News
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Cemeteries could be places where we can all find some rest and peace – The Age
DeathTech team member Samuel Holleran spoke to Maeve McGregor about how a new cemetery at Harkness, Melbourne's largest new cemetery development in a century, could double as a recreational site: There’s a growing recognition that what cemeteries can deliver best are things that planners are often looking for elsewhere: walk-ability and urban green space. Read the full story here.
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Art, Death & Disposal exhibition (POSTPONED)
How might disposal of the deceased be designed in the 21st century? Imagining beyond burial and cremation – in a world of rapid social, technological and environmental change – seven artists respond to this question, presenting moving and provocative new work. Catherine Bell https://suttongallery.com.au/artists/catherine-bell/Chantelle Mitchell and Jaxon Waterhouse https://ecologicalgyretheory.com/Eric Jong https://www.ericjong.com.au/Farnaz Dadfar https://farnazdadfar.com/Georgia Banks https://www.georgiabanks.info/Laura Woodward https://www.laurawoodward.com.au/ In collaboration with DeathTech Research Team, …
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Our cemeteries are filling up. Is reusing grave sites the answer?
DeathTech Team member Dr Hannah Gould recently talked to ABC News Sunday Extra about the problem of capacity facing Australia's cemeteries today and in to the future, and how we might solve it by adopting the international practice of reusing graves. Read the full story here.
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Images of mass burial and cremation: Sam Holleran on Eastside FM
Samuel Holleran spoke to Conor Burke about how images of mass burial and cremation around the world became symbolic of the losses suffered during Covid-19: loss of life, loss of individuality and loss of ritual normally associated with a 'good death'. Broadcast on Sydney's Eastside Radio 89.7 FM on Sunday 30th May. Listen here.
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Artist Meets Expert: Death Tech at the Wheeler Centre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoD82DYZiMQ Professor Michael Arnold spoke with musician and artist Sui Zhen at The Wheeler Centre on 28th April. The event was part of Melbourne Knowledge Week. Event description: Given enough data, can AI recreate the essence of a human consciousness? In this conversation, avant-pop musician and artist Sui Zhen – creator of the Melbourne Knowledge Week performance Losing, Linda – joins Professor Michael …
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Art, Memory, Place: The Role of Public Art in the Future Cemetery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgoIlLTwPso In March 2021, Samuel Holleran participated in a panel discussion for MPavilion about cemeteries and the role of public art in memorial spaces. The event was co-organised with the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, and the recording is now available to watch on YouTube. Participants: Dr Amy Spiers, Claire Martin, Samuel Holleran, Hamish Coates and Katrina Simon Event description: Contemporary cemeteries are moving towards …
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Who will deal with your online presence when you die? How to create a ‘digital will’
DeathTech research collaborator Dr Emily van der Nagel spoke to the Guardian recently about preparing a "digital will" and organising your digital legacy. From the article: Dr Emily van der Nagel from Monash University says that people should spend some time planning for how their online accounts and identities will be managed after they die. At a basic level, she says people should …
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Burial ground zero: the crisis facing Sydney’s cemeteries
Dr Hannah Gould spoke to the Guardian about the crisis of space affecting Sydney's cemeteries. From the article: Gould compares the situation to climate change. “It’s a slow moving crisis, and it’s hard to communicate exactly why it’s a problem … until all of a sudden we’ve got a situation where it’s here.” Culturally, socially and physically “people are being pushed further and …
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Mass Graves and Unmarked Coffins: Mike Arnold on the Disaster & Change podcast series
Professor Mike Arnold discusses his research on the intersections between death, technology and society, in this final episode of the SHAPS Forum ‘Disaster & Change’ podcast series, hosted by Dr Henry Reese. Listen on the player below or on your favourite podcast platform. A full transcript of the episode is available on the SHAPS Forum website.
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The disruption and regeneration of death during the Covid-19 pandemic
Call for Papers: Special Issue for Anthropology Quarterly Anthropology has long framed death as a crisis, both within an individual’s life trajectory and for the existential continuity of the community. In the tradition of scholarship following Hertz (1960), mortuary and funerary rituals are framed as a site of collective action mounted in response to crisis. They are transformative and curative in their …
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Art, Death and Disposal: artist open call announcement
DeathTech’s open call to artists received 34 innovative and thoughtful proposals - thank you to all of those who so generously responded to the call. We are excited to announce the following artists have been commissioned from the shortlist, and the team is looking forward to working with all: Georgia Banks https://www.georgiabanks.info/work Catherine Bell https://suttongallery.com.au/artists/catherine-bell/ Farnaz Dadfar https://farnazdadfar.com Eric Jong http://www.ericjong.com.au/art Chantelle Mitchell and Jaxon Waterhouse https://ecologicalgyretheory.com/About Laura …
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Mystifying Melbourne: Anthropologist Dr Hannah Gould On The DeathTech Research of bringing new life to Cemeteries
Aisha from RRR Radio chats with Melbourne University anthropologist Dr Hannah Gould about the DeathTech research of bringing new life to cemeteries. They discuss augmented realities, QR codes on gravestones, and eco-friendly burials. Listen to the full programme here
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Digging Deep into Death Technology on Studio 10
Dr Hannah Gould spoke to Studio 10 about new and emerging alternatives to burial and cremation. "Let's talk about death!" Digging Deep Into Death Technology - Hannah Gould - Studio 10Download The segment aired on Wednesday the 21st of October. Watch it on 10play.com.au or Facebook.
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The Future Cemetery: Release of the first annual Survey and Workshop Reports
The DeathTech team are pleased to present two new reports from our Future Cemetery Research Project. This project is funded by The Australian Research Council (LP180100757) with the support of our Linkage Partners, The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT). The Future Cemetery project aims to identify and critically assess the potential of innovative technologies to enhance the public’s experience of …
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A fertile time for death disruptors: ‘People are finding meaning in these new rituals’
A new article in The Guardian looks at the new players and new practices in death care that have attained greater prominence under the restrictions of Covid-19. DeathTech team member Samuel Holleran provides an explanation of some of these "death disruptors": They're coming into a locked-in industry that has all sorts of received traditions that go back to before the second world …
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How technology is changing the way we grieve
This week, several members of the DeathTech Research Team were featured in the ABC Radio National programme, God Forbid. Listen here. Is it possible to be biologically dead, but socially alive? What would that entail? On God Forbid, James and panel find out more about the digital afterlife. In this episode: Ever logged into Facebook and received a notification about someone – …