Weaving Death Into Life: Coffin Weaving and Mortal Reflections Jan 2025

A deeply immersive exploration of death, dying and grief.

Explore mortality, loss and grief through sensory processes; these two days are ideal if you are seeking embodied personal inquiry, community resilience or professional development. 

Working collectively we make a life-size woven coffin and lid from cats claw. This tactile experience invites you to drop into your hands. Ancestral weaving merges with reflections on life cycles and liminal spaces. Coffin making invites you to consider your relationship with nature with others, and how we hold, and are held in death. We explore grief to normalise the breadth and depth of what it offers and how to tend to each other.

Contribute to a re/generative culture of community death care. 

You may be living with a diagnosis, caring for someone who is, a clinician or practioner seeking new experiences and tools. It's also suitable if you are trained in deathcare or moving into the industry. Join us to deepen your practice if you have some experience, you also do not need to have weaving experience to participate.

These two days are ideal for
• Therapists, clinicians
• Complimentary therapy practitioners 
• Hospice, palliative, and aged care
• Carers, social workers
• Celebrants and doulas 
• Those living with/caring for loved ones with a life-limiting diagnosis/ageing 
• Allied health workers 
• you if you're interested in exploring the art of weaving, regenerative materials or simply seeking new language and possibilities for end-of-life.

A certificate of attendance can be issued on completion for those seeking professional development hours.

We reflect on the value of death contemplation and practices, our place amongst the entangled kingdom of wild things. We  explore roles within ecologies of care, and reflect and share in death and dying practices and reflections. The day may include but not be limited to: readings and poetry, ritual, shared collective wisdom, journalling, dyad work and group process.

Dying, death and grief can be re/claimed as a relational and mystery filled experience beyond the physiological event.

In removing invasive cats claw from our forests, we save and protect precious native tree species. In working with cats claw fibre, we'll cover ground such as:

- weaving ethics
- weaving as death ritual
- weaving as regenerative practice
- weaving as grief catharsis
- weaving to recall ‘unforgotten wisdom’ (ancestral lineage)
 

Cat’s claw creeper is listed as a Key Threatening Process in NSW because of its potential to impact on endangered and vulnerable plants as well as Lowland Subtropical Rainforest, which is an Endangered Ecological Community.

We very much look forward to your company. Your Facilitators:

Zimmi Forest [she/her] - Weaving Nature 
Zimmi has been teaching and creating for the last 42 years. Her careers with plants fibres began in the late 1980’s. She has been teaching basketry since 1996. As a fibreartist Zimmi’s work has been exhibited in many nationally curated exhibitions such as Sculpture by the Sea Conrad Jupiters, The Blake Prize and Jacaranda Acquisitive Drawing Award. Zimmi has had 10 solo shows at both commercial and regional galleries and commissioned to create over 100 artworks for public galleries, private clients, hospitals and resorts. Her ephemeral art events and gatherings are often held around the beaches and forests of Byron Bay.

Emma Beattie [she/her] - Before & After Life
Emma has worked, trained, studied and volunteered in end-of-life since 2020, this experience intersects a long line of personal loss.  She brings a post humanist, creative and poetic lens to caring, deathing and grieving. Her professional origins reside in creative strategy, storytelling and social impact. She offers pathways and supports, education and facilitation for people, families, groups and communities. She runs programs, workshops, community meets and retreats and 1:1's. Emma is a member of Palliative Care NSW, the Natural Death Advocacy Network (NDAN), National Assoc. for Loss and Grief (NLAG) and is an advocate for Compassionate Communities Australia.

Testimonials 
Such a powerful day of learning. J.H

The passion and wisdom with which both these women offer their experience and skills was clear in their creation of such a richly rewarding day. It was a lovely activation of the senses. J.I.