About The Mask
After a long battle with prostate cancer, James Stoddart McCartney, 85, died at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in brighton on August 22, 2008. The loss of Jamie's father was very emotionally challenging for him, and the decision to proceed with the project was only reached after much soul-searching.
Jamie made a cast of his father's face following his death to raise money for the prostate cancer charity, Everyman. The work explores the relationship with Jamie's father, along with his feelings towards death and the living. The Death Mask was cast in jet-black bitumen and placed on a while pillow. The presentation is meant to be reminiscent of ancient tomb sculpture death masks, but with a more graphic representation.
