STILL BODIES: Death Cafe

What's a Death Cafe?
This is a group-directed discussion around death and dying, where we can bring our questions and share our experiences. Our objective is to offer a respectful, confidential space where conversation respects having no intention of leading people to any conclusion, product or course of action.

You can ask questions, share your own experiences or just listen… and share in a cup of tea and/or snacks with strangers!

End-of-Life Doula Dina Smirnova will host our event. Born in Azerbaijan and raised in the US, Dina is a Melbourne-based end-of-life doula and meditation teacher. With over 20 years of experience in movement and meditation, she offers death-positive education and holistic support through grief. Her work centers on reminding others that true healing comes from within, inviting students to embody The Art of Living and Being Present through psychosomatic awareness and skillful connection to breath and body.

The Death Cafe will be a limited, ticketed session with all profits to be donated to the Naarm ‘Queer as Death collective’ a not-for-profit volunteer community organisation that hosts Death Literacy events and advocates for our diverse community at end of life.

Please note:
The purpose of the Death Cafe is to provide an accessible space for discussion, rather than grief support or counselling. If you are interested in the event but unsure whether attending a Death Cafe at this time is for you, reach out to lizgridley@gmail.com

How our death cafe will go:

• 1pm Meet and greet in the gallery, viewing ‘Still Bodies’ with artist Liz Gridley

• Move together, upstairs to the event venue space

  • If you need more time to ascend the staircase comfortably please let us know so we can accommodate.

• Invitation to make a cup of tea / grab a snack

• Introduction by End-of-Life Doula Dina Smirnova and greet our discussion facillitators

• Break into smaller groups for yarning circles

  • Guidelines, prompts and extended resources will be placed on the table to assist in the flow of discussion

• Group share/discuss (only share if you are comfortable to)

• 3pm Finish and descend back down to the gallery.

• Beinart gallery is open until 5pm but once downstairs again that will conclude the formal 'event' and you may view, chat or purchase artwork as you wish!

Keeping yourself safe:
Our table facilitators will introduce themselves at the start of the yarning/sharing circles, ie first name, pronouns, why they are there and ask you to do the same.  DON'T share anything if it feels uncomfortable for you, such as age, sexuality, job, where you live, spiritual beliefs etc.  

Safety, diversity and equality in our conversations is key for these discussions. 

If you need spaces to specifically talk about your mental health, suicidal ideation or self-harm  please see the Queer As Death Collectives list of resources

What do we talk about?
A bit of everything! Bring whatever you are curious about to the group, it's a pretty vast topic, here's some things we've spoken about at past death cafes:

• Fears / living in acceptance of our death and the death of others

• Protecting your identity, legacy, gender or presentation after death.

• Do I really have to write a will or Advanced care directive?

• Cultural differences in death practices and experiences

• Near Death Experiences or witnessing death

• Body disposal methods (there's more options than just cremation and burial!)

• Navigating our grief (or lack of)

• Fantasising on the perfect farewell party. 

See here for more information about Death Cafes.

Venue information & Accessibility:
Beinart Gallery is a gallery exhibiting surreal, imaginative & dark art. The ground level will be showing 5 separate exhibitions during the event and a number of artworks, books, toys, jewellery items and more in the shop. The gallery is accessible through the streetfront and has some small tiled steps to gain entry.

The Death Cafe will be hosted in the galleries events space which is on the first level, up a flight of steep carpeted stairs that go around a 90 degree corner. We regret and apologise that there is no lift or alternate way to access upstairs at present. If you have difficulty with stairs please feel free to contact the gallery to get more information or contact Liz Gridley to discuss if we can provide extra assistance. The upstairs space is a hanging area for current gallery stock and all participants must take care around all artworks hanging, on plinths or on the floor as they do in the gallery space itself. 

Tables and chairs will be provided for the death cafe, the kitchen space will be available for tea, water, snacks throughout but we would prefer if participants get sorted before we begin the seated portion so as not to distract the conversation. There is a toilet available in the event space but it does not contain rails or handles.

If you have any other accessibility questions please contact Beinart gallery using info@beinart.org 

During the event we would like to take a few photos for documentation and to promote future events in the space, if you would like to be blurred or cropped out of images please let Liz Gridley know before we begin.