rite to Grieve
GIVING VOICE TO GRIEF
Rite to Grieve is a creative response to the widespread crisis of grief and bereavement as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to be with loved ones or hold conventional funeral and memorial events, the pandemic has had a severe impact on affected families, friends and communities.
In collaboration with Ellie Harrison (The Grief Series) we have developed an event format for the collective expression of grief, providing a supportive and safe space for conversation, remembrance and celebration of lives lost during the pandemic.
Aims
to give voice to expressions of loss curtailed by social distancing regulations
to provide space for communal creative and healing experiences
to combat cases of complicated grief and social isolation
to recreate the rituals of bereavement in an informal and safe setting
development
On Sunday 3 October 2021, we hosted our first Rite to Grieve event in South London.
“A lovely space to give credence to grief where all were accepted and respected.”
Through a combination of workshops and peer-to-peer support, participants shared their experiences in a safe and supportive environment. The day concluded with in an informal ceremony with a performance by the choir and a sharing soundscape developed during the prior workshops.
“I felt very supported and was able to talk about some things which I had not previously.”
my North - rebecca dale
Premiered on 29 March 2022 at a commemorative event at the National Covid Memorial Wall, My North was commissioned as part of Rite to Grieve.
Dale's stunning new piece sets fragments from W H Auden's Funeral Blues and seeks to capture something of the collective grief experienced by society since early 2020.
Improvised passages of the piece are used during our Rite to Grieve workshops. As such, this piece captures the creative process of these sessions in a musical memorial for participants and the wider public.
partners
support
This project is supported in part by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Project Patrons
George Dennis
Bridget Herring
Artwork by Charlie Barton