Celebrating Death

Mindful of almost missing the last exhibition I wanted to see at Royal Festival Hall I was determined to catch Boxed: Fabulous Coffins from UK and Ghana in good time, so I headed off this morning to a rainy and drizzly Southbank.

Braving the grim weather was worth it though.  The combination of rain and river inevitably means a quiet time and the place was pretty much deserted.

Open?  Closed?  Where do we go?

It didn't help that one side of the exhibition is hidden behind dark blue velvet drapes.  It's a great idea, supposed to conjure up the feeling of being in a funeral parlour, but the signage is pretty poor which is confusing and looks like it's closed.  "Exhibition continues on blue side" doesn't mean anything unless you know where the blue side is.  "Exhibition continues this way" would have made much more sense.

But I digress, as at times I am apt to do.  These coffins are indeed fabulous.  One side of the exhibition features coffins from Ghana 

I loved the egg, and the burial plan behind it

The lion interior is beautifully lined with printed Ghanaian fabric

Lovely detail on this Viking ship

and the other side from the UK.

Loved this!  I found it very amusing.

Aboard the Orient Express

Beautiful original Orient Express upholstery fabric interior

I loved this whole story.  Very romantic!

My own coffin plans are quite cliched and predictable compared with these.  As an eco-aware gardener I would, of course, go for the biodegradable woven willow coffin, interspersed with stems, twigs and flowers from my favourite plants.  If I had my way it would be buried deep into the bank at Magic Plot 7 but I really can't imagine Camden Council allowing that, so I'd plump for one of those nature cemeteries, although I'd quite like to be buried in London and they are always out of town.  I'd be equally happy for my burning body to float down the Ganges though I sense that since I'm not a Hindu this is probably out of the question too.  Anyway, as I am yet to reach my Golden Jubilee I'm hoping that I still have many years ahead of me to decide exactly what to do.  Nonetheless it's good to be prepared!

I like the idea of celebrating death.  Other cultures the world over also embrace this idea.  I've never really understood the upright, uptight, stiff upper lip, ‘don't talk about it’ British way of handling death and dying.  The first time I became really aware of death was at age 9 when a school friend was killed while riding his bicycle in an accident with a steamroller.  Rather horribly it happened outside our house and I was shocked to the core that a friend my own age could be gone forever.  I went to the funeral with my sisters.  I didn't know it at the time but attending that funeral helped me to understand at that young age that death is part of life.

My Nan died when I was 14.  For some reason none of us children were allowed to go to her funeral, all deemed too young which was quite odd considering that we'd been to our friend’s funeral unaccompanied five years earlier.

From the late 80s and through the 90s a lot of my friends died, and I do mean a lot.  AIDS took most of them in the days before successful combination therapy.  Then there were drugs and alcohol casualties.  In 1989 my elderly father died.  A few weeks later the Marchioness disaster on the Thames took more dear ones.  There is one particular passing since then that completely knocked me for six, too personal to reveal here.  I encountered death too young and too often.  But somehow that early experience at age 9 - understanding that we all die, that death is part of life, and that tragically not everybody gets to live a long and happy life - has served me well in the long-term.  I am not afraid of death, nor am I afraid to die.  I'm just not ready to go yet, and when I do I want full celebration.  I've always loved a party. 

Part of ‘Death: Southbank Centre's Festival for the Living’ this is a FREE exhibition and runs until Sunday 29 January.

Life and Death

Love Life

XXX