AUDIENCES will have the “unique and unusual” opportunity to write their own obituaries in a new thought-provoking workshop led by experts from Queen Margaret University (QMU) at Musselburgh.
The event, at St Columba’s Hospice in Edinburgh on Saturday, 1-4pm, is part of the national Being Human Festival.
This year, the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, and ‘Obituaries – Landmarks for Life and Living’ is just one of 230 free events taking place in November across the UK in 58 towns and cities.
QMU experts will host a “creative and interactive” workshop that aims to challenge participants to explore their own experiences and celebrate their lives in a new way.
Dr Michelle Elliot, senior lecturer in occupational therapy; Dr Giorgos Tsiris, senior lecturer in music therapy; and Dr Anthony Schrag, reader in arts management and cultural policy, will facilitate the event, which will invite audiences to think about their life and how they want to be remembered.
Dr Elliot said: “In an age where social media enables real-time documenting and curating images of everyday life, we invite participants to question what might be the ‘sum’ rather than the ‘parts’ of their lives.
“In most circumstances, obituaries are written after someone’s death by someone else who is possibly going through their own experience of bereavement. What if we were to change the narrative and ask you to write your own obituary, in life, in this present moment?
“We consider this narrative exercise to be a celebration of, and reflection on, life. It allows you to look back at activities, events, and roles – do they represent what you would want to be remembered for? As you consider your life’s journey to this point, you may find the experience reflective and revealing.
“In this interactive workshop, we will look at examples of obituaries and share in conversations about what everyday life says about who we are and how we live.
“In this reflective space, we will explore the influences on the stories we live by, live with and perhaps aspire towards.”
Every November for a decade, the festival has invited researchers at universities and affiliated organisations to collaborate with local communities and cultural partners to present hundreds of free public engagement events.
The aim is to celebrate and demonstrate how the humanities inspire and enrich people’s everyday lives, help them to understand themselves, their relationships with others, and the challenges they face in a changing world.
To book a free spot for ‘Obituaries – Landmarks for Life and Living’, visit beinghumanfestival.org/events/obituaries-land marks-life-and-living
To find out more, visit the Being Human Festival website beinghumanfestival.org
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