Material Category

Thesis

Description

The Sugar Sepulcher is an enduring and sustainable burial ritual that uses apiculture as a means of reconsidering our relationship to decomposition and rebirth and reestablishing the importance of community in mourning processes. This project was created to present the possibility of a sustainable and secular, community-driven funerary option. As the loved ones of the deceased assist in the transformation of the human remains into edible honey, participants are inspired to reflect on the significance of community relationships in the context of mourning, as well as the impact of traditional burial practices on the environment. The ritual derives its power from its ability to facilitate social engagement, calling for individuals to work together to create a working natural system that enables ecological processes of regeneration and renewal.

Creator Keywords:
ritual, intervention, sustainability, burial ritual, mourning, community, sustainable ritual, eco-friendly, alternative burial, honey, apiculture, beekeeping, community garden, social intervention

Date

May 1 2020

Related people

Kelsey Leuenberger (designer)
Katherine Moriwaki (thesis advisor)
John Sharp (thesis advisor)
Barbara Morris (thesis advisor)
Jamie Lauren Keiles (thesis advisor)

Use Restrictions

In accordance with The New School's Intellectual Property Rights Policy, copyright is held by each thesis' respective author. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the user.; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Identifier

PC020402_2020_leuek589

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