IF THEY WILL NOT COME TO THE MOUNTAIN...

If they will not come to the mountain... - sketch by TD

If a public space is not being used because it does not correspond to the habits and mentality of the public, its typology has to be reformed. The thought that I can't seem to avoid is that if the living will not come to the memorial, then the memorial should come to the living - physically and mentally. 

Counter to that, one has to ask 'but what if the memorial is no longer relevant? What if people do not want to be reminded?' Perhaps I have worked on this project for so long that I cannot remember not feeling with utter conviction that we should be reminded where we came from as part of our daily lives. 

Awareness of the layers of community that preceded us, reminds us that human society is a sedimentary process, and that our delusions of continuity broken by mortality are not delusions. I need to remind myself how I came to that conclusion - and provide a method for others to come to that conclusion as well.

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SPEAKING WITH SHIN

Initial Sketch drawing by TD

Having introduced Prof. Shin to some of my hopes for 6 FEET UP - a prototype for bereavement typology drawing from the psychology and technology of the modern Seoulite, yet rooted in their cultural subconscious  - she suggested that it may prove difficult to discover the contemporary Korean emotional response as such matters were so part of the ordinary. I would have to speak to people, and as many as possible.

There is an issue in Korea. There is barely enough space for the living, are inhabitants content with the space available for the dead? The Presbyterian Church is investigating use of new technologies to replace cremation - itself a 'space saving solution' due to financial and sustainability issues. If cremation is not appropriate after 100 years of implementation, what chance is there for use of any new technology? Are Koreans, and the rest of the world, going to maintain what historic rituals they can entirely isolated from the industrial acts of committal?

I hope to align contemporary life in Seoul with contemporary death in Seoul, whatever the proximity of that relationship may be. Ideally this would be realised through use of new technology, in an appropriate manner - to the full extent of that phrase.

By speaking to Koreans and researching the psychology of modern bereavement, but remembering the necessary requirements of cultural history I hope to formulate a model that represents and supports the modern Korean response to the death of other.

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THE YOUTH OF TODAY

You could jump to conclusions here. See what you want to see, but with a bit of reflection all that can be gleaned from the video (forwarded by Amanda Rashid) is that an intelligent and enterprising young funeral director has found that sharing his experiences of near death and new life settles well with others in similar frames of mind to his own at certain points in his journey.

Our minds are drawn to similarity - and to prove that similarity, will go to considerable lengths to fit in. All because having done so, we are given access to a wealth of experience of the similar - and this can be rather comforting whether faced with trauma or not.

What it does not show is that Koreans in general are willing to solve issues in life by confronting death. That may actually be true, but to make that assumption now would be jumping to conclusions.

COFFIN ACADEMY via aljazeera

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