Michelle Atherton: A Celebratory Gathering – Live from the Rowan Tree and the International Space Station
On October 15 Michelle Atherton held a Celebratory Gathering on Zoom. This is a report-back and an exploration in response.
How do we publicly acknowledge the lives of those no longer living, beyond the funeral and the obituary? In secular cultures how do we bestow significance on a life and mark the lives of the dead? If what is important about life is how it is lived, how do we collectively judge what is consequential, what counts, what really matters? Equally, how do we move away from anthropocentric views on the worth or value of the life of other species and other organisms?
In an attempt to address these questions I wish to invite you to a gathering that will bring together anyone who would like to celebrate, in their own way, friends, loved ones or anyone, any organism or anything no longer in existence and in so doing pay tribute to the full spectrum of life and matter. From the recently or long-since deceased to those that are now extinct, extinguished and forgotten, whether human or not. During the gathering participants can share their tribute through whatever form they wish, whether that be testimony, stories, song, tears, toasts, chanting, recipes, contestation, poetry, imagery or silence…
More information and booking (prior to October 15)
