In the United States today, death is taboo. Despite its ever impending nature, this stage of life has become something hidden, with longer life spans and a shift away from aging in place; there is more distance from death than ever before. However, for some, staring into the eyes of mortality is a daily reality. From remembering those who have passed on, those in their final phases of life or those working in the industries that intersect and are formed around death, “Deathwork” engages with the labor of these practices, seeking to stop and confront this inevitability through the eyes of those who constantly do.
Harrietta Fields cries in an embrace after releasing doves for her sister, Linda Fields-Saifi's, funeral service February 1, 2025 in Alexandria, Virginia. Linda was described as the life of the party and a joy to all around her, with one of her nephews describing the first time he saw her dance and having never seen a "big-boned woman move that fast."












