The work: Cara-Ann Simpson, scuto protectoris nostri coronati (nam Eddie) [crowned with the shield of our protector (for Eddie)], 2022. Pigment print, 76 x 76cm. Courtesy: the artist.
Combining the potent symbolism of foliage with her unique approach to sensory art, multidisciplinary artist Cara-Ann Simpson’s work scuto protectoris nostri coronati (nam Eddie) is a touching eulogy to a lost friend. “Here, in this murky mire I linger between grief, remembrance, and a changed future,” says the artist, who chooses to focus on the beauty of a life well lived and the indelible connection between us and those we love, even in death. At the centre of the work rests a large botanical wreath, assembled from the leaves of an ironbark, a tree with connotations of willpower and strength. The form of the wreath or circlet evokes classical imagery associated with power, peace, and triumph over adversity. These linkages denote an optimistic approach to mourning and serve to transform the artist’s personal grief into something transcendent of the individual. The artist has included the title of the piece within the work, using the latin script in the form of a spectrograph. The pulsing rays surrounding the wreath are spoken words, their volume and frequency distilled into an ebb and flow of light. By investing her work with a wealth of profound metaphors Simpson does justice to her own loss and the universal experience of longing for those departed.