Julie Barratt is a printmaker from the northern NSW region of Australia. She is best known for her exhibition concerning grief, The Hankie Project, which investigated the way in which certain objects, specifically handkerchiefs, contain memories of the deceased. 160 handkerchiefs from 12 countries were contributed by artists affected by death, each handkerchief altered to reflect the story of the individual. The handkerchiefs were then pinned to a gallery wall, challenging the silence surrounding grief while celebrating the life of the deceased.

Barratt’s artist book The Mourning After contains scanned images, text and material from The Hankie Project. The hand-stitched pages reveal narratives from individual handkerchiefs, whilst each page is neatly pierced by hundreds of pins in order to symbolise the elusive and painful quality of grief.

This sound composition uses modified recordings of pins slowly dropping onto a plate in Barratt’s studio. The pins were then inserted into the pages of The Mourning After.

To view more about Barratt’s work please visit this site.