Lunchtime Talks are a series of informal presentations at Watershed's Pervasive Media Studio. They normally take place at 13:00 on a Friday, are free and are open to everybody who is interested. Come along, bring a sandwich, and get to know more about the Studio community, current and up-coming projects, or residents' work.

What we choose to do with the remains of our dead reflects the character and values of the living. At Arnos Vale Cemetery, Sylvan Constellation proposes an ecologically beneficial infrastructure for human disposition that enhances public space while re-shaping societal understandings of our body’s connection to the earth and culture’s relationship to death.

The spatial limitations of urban cemeteries is obvious, yet solutions are under-discussed. This Lunchtime Talk will include examples from over a decade of research in design studios at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) exploring future possibilities for environmentally responsible mortuary practices, and diverse examples of cemetery developments in response to the globe’s increasingly dense cities. DeathLAB’s Sylvan Constellation responds to this body of research by suggesting a more fluid, interconnected relationship between Arnos Vale and Bristol, and between urban public spaces and respectful contemplation.

Harnessing science while respecting spirituality, DeathLAB’s proposal transforms biomass into an elegant and truly perpetual constellation of light, illuminating new woodland pathways and sanctuary spaces within the historic cemetery. A network of memorial vessels aggregates over time, creating a cyclical framework of vitality and remembrance.

The Sylvan Constellation team, based in New York, come from Columbia University's DeathLAB and LATENT Productions. DeathLAB is a trans-disciplinary research and design space focused on reconceiving how we live with death in the metropolis. Based at Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, DeathLAB is directed by Associate Professor Karla Rothstein, and currently engaged in research supported by The Earth Institute.

The Pervasive Media Studio is located within the Watershed building. Let us know if you'd like a tour and we'll be happy to show you around. Send an email to admin@pmstudio.co.uk

FFI:pmstudio.co.uk

---