Gold: Deathwork
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.
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Michael Morton, 67, lays in bed getting his ears cleared from impacted earwax with hydrogen peroxide by registered nurse Bianca Palmozano February 6, 2025 in Northwest Washington, D.C. A lifelong resident of the District, Michael worked in construction until he contracted HIV/AIDS leading him to stay at Joseph’s House. The hospice home, first formed in the 1990s for homeless men with HIV/AIDS, now serves all genders, those with terminal cancer and has shifted to primary act as respite care. "Well, I said my prayers and everything when I found out I had HIV. Made my peace with God and everything. And I don't worry about it. I go day by day living. Living day by day. I pray. I pray every night. Get up in the morning and pray. And then go ahead about my day. It don't stop me."
