Settings of dying – The possibilities and limits of ‘designing’ at the end of life

Abstract

Based on our ongoing research project “Settings of Dying” (sterbesettings.ch/en), in this workshop, we aim to take a close look at the understanding and practice of “gestalten/designing” in end-of-life care settings (e. g. palliative care in hospitals or hospices). We approach “gestalten/designing” from an interdisciplinary perspective that includes social anthropology, nursing, literary studies, communication design, product design, philosophy, sociology of religion, and performative arts to explore the complexities, nuances, and contingencies of contemporary dying in Western European societies and beyond.

Conducting our research in Switzerland, a country that places a high value on individual responsibility, autonomy, and freedom of choice, allows for reflections on the possibilities and limits of “gestalten/designing”, of who is (co)designing for whom and with whom, and the role of caring and compassionate communities at the end of life. In our research project, we look at a variety of settings to understand how practices, motives, and materialities shape the end of life: from hospitals to hospices, from autobiographical literature to digital spaces. Which images are used to illustrate dying or palliative care? And how could we contribute to the democratization of end-of-life care with the design of new images or products? Which potentials and challenges does palliative care, with its community-focused and family-centered approach, offer for the highly economized and fragmented healthcare system it is situated in? How does digitalization influence contemporary experiences of dying? And how do current literary accounts contribute to broadening our perspective, and vocabulary, of dying today?

Inspired by an interactive workshop format, we plan to have a mix of short presentations of individual research projects, demonstrations of design objects, and readings followed by a moderated discussion centered around the workshop’s theme.