Press release -

Dying Matters Awareness Week Popup Shop in London

Last week DeadSocial helped to raise the awareness of Dying Matters Awareness Week by taking over a popup space on Camden high street and hosting a series of events over the course of the week. They transformed the pop-up space (donated by the Collective Pop-up as part of a Mayor of London initiative) into an immersive gallery with a strong focus on death, life, hopes and dreams. People who visited the space could write on a wall that evoked a response from the header "before I die I would like to..."(an installation that took it's inspiration from work by the american artist Candy Chang). 

There was also helium balloons in the space with blank tags. Visitors wrote messages for loved ones who had passed away on the tags and then released them into the London sky. The space also hosted and displayed two 'memorial face casts' and two biodegradable coffins. One of the coffins was blank and included the text "Before I die I would like to..." on it. The objective of this was to make the coffins and subject matter more approachable to the general public.

During the week a number of speakers, workshops, drop in sessions and events took place. these included the following:

  • Monday 13th May (1pm-4.30pm) - Nim Njuguna, 'Reflecting on life before death' 
  • Tuesday 14th May (10am-12pm)  - Susan Morris, "caring for someone who is dying". Drop in Surgery to meet a local palliative care nurse' 
  • Tuesday 14th May (1pm-6pm) ‘Leverton & Sons Ltd. Ask the funeral director' 
  • Tuesday 14th May (7pm+) DeadSocial's 'Dying Matters Awareness Week Popup shop Party 
  • Wednesday, 15th May (1pm-5.30pm) Lawrence Darani “What is it about Death specifically that frightens us?” 
  • Wednesday, 15th May (7pm+) Death Café with Jon Underwood
  • Thursday 16th May (2pm-5.30pm) Dr. Patrick McDaid Thursday, "Addressing Death" 
  • Friday 16th May (1pm-5.30pm) Emily Engel “Living Wills (Advance Decision)” 
Free Tea, coffee and cakes were served throughout the week. There was also a stand providing Dying Matters support literature and other leaflets from local charities and from speakers who had donated their time. It was a not for profit event and everyone involved donated their time and energy in order to make it happen.

Related links

Topics

  • Art, Culture, Entertainment

Categories

  • digital legacy
  • for good
  • immersive gallery
  • candy chang
  • uk
  • dying
  • death
  • national council for palliative care
  • ncpc
  • charity
  • awareness campaign
  • death cafe
  • installation art
  • uk startup
  • startup
  • pop-up
  • popup
  • camden
  • palliative care
  • not for profit
  • end of life
  • dying matters awareness week
  • dying matters
  • deadsocial
  • dead social

DeadSocial is a free service that allows us to say "goodbye" in our own time and our own unique way on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. In doing so it helps us to have our end of life wishes met and for us to extend our digital legacy amongst our friends and family via our social networks.

Contacts

James Norris

Press contact Founder +44 7868823055