Ryan Huddleston
Rituals Departed
In Rituals Departed, I explore support systems and ceremonial practices associated with death. In modern Western society, life and death are regarded as separate phenomena. Death is seen as a profound disconnection, an end, and is no longer regarded as a transformative occurrence. Challenging this view, I seek to bridge the divide between life and death by positioning the departed as active participants in the continuing flow of life, establishing a connection that transcends earthly existence. In examining established support systems, values, and rituals associated with death, I realized that Western approaches to death and mourning are static and institutionalized. I saw the need for a new approach: the creation of regenerative rituals designed to inspire ongoing, transformative remembrance.
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