Photographic series by Rebecka Pershagen and Robert Mosbach.
A few years ago I went through a very traumatic separation in my life. At that same time
I listened a lot to Wagner's operas, and when I saw a documentary about him I learned about his wife Cosima for the first time.
When I heard about how she had been sitting with his dead body for three days after he died of a heart attack in their home in Venice in 1883, and how she had refused to let anyone else into the room, I became fascinated.
I began to think of separation as a form of death, and vice versa. Despite obvious differences in circumstances, I saw similarities between our life situations. We had both suffered an event where our beloveds decision to leave us was irreversible. We both went through stages of severe shock and sorrow, caused by lost love. To explore how her memories and experiences intertwined with mine is the essence of the piece.
To give the piece the authenticity I always strive for in my autobiographical work, the dead Richard Wagner is played by the man who left me. It was the first time we were in the same room for many years. The photographer is my current partner.
