The  role of the state is to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public but what happens when the state itself is responsible for inflicting harm and death on the public?  Either through direct violence or as a result of catastrophic failure and neglect, the British state has been complicit in the deaths of thousands its own citizens. Such deaths include people held in prison or immigration detention, people in mental health care settings, deaths after police contact or in police custody, as well as those killed in mass disasters such as at Hillsborough and in Grenfell. In the aftermath of such deaths, there is often a coordinated effort by powerful institutions and state actors to legitimise their violence and neglect. This interactive audio gallery aims to provide an alternative lens on state related deaths and amplify the voices, lives and experiences of the victims of state violence and showcase the work of families and activists who continue fight against the unjust systems that enable these deaths. The audio gallery will give delegates the opportunity to hear the testimonies of bereaved families and campaigners who tell their stories of what happens when the state kills.

The audio gallery is part of a larger oral history project commissioned by INQUEST, an organisation which has been documenting the harms caused by state violence since 1981. As part of their  40-year anniversary, a team of volunteers working with INQUEST, have curated a  public archive which memorialises the people who have been killed and the ongoing resistance to state violence. This gallery will include excepts from 20 interviews with bereaved families, INQUEST staff, journalist, volunteers, academics, coroners, activists and politicians. Throughout the exhibition there will be an opportunity for delegates to give their feedback through a visitor book, which will encourage participants to discuss the themes raised in the exhibition. It is hoped that this audio gallery will provide delegates with an insight into the decades of campaigning by people who will remember those who have died at the hands of the state and will continue to fight for truth, justice and accountability.

A 1977 study by C.H. Lippy of more than 200 sympathy cards found that none of them referred to death directly. A 2017 study by R.W. Hallett of 134 sympathy cards found that one of them used the word “death.” American and European society is becoming increasingly secular, but our sympathy cards remain largely Christian or Christian-coded, reusing generic language and refusing to acknowledge death directly. We can do better. Together, we’ll create text for death positive sympathy cards that will later be available for free download on deadparentswhatnow.com.

Tot Zover (‘So Far’) is the Dutch museum about life and death in Amsterdam, known for high-profile exhibitions, impactful events and its open approach to mortality. The museum adheres to the death positive movement and encourages to lean into death. Don’t avoid – move toward. To the subject and each other. At DDD17 two interactive museumobjects are on display: DÖDLIK – the fictive IKEA coffin with instruction leaflet invites you to step in and show your deadliest face (selfie). The Deadfun Bingo invites you to spin the gold bingo cage, see what numbered ball rolls out that defines the death related question you and your playing partner will discuss.

Experiences of and perspectives on the existential topics of death and dying are highly influenced by a person’s personal background, culture, and legislative context regarding end-of-life practices. Therefore, research into end-of-life topics benefits from collecting the views of people from diverse backgrounds. We would like to invite you to share your insights with us – and with other attendees – about some illustrative vignettes regarding the meaning of ambivalence and hesitation in end-of-life choices collected in various qualitative research projects. Receiving your outlook on these cases helps us to reflect on how end-of-life choices are understood from different perspectives. But first and foremost, they may spark lively discussions and intellectual exchange among conference attendees. So please come to the hubs, share your view, and engage yourself in an inspirational dialogue with others!

Animated films by UK-based, artists Ben Faircloth, Eilidh Nicoll, and Mariana Leal, that take inspiration from the Death Positive Movement. The work reflects on how death and dying can be rethought, and how matters such as end of life care and planning, handling grief, and funerary practices can be better approached.

Each artist has undertaken a period of research and development, engaging broadly with the subject and their local community groups. They have also been supported by social anthropologist Dr Hannah Rumble, Research Fellow at the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath.

Documentary photographer Mariska van Zutven (1969) presents a series of photographs of the bedrooms of deceased individuals. Since 2006, Van Zutven has been documenting the homes of people who died without relatives, capturing these spaces just before they are cleared out by “the cleaner,” a man responsible for vacating houses when there are no friends or relatives to do so. In some homes, the environment of the deceased remains fully intact. In others, some belongings have already been removed. By photographing these rooms, van Zutven seeks to capture the story of the inhabitants, people how have lived alone for a long time and mostly died in isolated.