ETERNAL FLAME PYLON
Articles
Death: The Last Taboo
by Adept S. Telfer
First Published: 2003
There’s a saying in life - that death is the only assured eventuality. Death does not discriminate. Yet there is so much about death that is shrouded and not often spoken about. It seems that many of us are uncomfortable when faced with our own mortality. This can make it exceedingly more difficult when faced with the prospect of losing a loved one, with grieving, or even when faced with the prospect of one’s own death.
All the more reason to go and view the exhibition, 'Death - the last taboo'. This exhibition explores death in many ways; providing much information about the processes surrounding death, and satisfying some of those ‘morbid curiosities’ that many might not like to be seen to ask.
You can contemplate the many body disposal options (would you prefer to be buried, cremated, composted, preserved, or have vultures clean your bones?), and learn about what happens to our body after we die (How does it decompose? How is it prepared for a funeral?). There are many displays exploring cultural differences in death rituals and how death is viewed through various cultural lenses. It is interesting to contrast the vast array of ways that different peoples approach the topic of death.. you will just have to experience the exhibit to know what I am talking about!
There are some curious exhibits, such as the safety coffin - for those with a fear of being buried alive. There are coffins in almost any shape and size (including one shaped as a Mercedes, and one shaped as a leek!). There is also a small range of ‘death masks’, which are casts made of the faces of criminals after they were put to death. |
