Designing death - fresh takes on humusation

Eventhough the act of composting dead matter has a longstanding tradition, the humusation of our human body's can be seen as a new (and old!) technological innovation. Not much is known, let alone designed to fit this purpose. 

Luckily there exists such an organisation as The End of Life Lab. This research lab from the TU Delft explores the different ways in which design can contribute to the quality of life in its final stages. Under the supervision of Dr. ir. Marieke Sonneveld the lab undertakes a variety of projects ranging from safety in ambulances to the different ways one can improve the resilience of a caretaker. 

Past summer the End of Life Lab invited Susanne Duijvenstein to co-facilitate a design project with the students of the TU Delft, on the topic of Humusation. The project - which will run from September 2019 - February 2020 invites students to ruminate the practicalities of humusation, its ritual meaning and ecological relevance - and come up with novel design solutions.

More posts about this project will follow.