A Curious Invitation present London Month of the Dead
MAKE YOUR OWN MEMENTO MORI - Befriending Death with Art
A Series of Four Weekly Online Workshops taught by cultural commentator Joanna Ebenstein
On Thursdays, 21st & 28th October + 4th & 11th November 2021 - 7 to 9 pm (British Time)

Death is the great mystery of human life. Each of us – barring some medical miracle – will die. Foreknowledge of our own death is a defining characteristic of humanity and arguably what drives all human culture, from religion and philosophy to mythology and art.

With the current global pandemic, our awareness of death is closer to us in the West than it’s been in over a century These workshops seek to use this moment to look death in the eyes, to create a closer, less fearful relationship with it. And to create art from that encounter.

In this series of lectures, readings, discussions and meditations Joanna Ebenstein will guide you through how death has been understood and represented in different times and places. You will be guided in the creation of your own memento mori - an object embodying your personal vision of death - to remind you of your own mortality and help you live your time on earth more fully. It is hoped that students will leave the class with less fear of death in these uncertain times.

To see student work from previous classes, click here.

Tickets £85 including a 20% donation toward a host of restoration projects at Kensal Green Cemetery. Please click here to purchase.

PLEASE NOTE: All classes will also be recorded and archived for students who cannot make that time

Joanna Ebenstein
Joanna Ebenstein is a Brooklyn-based writer, curator, photographer and graphic designer. She is the creator of the Morbid Anatomy blog, library and event series, and was cofounder (with Tracy Hurley Martin) and creative director of the recently shuttered Morbid Anatomy Museum in Brooklyn. Her books include Death: A Graveside Companion, The Anatomical Venus and The Morbid Anatomy Anthology (with Colin Dickey). Her work has been covered by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Wired, National Geographic, The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and more.

FURTHER INFORMATION - These workshops will take place virtually via Zoom. Ticket sales will end at 6:00 pm BST on the day of the first class. Prior to the first class, a PDF of class materials plus Death: A Graveside Companion will be sent to the student. A link to the conference will also be sent to the email used at checkout at 3:00 pm BST on the day of the event. Please email suzette@acuriousinvitation.com in the event your link fails to arrive. Please note this talk will be recorded and can be sent free of charge to ticket holders by request.



Image Credit - A collage of examples of students' works from previous Memento Mori workshops taught by Joanna Ebenstein. Examples include: "Solatium (compensation for emotional harm) by Leslie F Miller ; "Memento Mori" by Eleanor Crook, ; "Dance of Death" by Jennifer Eli French; "Self Portrait" by Kelly Gray ; "Landscapes of Research" by Ruth Somalo and "How To Raise A Ghost - Memento Mori as Contemporary Praxis by Kate Ashe.