Heartbreak Object: Wedding Bands

We like to pretend we can have a person forever. We are fallible creatures who grow and change, and eventually cease to exist.

I was given these wedding bands as a generous contribution to my project Investigations of Heartbreak and Grief. Wedding bands are culturally one of the biggest signifiers of commitment and often that’s what we think of when “heartbreak” comes up: a relationship.

Often the heartbreak objects I receive are from people who were in turbulent or abusive relationships or grieving a loss. In this case, it was a relationship that was good, until it wasn’t anymore. Slowly growing apart, slowly splitting apart. People change, and not always together. Not having a reason or anything to blame can be difficult, there is nothing to focus on, no one to blame.

Growing Together/Growing Apart, 2017. Cotton, Wedding Bands