can find a sense of community together.'
This idea forms the starting point of Lorg. In the film, a young girl discovers her cat dead on the carpet. What follows is a journey through an absurd and symbolic world. Through rituals, she learns to navigate her grief and slowly come to terms with what has happened.
A journey through different cultures
For her graduation project, Gabriella immersed herself in different ways of dealing with loss. She explored traditions including Buddhism and Orthodox Christianity.
'That is why I focus on religions and cultures such as Buddhism and Orthodoxy to explore the concept of letting go,' she explains. 'On one hand, the film goes deep into Buddhism, but on the other, it also looks at the inability to let go of Orthodox icons.'
It is precisely this contrast that fascinates her. 'It reflects everything we have created as human beings to understand the world and to find ways of letting go of our emotions.'
The imprint someone leaves behind
The film’s title comes from Irish Gaelic philosophy. Lorg refers to an imprint or stain left behind by someone who has passed away.
For Gabriella, the word captures the essence of the film: not only loss itself, but also what remains after someone or something is gone.
A different perspective on animation
With her graduation film, Gabriella hopes to do more than tell a story about grief. She also wants audiences to discover cultural perspectives they may not have encountered before.
'I hope people learn something about other cultures and see something they didn’t know before.'
She also hopes to broaden people's understanding of animation as an art form. 'I hope they come away with a different view of what animation can be.'
Above all, she hopes the film encourages personal reflection. 'Maybe people will think about whether they want to run away from grief. Or what their own first encounter with grief was like.'
ArtEZ finals
From 2 to 5 July, you can experience Gabriella’s work during the ArtEZ finals exhibition in Zwolle.
ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design Zwolle
Rhijnvis Feithlaan 50
8021 AM Zwolle
