Lindsay Ellis on Death, Personified
Critic, author and video essayist Lindsay Ellis offers a survey of the many personifications of Death in Western art and culture.
Video
The Oscar Wilde Temple
Artist Peter McGough explains the Oscar Wilde Temple, a secular “celebration of the creative process through which experience is transformed into art and reality abstracted into revelation.” For more information on this project, please see the Oscar Wilde Temple website.
The River of Flowers: A Memorial Ritual in Christchurch, New Zealand
Inaugurated after the devastating 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people, injured between 1500-2000 more and decimated the city’s downtown district, the annual River of Flowers ceremony remains a positive and poignant memorial rite in the city of Christchurch.
A Pocket History of Tucson’s All Souls Procession
Established in 1990 and on hold (in its full form) until the abeyance of the COVID-19 crisis, Tucson’s All Souls Procession remains a grassroots community festival of memorial and celebration. This short video offers a glimpse back into its history.
“Like when a leaf falls from a tree”
Sometimes I think that death is like when a leaf falls from a tree. I look up and hear and see a rustling, colorful mass. But then one breaks free and for a glorious moment (who can say how long it may seem?) that leaf swirls catching light and casting shadows like it never has … Read more“Like when a leaf falls from a tree”
“Let’s Talk About Death”
A panel discussion between writer Will Self, philosopher Stephen Cave and Dr Joanna Cook, lecturer in Medical Anthropology, hosted by the Royal Society of Arts in 2014. Much attention is given to the practice of secular/non-theistic mortality and memorial ritual.
The Memory Garden at Eternal Home Cemetery (Colma, CA)
Still a work in progress but nearing completion, the Memory Garden at the Eternal Home Cemetery in Colma, California is designed as a ritual and memorial space for families mourning pre-natal loss. As described here, the Garden will feature: (…) a grassy green slope dotted with wide-set benches. Downhill would lead to a clearing, where … Read moreThe Memory Garden at Eternal Home Cemetery (Colma, CA)
Dear Guardians: A Burning Man Short Film (2014)
From the creator’s website: In 2011, I stood in the shadow of the Temple of Transition. I taped a photograph of my wife’s recently deceased father to the inside of an archway. I roamed her hallways, silent. I witnessed a beauty that brought me to my knees, as Mike Ventimiglia writes: “I don’t know if I’ve … Read moreDear Guardians: A Burning Man Short Film (2014)