WE OWE THE EARTH; A QUESTION OF LEGACY
Anthropogenic actions have left scars of ecological sacrifice on what is considered a celebration of life. Human life should not culminate in further harm to the planet, rather contribute to its renewal. This proposal challenges traditional burial practices in the UK by offering an alternative perspective, one that honors the deceased by fostering ecological integration. It reimagines death not as devastation, but as a catalyst for restoring nature.
The project proposes an answer to how the reconfiguration of anthropocentric cemetery spaces into ecologically entangled landscapes of the dead and the living can serve as a catalyst for transforming grief into hope. It envisions cemeteries not as static memorials, but as dynamic, living systems where death sustains life. It is a posthuman space where death supports life, and non-human beings are not passive elements but active participants in mourning and meaning-making.
With ecological regeneration at its core, the process transforms these static cemeteries into dynamic living landscapes of native woodland and pollinator meadows, reversing the damage caused to ecological niches and promoting more-than-human activity throughout the site. Remediation techniques enrich the soil with organically rich content, enabling the revival of native biodiversity and the restoration of disrupted ecosystems.
Taking inspiration from the rhythms of natural light and darkness, the space is curated for mourners to experience the journey of life—offering refuge in darkness during difficult times while drawing them toward glades of light that symbolise moments of joy and clarity.
In this reimagined vision, cemeteries become sanctuaries of renewal, where grief finds purpose, memory becomes rooted in life-giving processes, and the presence of the dead nurtures a thriving ecology. This proposal invites us to see death not as an end, but as a beginning; an intimate gesture of return to the earth and a hopeful legacy for generations to come.
