Shepherds between worlds- Hospicing dying systems
Collaborators: Savannah Vize, Esther Grossman, Daniela Pascual
Founder: Collective Imagination Practice Community & Oksaseankatu 11
Year: 2024-2025
BACKGROUND
The term Hospice work has been used to refer to the work of deconstructing practices, beliefs and approaches that keep the current systems of oppression, extraction, supremacy, hierarchy and exploitation in place. I first came across this term when studying transition management, with the Two Loop model from the Berkana Institute. I have often wondered what is the work of a system hospice? And what does this look like?
PROJECT
With the Falay Collective, we have shared this question and explored this topic in exploratory workshops. In this project Esther, Savannah and I came together to collaborate around this shared interest. This project started with a reading club of Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Olivera, followed by a week long retreat. In this retreat we delved into critical questions, engaging in inner work to recognize that the systems we aim to deconstruct are also embedded within our own behaviors, as we, too, are part of these systems. This exploration was not about offering immediate solutions but about deepening our awareness and understanding of these complex issues.
After the retreat, Curator Daniela Pascual (Candama) invited us to her ceremony series, A River of Seeds, to host a workshop Ceremony. This workshop digested our learnings and invited our audience to a space of introspection, as a ceremony of letting go.
OUTCOMES
We hosted a 4h long workshop-ceremony, where we guided participants in a journey to ask questions, acknowledge patterns and behaviours that are internalised, and let go of these. The workshop followed a performative format, in which we centered the mushroom, as a decomposer and weaver- a metaphor for the hospice work. We followed a 4 stage format, where we invited participants to reflect on their own question or behaviour. Then participants created a sculpture, to be placed in our altar, which represents what they wish to let go. Participants then buried their offerings in our altar, in a womb-like underground space. And lastly, we emerged, drank tea and reflected on what we learned.
LEARNINGS
The themes we explored in this hospice journey were deeply complex and, at times, emotionally charged. As facilitators and space holders, we recognized the importance of doing our own inner work to be present and effective in guiding others. We acknowledged that the work we do can be distressing, and one question that resonated with me throughout the journey was: Can we, as designers, create spaces that allow people to engage in emotional introspection?
This raised several important considerations: What tools are needed to guide such introspection? Are we equipped to support complex emotional processing, or could we inadvertently cause harm? How do we create spaces that encourage emotional exploration while recognising that we are not mental health professionals?
As I continue on this path, these questions remain central to my work. I am committed to deepening my skills as a facilitator of spaces that allow for grief, hospice, joy, imagination, and the navigation of complex emotional landscapes in these distressing times.
Follow Oksaseankatu 11 for upcoming ceremonies as part of A River Of Seeds
