-
The Revival of Chinese Funeral Customs
Professional mourners revive Chinese funeral customs with lively, ritual-based performancesThe ancient funeral rituals of China have been experiencing a popularity renaissance. In what is described by NPR as a “final, dramatic and tearful farewell,” the revived funeral rituals combine music, food and drink with an emotional performance by a “professional griever” to help the bereaved family obtain a sense of closure. The funeral rituals…
/
-
San Jose Teens Win State Prize for Suicide Prevention Video
High Schoolers Jessica Lamping and Joel Lopez want suicidal teens to know that they are not aloneIn 2009, there was an unprecedented amount of what ABC News calls a “cluster of [teen] suicides” in the affluent city of Palo Alto, California. The deaths occurred over an alarmingly brief six month period, with a total of four teens taking their own lives by jumping in front of a local commuter train. Today,…
/
-
Women in Business Building a Startup
I’ve learned a lot along my short path thus farLast month I was at a Death Cafe in Marin, surrounded by mostly Baby Boomers talking about death (if you are unfamiliar with Death Cafes, check out this past post). Yup, we were all just talking about death – imagine that, the movement has begun! There were 60 of us attending and it was a…
/
-
“The Dead”
A poem accepting the different views we have on death and the afterlifeToday, society finally allows for different points of view regarding death and the afterlife. Albert Laighton, a poet who lived during the mid-19th century, questions the different views people may have on death despite the fact that he lived during a very distant and less accepting time. His poem, “The Dead,” explores modern ideas while…
/
-
Design for Death: “I Wish to Be Rain” by Studio PSK
A design for a micro airship could transform humans into rain after they dieA recent Designboom competition titled “Design for Death” highlighted many innovative end-of-life creations, from a biodegradable coffin to a postmortem suit that encourages mushroom growth. Amongst the prize winners of the “Design for Death” competition was the London based Studio PSK. The designers envisioned “a micro airship that could transform humans into rain after they…
/
-
What is the Art of the Dying? (Interview)
The fabric and thread artist captures the journey of the dying processToday SevenPonds speaks with Deidre Scherer, a Vermont-based artist whose portraits capture the journey of others in the various stages of the dying process. Working with the mediums of fabric and thread, Deidre’s work is able to capture the simultaneous power and fragility of our last great adventure: dying. Currently, her collection The Last Year…
/
-
Forever Visible: Jeremy Bentham’s “Auto-Icon”
The philosopher’s wish to preserve and present his body after death was realized through his unique creationAs the founder of Utilitarianism, the British Jeremy Bentham is remembered for his integral contributions to the realm of philosophy. Bentham was born in Houndsditch, London on February 15th, 1748 to a wealthy family of Tory party supporters. He was always an engaged, curious child—by the age of three he began studying Latin and by…
/
-
“I Am Breathing”: A Man’s Battle Against Motor Neurone Disease
Morag McKinnon’s documentary follows the final months Neil Platt’s life with the radically degenerative, fatal illnessI Am Breathing (2013) is an intimate documentary on architect Neil Platt’s final year of living with motor neurone disease (MND). Platt’s friend and director Morag McKinnon started the project in 2008 with the hopes of chronicling Platt’s experience of living with the highly degenerative and “merciless” disease, which, “rapidly causes physical deterioration of…
/
Want an Easier Way to Plan a Memorial Event? Get our FREE guide
“7 Ways to Create an Amazing Celebration of Life”
