ABOUT WHAT THE DYING SEE
Research translated into art, exploring solace, awe and a sense of the sacred.
What The Dying See transforms anonymised witness accounts from doctoral research into drawings, paintings and immersive installations, creating space to consider dying, consciousness, grief and meaning without being told what to believe.
EMILY TURNBULL
Researcher · Artist
Emily Turnbull is a PhD researcher and artist exploring end-of-life experiences witnessed around dying and the questions they raise about consciousness, grief and meaning. Her doctoral research at the University of Northampton combines a nationally representative UK survey with in-depth qualitative interviews, examining experiences reported by members of the public around the deaths of people close to them.
Her interest in this field also grows from a personal near-death experience in 2015, which led to a sustained exploration of experiences around death and dying. Through What The Dying See, Emily brings research and artistic practice together, translating anonymised witness accounts into drawings, paintings and immersive multidisciplinary work while remaining open and non-prescriptive about what such experiences ultimately mean.
APPROACH
This project does not ask audiences to adopt a particular explanation for these experiences.
The intention is to create space for reflection and conversation, rather than to prescribe a spiritual, religious, paranormal, materialist or other interpretation.
PARTNERSHIP
Centre for Liminal Studies
The first public exhibition is being developed with the Centre for Liminal Studies, bringing together research, original artwork, public conversation and digital documentation.