OUR DEATH II
Participatory Installation
March 27 – April 10, 2026
After its first edition at Galeria Dizajn / BWA Wrocław in 2023, Our Death was hosted this time at Fort Sokolnickiego at Żoliborski Dom Kultury in Warsaw. In this art project, I always engage the local community and collaborate with artists and artisans rooted in it.
How do you want to live before death?
At some point in the future, the last day of your life will come.
No one knows when or how you will die, but we can be certain that it will happen.
Can you imagine leaving this world with a smile on your face?
In a culture that portrays death mainly in the context of tragedy, violence, and catastrophe, it is difficult to see the end of life as a peaceful event. We often tend to treat death as a terrifying enemy that must be fought and prevented. Thinking this way, we are doomed to fail. What if, instead of only accepting the inevitability of death, we also embraced it as a meaningful part of our lives?
I invite you to an encounter with Our Death. Through this immersive installation, you can come closer to your own mortality by welcoming it as a friend.
I OPENING
Wooden panels are brought into the empty gallery space. Together with local funeral director Wiktor Koperski, we build a coffin. We fill a cozy, handmade textile lining and pillow with hay. We decorate the coffin with moss, flowers, and other natural materials. In this way, it becomes our collective, temporary work of art.
This practice is inspired by “coffin clubs” operating in many parts of the world, where people gather to build their own coffins and decorate them in an aesthetic that reflects their tastes and values.
II CONTEMPLATION
For two weeks, the open coffin is available — for you. If you wish, you may lie down in it. Simply take off your shoes and step inside. Do not rush. Observe what feelings and thoughts arise.
You may choose to try this on your own, or schedule a meeting with me — in that case, I will guide you through the experience. During an individual session, you can embark on an inner journey and take a look at your life from the perspective of its final day.
Afterward, you may share your reflections by writing them on the canvas where we collect wishes, hopes, and visions. We invite you to ask yourself: How do I want to live before I die?
III FAREWELL
The canvas containing our reflections, wishes, and visions is placed inside the coffin — with our best wishes and the intention of transforming thoughts into reality. Accompanied by a funeral brass band (Dęta Orkiestra Pogrzebowa), the coffin is loaded into a hearse and begins its journey to the crematorium.
IV CLOSURE
After cremation, the ashes of the installation return to the gallery in an urn handmade by Katarzyna Poniecka. During the farewell ceremony, we gather as a community of living and mortal people. Together, we say goodbye to what has passed and honor what we would like to remember. The evening is guided by traditional funeral songs performed by Garstka Ziemi.
Concept and facilitation: Anja Franczak
Set design and scents: Agnieszka Saks
Ceramics: Katarzyna Poniecka
Textiles: Anna Ludwicka
Tailoring: Krzysztof Skorupka
Natural dyes: Krzysztof Kowalewski
Partners:
The Institute of the Good Death
Koperski Funeral Home
Poniecka Ceramics
Polish Association of Humanist Celebrants
