Lachrymose vessels are ancient Roman and Greek glass bottles, also called lacrimaria or tear catchers, that were once believed to have been used by mourners to collect tears. Excavation (Blinking Back) responds to these artefacts while also referring to biological lacrimal sacs, part of the tear drainage system that collects tears before they travel down into the nasal cavity. This work explores resilience and stoicism in times of crisis, including the requirement to internalise earthly sufferings and what this internalisation of suffering might mean for future generations.
