‘Presence of Absence’ explores death and connection with unexpected joy

Arts and crafts have always been part of Barakett's life. When she's at home in Greenwich, Connecticut, she and her two sisters often trek to Michael's for supplies and then spend hours creating artwork together. At Brown, dorm room crafts have also been a way for her to enjoy time with friends.

"Art has been a really helpful tool in processing and exploring and coming together in community," Barakett said.

And "Presence of Absence" is a communal project, meant to encompass those experiencing loss in any sense.

Barakett created stamps that were inspired not only by the loss of her brother Lincoln - nicknamed Link - but also by the birth of her brother Bond three years ago. She said her father and stepmother chose their youngest child's name to represent the connection between their two sons - Link and Bond.

"There are these two brothers who will never be able to meet each other," Barakett said. "I wanted to make something in response to that."

The stamps she designed for the project feature negative and positive versions of simple figures: in one, the figure is cut out; in the other, the background is removed.

"I played with the idea of having one form be physically absent and the other being present," she explained.

Barakett secured a grant for a workshop and exhibition through the Brown Arts Institute with help from BAI fellow Christina Young, who is a master's degree student in public humanities.

Using the stamps she'd created and with a brief how-to lesson, Barakett held a walk-in workshop in April during which anyone from the community was invited to stop by and stamp on a 55-foot scroll of paper.

Some people stayed for a few minutes, others for hours. Barakett observed that for many students, contributing to the mural was a fun and therapeutic pause in their day. Others, she said, connected deeply with her expressions of grief.