Jae Rhim Lee, known for her sustainable burial innovations, joins Katrina Spade, who specializes in redefining funeral practices. They explore the interplay of death and ecology, encouraging fresh perspectives on funerary rites. From the humorous complexities of burial to innovative methods like alkaline hydrolysis, the discussion highlights urban burial dilemmas and community rituals that nurture collective grief. Insights into the historical impacts on Indigenous practices reveal the deep connections between burial, culture, and the environment.
The speaker's preference for cremation reflects a holistic approach to death, emphasizing ecological connections and personal desires beyond traditional burial practices.
Mountain View Cemetery's transformation into a living space showcases the evolving role of urban landscapes in engaging with mortality and community healing rituals.
Deep dives
The Desire for Natural Return
The decision to be cremated is often motivated by a desire to return to nature, reflecting a peaceful acceptance of death. The speaker expresses a personal wish to merge with the natural world rather than remain confined in a traditional burial. This desire is exemplified by a preference for being spread in environments like the ocean, which is considered a final home linking humanity back to its origins. The speaker highlights a philosophical view that aligns personal death practices with a broader ecological perspective, suggesting that nature does not mandate the constraints of burial traditions.
Modern Funerary Practices
The conversation reveals the bureaucratic aspects of preparing for cremation, including the necessary paperwork to ensure legal compliance. Throughout the exploration, there's an emphasis on societal norms regarding how ashes can be handled, showcasing the tension between traditional practices and individual desires. Despite regulations that dictate where ashes can be scattered, there exists a tacit understanding that, ultimately, the ashes are in the control of loved ones once handed over. This reflects a shifting cultural landscape in which personal preferences increasingly influence funerary choices.
Cemetery Transformation in Vancouver
Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver symbolizes a shift in how urban spaces address mortality, having previously run out of burial space but now accepting new applicants. The cemetery manager discusses transformative initiatives to maintain relevance in the community, such as integrating gardens, pollinator habitats, and hosting events to encourage public engagement beyond mourning. This approach highlights a growing awareness of cemeteries as living spaces rather than mere resting places, encouraging citizens to foster connections with these landscapes. Additionally, the rising rate of cremation in the area signifies changing attitudes toward death and memorialization.
Rituals of Remembrance
The importance of community in processing grief is underscored through modern traditions like the Night for All Souls, an event organized to honor the dead in a shared, communal setting. This event provides an opportunity for people to connect and remember loved ones while participating in rituals that foster collective mourning. The curator emphasizes the significance of rituals in an increasingly secular society, proposing that lighting candles and gathering in the dark can be profoundly healing acts. This initiative illustrates how personal and cultural experiences surrounding death can shape modern commemoration practices, building a bridge between individual loss and community support.
Forever is a really long time. This episode is about death, and its transformative power on the landscape. It’s also the last episode of Season 1.
It may be trivial to remind you that death is an unavoidable part of life. However, death is an act that leaves ripples in life. Some may last for thousands of years.
You might expect us to talk about new sustainable burial technologies (See: Jae Rhim Lee & Katrina Spade), and honestly so did we. As we started working on it, we realized that we would rather let TED Talks handle that sort of thing. Instead, this episode takes a broad view through the lens of ritual, urban planning, and ecological entanglements, with a distinct focus on the Salish Sea.
It’s been a huge honour to bring you all of these stories over the past 5 months. This seemed like the most appropriate way to close out our first season. We can’t wait to bring you Season 2!