Many fascinating ideas, perspectives, and reflections were shared during our sessions. While we did not record the meetings, we want to create a space where exchange can continue.
If you have something you’d like to share — a presentation, written text, reflections, or other materials — please send them to ddd17@uu.nl. We will collect these and publish them on this page.
On this site, we’ll also share photographs taken throughout the conference. Keep an eye out for those, as well as for a reflecting podcast and other follow-ups that we’ll release soon.
Testament to DDD17
On Friday evening, during our conference dinner, poet, artist, theatre maker, and musician Tim Hammer performed his spoken-word reflection on DDD17. Throughout the days leading up to it, he had wandered the conference like a friendly ghost—gathering experiences, ideas, expressions, and opinions. He then transformed these impressions into a poetic tribute to our shared time together. We are delighted that Tim has generously agreed to share his poem with us.
Photographs
Check the photographs by our photographer Hein Athmer (@Zoals Hein het Ziet). Simply enter your email address and enjoy!
Please note: The photographs are copyrighted; you can only download them for personal use.
A few pictures of the Dark Tourism Tour at Cemetery Soestbergen, taken by DDD17 participant Mariëlle Boere-Beringen
Build your own sympathy cards
During the DDD17 conference, participants were asked to build a better sympathy card. Becky Robinson brought blank cards, markers, stickers, and prompts; participants brought their imaginations and their expertise.
The digital versions of participants’ sympathy cards are now available for free download on the website.
Original handwriting and drawings were kept whenever possible.
Some observations from the project:
- Many participants chose to include prompts in their cards. My favorite memory of X is _______. I’m available to help with the following chores. If people struggle to find the right words in the aftermath of a death, the creators of these cards wanted to point people in the right direction.
- Speaking of the struggle to find the right words: many experts struggled, too, despite making a living out of dying. Reaching the broadest possible audience is hard! We all deepened our sympathy for the sympathy card writers at Hallmark.
- Reaching the broadest possible audience is hard—and that’s why many participants expressed a desire to tailor their messages to a specific recipient or situation.
- While several participants said that flowers were a sympathy card cliché, many chose to draw flowers or trees anyway. In the face of death, people seem drawn to symbols of life.
- Variations on the phrase “this sucks” were the most popular, appearing in 6 of the 35 cards.
- Certain cultures do not send sympathy cards. A few attendees had no idea what I was talking about. A good reminder to check my own cultural biases at the door in the future.
Conference presentations
Although we did not record the sessions or presentations, you are welcome to share your slides and notes if you wish.
PRESENTATION
“Reversing a Vanishing: Using creative arts to counter the mid-century mandated forgetting of stillbirth” (Sarah Clement)
NOTES
“Intermediaries between the physical and spirit worlds, a study of the figure of the medium in an Australian Spiritualist group” (Charlotte Tribouillois)
PRESENTATION
“Teen sluts don’t grieve:
How the politics of abortion healthcare contributes to higher adolescent female morbidity, and shapes the bereavement experience across the lifespan” (Caroline Lloyd)
PRESENTATION
“From bare life and necropolitics to a feminist care ethic: Ageism in the COVID-19 pandemic and future directions” (Bethany Simonds)
BLOGS
“Reflections on the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender” (Christopher Hood)
Read the four blogs here:
Hiroshima 80th Anniversary Reflections – Christopher P. Hood
Nagasaki 80th Anniversary Reflections – Christopher P. Hood
JL123 40th Anniversary Reflections – Christopher P. Hood
Reflections on the 80th Anniversary of Japan’s Surrender – Christopher P. Hood
PRESENTATION
“Digital death tech” (Raine Shakti)
Other interesting conferences, organisations and activities
Call for papers: deadline of submission 15 December 2025
It takes just three minutes to do the Die Wise Questionnaire. Try it – and then share it with someone you care about.
Preparing for death means preparing to live better.
The official launch webinar is on Wednesday 24 September 2025, 14h00 CET: Die Well, Live Fully: A Global Conversation.
All resources are free, non-profit, and open to everyone.
Please like, repost, and spread the word.
Travel to a Japanese mystical mountain in the middle of the city (Tim Hammer)
Come to your senses in this guided theatrical walk, accompanied by artist Tim Hammer and a puppet sculpted for mourning. Inspired by the secluded temple of Osorezan, the ‘mountain of fear’, you are invited to join this introspective experience, transforming your direct surroundings into metaphors for mourning.
For a limited time, Tim shares this 40-minute audio-tour with conference participants for free . With the help of a puppet, a metaphorical mountain and a deceased friend, we reflect on death while going for a walk. You are very welcome to experience this work individually, while walking in your own surroundings. Think of this work as an exercise or thought-experiment on grief. Using a puppetry technique derived from the traditional Bunraku theater and accompanied by classical guitar, treat yourself to this this poetic stroll. So put your headphones on and let yourself be guided by Tim and his puppet.
You can access the audio-tours (in Dutch, French or English) here:
NL: https://timhammer.com/de-berg-van-de-angst-video-podcast/
FR: https://timhammer.com/fr/podcast-video-la-montagne-de-la-peur/
EN: https://timhammer.com/en/videopodcast-the-mountain-of-fear/