In Sickness and In Health
Colin Gray

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Colin Gray, 1996

This photograph features a blurry reflection of a woman in a small mirror. Notice the surrounding environment of the mirror isn't out of focus. Why do you think Colin Gray has chosen to make the portrait in this way? What do you think the blurriness of the person might represent? There are two images like this in the series – one of his mother Rene pictured here and other of his Father Ron.

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Colin Gray, 1996

This photograph features a blurry reflection of a man in a small mirror. Notice the surrounding environment of the mirror isn't out of focus. Why do you think Colin Gray has chosen to make the portrait in this way? What do you think the blurriness of the person might represent? There are two images like this in the series – one of his Father Ron pictured here and other of his Mother Rene.

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Colin Gray, 2000

Think about the distance between the people in the photograph and the photographer. How does the composition of the image help us understand how the photographer might be feeling at the time of taking this picture? Does he feel connected or disconnected?

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Colin Gray, 2003

This photograph features a pair of hands grasping an old photograph. The black background both isolates and accentuates the hands and old photo. Who do you think is in the old photograph? Who do you think is holding the old photograph?

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Colin Gray, 2001

Think about the framing colour and style of this photograph. How do these elements inform how you feel about the person in the picture? Is the person in the photograph suffering?

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Colin Gray, 2000

This image features an out of focus man sitting at a table. What does the light above the man's head remind you of or symbolise? What other objects could be seen as symbols in this photograph?

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Colin Gray, 2002

What do you notice about the composition of this photograph? Think about the angle of the image and where the photographer is. How do you think the person in the photograph is feeling?

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Colin Gray, 2004

This photograph features both of Colin Gray's parents Ron and Rene whilst Rene is in hospital. Think about the style of the photograph. Is it a documentary style image or a constructed narrative? How does the style of the photograph inform how we related to the people in the photograph?

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Colin Gray, 2005

This picture feature a lone man centre stage on an out door bandstand. What do you think he is doing? Why do you think he has been pictured on his own?

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Colin Gray, 2004

Memento Mori is a latin phrase meaning remember you will die. It is also the name of an artistic tradition, which varies in style and content but shares the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortality.

Colin Gray's series 'The Parents' was started in the 1980's and led to his project 'In Sickness and In Health'. This photograph shows Colin Gray's mother, Rene, at rest in her coffin. Colin has said that it was inevitable that the 'last image of the series would be his parents, either his mum or dad, in a coffin.' It is unusual to see photographs of people at rest after their death. Why do you think this is?

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Colin Gray, 2004

Styles of dress can give us clues about social occasions and an individual's identity. When might someone wear a formal suit and black tie? Why do you think Colin Gray might have decided to frame the image in this way? Why has the identity of the person been obscured? What clues to the person can you find? Think about gender and age.