Process Gallery
January 18 – 29, 2017
Reception: January 19, 8:00 pm
The Reflection Room is presented by the Sanit Elizabeth Research Centre, part of the OFFSITE Design Festival. Dying and death are universal human experiences – but we usually don’t think about it, we don’t talk about it, and most Canadians have not made plans for their end of life care. So, dying and death often take place in a swirl of confusion, poor decisions, and dissatisfactory circumstances. How might we make this much better?
Human beings are storytellers. Understanding complex challenges through narrative builds empathy. Stories also trigger the imagination for future possibility. Providing places for storytelling — and places for reading the stories of others — might trigger thinking and discussion about dying and death.
As part of a year-long research project, ‘The Reflection Rooms’ is created – both short-term physical spaces across Canada, and an online website – where people are invited to write their stories about dying and death, and read the stories of others.
People are invited to visit the space, read stories that others have shared, take a moment to reflect on their own experiences, and, if they choose, write a reflection and pin it to the ‘Reflection Wall.’
‘The Reflection Room’ is ultimately about starting meaningful discussion and thought about end of life.