Facing Death
Art Project
The project Facing Death explores our society's attitudes towards death and dying. Through the prism of a photography diptych, we portray dying individuals before and after their death, both portraits capturing the same mirror-like, profile pose. A dying individual therefore looks at their death on one hand and at life on the other and transcends them through an art project. As part of the pilot project, the first diptych featuring the first dying or deceased individual was created thus far. From its inception, the project unveils the distinctly taboo attitude of Slovenian society and the competent institutions toward the topic of death; it also uncovers deep systemic discrepancies, while opening up possibilities for the integration of various disciplines and institutions. As part of the project, art does not serve deconstruction, but the integration of relationships with death and dying. This interdisciplinary project is facilitated by the collaboration between the members of the artistic team, the members of the Slovenian Hospice Society and other relevant researchers and institutions.
Facing Death
Art Project
The project Facing Death explores our society's attitudes towards death and dying. Through the prism of a photography diptych, we portray dying individuals before and after their death, both portraits capturing the same mirror-like, profile pose. A dying individual therefore looks at their death on one hand and at life on the other and transcends them through an art project. As part of the pilot project, the first diptych featuring the first dying or deceased individual was created thus far. From its inception, the project unveils the distinctly taboo attitude of Slovenian society and the competent institutions toward the topic of death; it also uncovers deep systemic discrepancies, while opening up possibilities for the integration of various disciplines and institutions. As part of the project, art does not serve deconstruction, but the integration of relationships with death and dying. This interdisciplinary project is facilitated by the collaboration between the members of the artistic team, the members of the Slovenian Hospice Society and other relevant researchers and institutions.
Challenging taboos surrounding death
The project Facing Death adopts a constructivist paradigm, becoming a vehicle to challenge societal taboos surrounding death and dying. This means that the central goal of the project, which is the creation of a photography diptych of a dying individual before and after their death, can only be achieved with challenging taboos surrounding death, which requires the cooperation of the entire community and professional public working within the landscape of death and dying. In practice, this entails that the creation of a single portrait necessitates the cooperation of the artistic team, employees and volunteers of the Slovenian Hospice Society, the dying individual and their relatives, representatives of local medical institutions, social work centres, and funeral companies. Through an intersubjective process, the community connects and integrates its diverse scientific, professional, religious, and artistic starting points and perspectives. Through the process, it gains added participatory value, as each member of the community working in the field of death and dying can contribute to its final form. To carry out the destigmatizing aspect of the project, we acknowledge the need to address both the narrower and wider professional audience working within the landscape of death and dying, as well as the general public. Taking a personal approach and establishing a safe space for discussion are essential in light of society's exceedingly taboo attitude towards death.
Challenging taboos surrounding death
The project Facing Death adopts a constructivist paradigm, becoming a vehicle to challenge societal taboos surrounding death and dying. This means that the central goal of the project, which is the creation of a photography diptych of a dying individual before and after their death, can only be achieved with challenging taboos surrounding death, which requires the cooperation of the entire community and professional public working within the landscape of death and dying. In practice, this entails that the creation of a single portrait necessitates the cooperation of the artistic team, employees and volunteers of the Slovenian Hospice Society, the dying individual and their relatives, representatives of local medical institutions, social work centres, and funeral companies. Through an intersubjective process, the community connects and integrates its diverse scientific, professional, religious, and artistic starting points and perspectives. Through the process, it gains added participatory value, as each member of the community working in the field of death and dying can contribute to its final form. To carry out the destigmatizing aspect of the project, we acknowledge the need to address both the narrower and wider professional audience working within the landscape of death and dying, as well as the general public. Taking a personal approach and establishing a safe space for discussion are essential in light of society's exceedingly taboo attitude towards death.
Concentric
circles
The dying individual is not merely the object of photography, they actively engage with it to the best of their ability.
In addition to the creative team, everyone involved with the project is in one way or another related to the dying individual. Everyone became a designer, performer, spectator, and creator of artefacts. This expansion of the project’s scope gave rise to the concept of concentric circles framing the project within a larger social context. We began with the innermost circle of the creative team and extended outward to encompass professional associations, relatives, institutions, individuals directly and indirectly involved in the process, the professional public, investors, the general public, and, not to be overlooked, legislators. As a result, taboos were increasingly confronted, and the chain of awareness was gradually but steadily spreading.
The dying individual is not merely the object of photography, they actively engage with it to the best of their ability.
In addition to the creative team, everyone involved with the project is in one way or another related to the dying individual. Everyone became a designer, performer, spectator, and creator of artefacts. This expansion of the project’s scope gave rise to the concept of concentric circles framing the project within a larger social context. We began with the innermost circle of the creative team and extended outward to encompass professional associations, relatives, institutions, individuals directly and indirectly involved in the process, the professional public, investors, the general public, and, not to be overlooked, legislators. As a result, taboos were increasingly confronted, and the chain of awareness was gradually but steadily spreading.
In addition to the creative team, everyone involved with the project is in one way or another related to the dying individual. Everyone became a designer, performer, spectator, and creator of artefacts. This expansion of the project’s scope gave rise to the concept of concentric circles framing the project within a larger social context. We began with the innermost circle of the creative team and extended outward to encompass professional associations, relatives, institutions, individuals directly and indirectly involved in the process, the professional public, investors, the general public, and, not to be overlooked, legislators. As a result, taboos were increasingly confronted, and the chain of awareness was gradually but steadily spreading.
