This week’s ARTivism Speaker Series explored the idea of becoming more comfortable with death, through a Death Café. I was at first perplexed by the idea of this, but by taking part in the conversation I came to realize the fact that these conversations about death itself are scarce in my daily life and we often do not approach this topic because we tend to avoid the subject altogether.
The speaker series began with an introduction by Eliza Chandler and Esther Ignagni, authors of Strange beauty: Aesthetic possibilities for desiring disability into the future. Eliza explained the origin of the Death Café, by Swiss sociologist and anthropologist Bernard Crettaz in 2004 and how it has rapidly branched off into multiple countries and workplaces in the past several years. Esther explained the importance and significance of the Death Café and why it is taboo to talk openly about death itself. She went on to explain an extension of what was written in the paper, exploring what medically assisted death meant to disability activists and how it catalyzed the idea that “disability as a life not worth living”. I found this quote most interesting in the reading, and it was a perspective on the legislation that I never would have thought of otherwise. I thought deeply about my everyday lifestyle and how easily and comfortably I am able to move through spaces in Toronto and in contrast how difficult it may be for people with disabilities to move around in inaccessible areas and events. I feel as though I was given a new lens to view a different perspective to look through daily life with.
We then branched off into the Death Café itself, discussing within groups on the various questions that were given to us as prompts. The questions included:
When did you first become aware of death?
How are you planning your death?
What are the aesthetics associated with death and dying?
What dilemmas do we face in representing death and dying?
One of the most interesting questions discussed upon in my group was “What do you think happens after you die?” In my personal case, growing up in a nonreligious household the concept of an afterlife was never spoken of. I believe that this life is the only life in some way and that one must do what they can in this life because the road ends here. Others talked about their belief in the afterlife and how actions in the present can affect the afterlife. We mutually all agreed on the belief of karma, and positive energies and work that we project to those who surround as individuals are one of the best things we can do as humans to live a fulfilled life. I’ve never openly discussed the topic of death like this before in my life, and I hope to bring this experience with me in the future with my friends and family so we all become more comfortable about death and living.