“Dead Normal” is the new exhibition at the Grosvenor Museum which explores the universal concept of Death. The exhibition explores the ways different cultures and communities have tried to make sense of the end of life, mourned their loved ones and chosen to remember then. Using items from the museum’s own collection and loans from other organisations , Dead Normal is a stark, appealingly morbid antidote to the festive period which could only be enhanced by a looping Smiths soundtrack.
Greeted by a wall mounted modern coffin on arrival, the exhibition makes you ponder the fleeting nature of existence and shows you a range of Egyptian burial relics and amulets alongside relics from closer to home. You will learn about Victorian mourning periods, the history of Overleigh cemetery (it used to have a lake) , how death has been portrayed in the media, and the changing of memorial practices over the years.
As I left the exhibition gallery, the slow but eternal march of Time stirring me on, all the talk of death actually made me feel more alive. Because what’s a greater motivation to do something than the knowledge that someday, all of this will end?
Well worth checking out, if only for the juxtaposition of an Egyptian mummy’s hand and a Chester FC “themed” funeral casket, Dead Normal runs until 22nd April 2019.
The Chester blog 