Presented by the Studio for Media Activism and Critical Thought, The ARTivism Lab Speaker Series

Activism, Art and Academia talk about Death

When my grandfather died nearly ten years ago, my family and friends said, “death is a part of life.” It’s a saying I’m sure many of us have heard. However, over time, I noticed there is an underlying falseness to this because death is not an active part of our lives. We never discuss how we feel about death unless we are in mourning. -Hailey Krychman

Tuesday March 6th, Eliza Chandler, Esther Ignagni and Kim Collins hosted a public Death Café as part of the 2018 Speakers Series, What the %@*# is Artivism?! The Artivism Lab Speakers Series.

Death Cafés are loosely-structured, salon-style conversations around death which aim to give space for these conversations in a secular, westernized culture wherein they are often quieted. This Death Café was animated by the question: what do cultural understandings of death teach us about how non-normative bodies (disabled and otherwise) are calibrated as both vital and uninhabitable? This Death Café bridged media activism with academia to think about how movements such as disability justice, the Movement for Black Lives, Walking with Our Sisters, AIDS Action Now, and anti-war movements engage death and how this activist engagement with death can shape our scholarship.

To read more about people’s responses and experiences at the café, check out Studio for Media Activism Blog and Ryerson’s Social Justice Media Blog
Join our Speakers Series event to catch more like it: https://www.facebook.com/events/197468234323241/

This Death cafe was moderated by:
Esther Ignagni, Associate Professor, School of Disability Studies
Kim Collins, Research Associate, School of Disability Studies
Eliza Chandler, Assistant Professor, School of Disability Studies

This event was part of our 2018 Speakers Series, What the %@*# is Artivism?! The Artivism Lab Speakers Series. For information about upcoming events, go to: https://www.studioformediaactivism.com/events.html