How to have a "good death", is a topic which more and more people find important nowadays. Fuelled by the discussion about assisted dying, customised funerals, natural burials and the question 'what happens after', 20 people worked for almost a year to create their take on "The Final Journey".
They worked on various topics connected to death, dying and grief, which included their own experiences, how different cultures deal with death and dying, how we imagine our own death and about grief and those we leave behind. The group used guided imagery, films and documentaries, introduced stories from their own lives, researched different belief systems, read and wrote poetry and finally created an artwork reflecting their views.
Additionally to the exhibition of these art works, there is a program with talks, workshops and discussions.
An important part of this project is the creation of the first Wind Phone on Portland in Dorset. (more info under 'A Wind Phone for Portland)
What is a Wind Phone? A wind phone is a gentle way of coping with grief.
At its simplest, a wind phone is an old fashioned phone, very often a rotary or push-button phone, which is ideally located in a spot with a view, in nature or by the sea. The wind phone can be within a booth-type structure and often has a place to sit. The phone line is disconnected and people use the wind phone to “call” and have a one-way conversation with deceased loved ones. Here they can say that they miss them, that they are angry and everything else they left unsaid. Wind phones offer a setting for the person to tell the story of their grief, to reminisce and to continue to connect to the person who is gone. For many, it is a deeply moving, life-affirming experience.
The story of Wind phones Initially created by garden designer Itaru Sasaki in 2010 to help him cope with his cousin's death, it was opened to the public in the following year after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami killed over 15,000 people in the Tōhoku region. The wind phone has since received over 30,000 visitors. All Wind phones are registered and you can learn more about them on the wind phone website Home | My Wind Phone
The Portland Wind Phone The Portland Wind Phone is listed on the international map of windphone and also featured on their website The Portland wind phone will be the 5th Wind Phone in the UK and is located in the old telephone box in Mallams.
