This May we’re very excited to be organising a festival as part of the Birmingham community group: BrumYODO
The festival is taking place during Dying Matters Awareness Week from 6th -8th May in partnership with mac at Cannon Hill Park and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Booking for the festival is open now and is recommended to ensure you secure your places.
About the Festival
It’s called ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ and the programme is packed full of inspiring, creative and thought-provoking events and activities including: an eat-along experience exploring the history of funeral food, willow coffin weaving and creative writing workshops, a Death Disco, a behind the scenes visit to a natural burial ground and crematorium, panel talks exploring why ‘What really matters at the end of life‘ and ‘What’s God got to do with it?‘, films, art exhibitions and new contemporary theatre.
The festival starts on Saturday 6th May with a new performance by local company The Playhouse at the Coffin Works, and the opening of two art exhibitions at mac; the Dying Matters photography exhibition Celebrating Life in the Face of Death and Murmuration – a mixed media installation created by artists Jane Thakoordin and Margaret Murray and local people, exploring what it means to bid someone farewell.
A Natural Undertaking at BrumYODO – A Matter of Life & Death
Carrie and I are will be around through the week but you can definitely find us at the following events:
CremaTOURium and Natural Burial Ground tour – BOOK HERE
– ever fancied a peak behind the scenes at the crem? Or wondered what it’s like at Natural Burial Ground? – Join us for the morning (Wednesday 10th May) to find out – there’ll be tea and cake waiting at the burial ground;
Weave a willow coffin
– drop in session at the Mac (Friday 12th May) with Mel and Sarah from Lily Willow Coffins. Bring a piece of material and see how you can weave in your own personal items to make a truly bespoke coffin.
It’s Your Funeral panel discussion – BOOK HERE
– (Saturday 13th May 11am) a lively debate exploring all the different options out there to create your personal funeral. On the panel – Modern Funeral Director 2016 (yep – that’s us!) and Traditional Funeral Director 2016 – that’s our good friends from Hicktons Funeral Directors – both Birmingham based businesses! The conversation will be chaired by the lovely Richard Honeysett, celebrant and one of the founding directors of The Good Funeral Guide
It’s Your Funeral Workshop – BOOK HERE
– (Saturday 13th May 1pm) Join us for a surprisingly uplifting, practical workshop to help you think about some of the things that are possible. We can help you create “Your Funeral Wishes” Supported by some other brilliant people in the funeral business
And of course – you’ll also find us on the dance floor on Saturday night at the Death Disco.
More information / programme details
For more: take a look at the programme and visit the website www.brumyodo.org.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @BrumYODO or Facebook: BrumYODO
And use the hashtag: #LifeDeathBrum
