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Ritual design
Vase design still in process
Eindhoven
Vase design still in process
Eindhoven
herINNEREN
To say goodbye is to process the memories and make them your own and give them a place. It's not necessarily about "herinneren" (remembering) but mostly about "inneren” (embodying). For this project, I was in contact with someone who guides and organizes funerals. In her practice, she tries to make this moment a personal and valuable one for those left behind.
1. The ritual
Over the years, the rituals of saying goodbye have changed. Where once the Christian faith in the Netherlands provided the structure for the period of loss, now commercial institutions and insurance companies are taking over. There are so many options and that gives freedom but also a lot of uncertainty. This part fascinates and motivated me to design a ritual around talking about saying goodbye. This video shows my process and a possible outcome of a ritual. This way of a ritual can open up a lot and provide a basis to also engage in conversation about how we say goodbye. Because saying goodbye to something or someone and dealing with change is very important, especially in these times when a lot is changing and we often have to say goodbye to many things.
2. Vase & bowl
In one of the try-out sessions where I spoke with people on this topic, I spoke with Louise and Denise. In this conversation, we embodied the recent loss of one of our old teachers. The sketches that came out visualized the aspects that were valuable to us when talking about saying goodbye and embracing all sides of loss. These sketches resulted in a vase that also became the central object in the final ritual, a bowl where the questions for the ritual participants will be collected, the group will form a circle around it. The vase is still in production by the tree of us and will be made from the porcelain that I once received from our teacher, showing that the knowledge and love of his teachings will continue in us and many other students.
To say goodbye is to process the memories and make them your own and give them a place. It's not necessarily about "herinneren" (remembering) but mostly about "inneren” (embodying). For this project, I was in contact with someone who guides and organizes funerals. In her practice, she tries to make this moment a personal and valuable one for those left behind.
1. The ritual
Over the years, the rituals of saying goodbye have changed. Where once the Christian faith in the Netherlands provided the structure for the period of loss, now commercial institutions and insurance companies are taking over. There are so many options and that gives freedom but also a lot of uncertainty. This part fascinates and motivated me to design a ritual around talking about saying goodbye. This video shows my process and a possible outcome of a ritual. This way of a ritual can open up a lot and provide a basis to also engage in conversation about how we say goodbye. Because saying goodbye to something or someone and dealing with change is very important, especially in these times when a lot is changing and we often have to say goodbye to many things.
2. Vase & bowl
In one of the try-out sessions where I spoke with people on this topic, I spoke with Louise and Denise. In this conversation, we embodied the recent loss of one of our old teachers. The sketches that came out visualized the aspects that were valuable to us when talking about saying goodbye and embracing all sides of loss. These sketches resulted in a vase that also became the central object in the final ritual, a bowl where the questions for the ritual participants will be collected, the group will form a circle around it. The vase is still in production by the tree of us and will be made from the porcelain that I once received from our teacher, showing that the knowledge and love of his teachings will continue in us and many other students.
