Opening Ceremony Podcast with Jess May
Podcast blurb
Welcome to ‘Opening Ceremony Podcast’ with me, your host, Jess May.
I'm on a mission to keep ceremonies alive! Join me to hear all about why!
In the UK people are giving up on ceremony and I believe it is making us sick.
I don’t want that for you and that is why we’re here.
Ceremonies remind you that you belong here, you’re precious and you’re never alone.
I hope that this podcast will do that too.
On my podcast we connect with Academics, Professionals, colleagues, friends & clients share their life events, passions, careers and the ceremonies associated with them.
Ceremonies hold power to create meaning and are a vital source of connection and belonging for human beings.
As cultures evolve, ceremonies do too, how we approach that shift matters, because even as they disappear and change shape, they continue to hold power for both good and bad.
I want to empower you to create ceremonies which honour your values and remind you that you and yours belong in this world.
Good ceremonies tell your own story and help you to find your own meaning by reflecting who you are, healing you and showing you how much you matter.
But they can also be used in damaging ways.
If you don’t claim that power and choose your own way of celebrating your life and telling your story, someone else will do it for you.
Even as they fall from fashion, they will continue to matter to us societally, historically, personally & culturally.
There is never a time in human history where people don’t use them somewhere in the world for myriad reasons.
Focusing on ceremony shows us the interconnected multitude of human lives throughout history and across cultures. Ceremonies help us to hear those voices, their differences and similarities and understand the world-views behind the ceremonies they create.
Jess May is an Award Winning Celebrant who started her career in 2013 creating hundreds of life changing ceremonies for every occasion.
Join the Opening Ceremony constellation to learn more about why ceremonies still play a central part in human and animal societies.
Opening Ceremony Podcast with Jess May
EXQUISITE SHROUDS. Dagmara Rudkin from Sacred Wings Burial Shrouds
Today we have Dagmara Rudkin sharing with us about her astonishing shrouds. I first met Dagmara a couple of years ago and was blown away by her gorgeous shrouds which are unlike any I've ever seen. I can't wait for you to hear more about them.
We are obviously talking about death in this episode and so if that is a trigger for you this might not be for you x
I will let her speak for herself:
Hi I'm Dagmara, I am a Polish-born and Brighton-based visual artist and art educator. I work freelance at my studio at the Phoenix Art Space and as an associate lecturer in Art and Design at Brighton MET, Phoenix Art Space and Hastings Contemporary.
Burial shrouds.
I graduated from Glass and Fine Art Painting and later on completed MA in Sequential Design and Illustration. Now I work not with glass which is precious and hard and brittle but with fibre and soft and mainly reclaimed materials. Making shrouds and commemorative textiles has given a new purpose and a new meaning to my practice. Here, I bring my passion for unfolding stories, and celebrating and honouring someone’s life, acknowledging life and nature cycles, doing as little harm to the environment as possible. Each shroud is unique, each handmade with love and care. I particularly cherish working with textiles of the deceased family’s heirlooms. Their table and bed linens, their garments and trimmings hold stories of travels, friendships and family events. Now they can serve their last purpose: to help with the final journey, to help with processing grief of those left behind.
Shroud Making Workshops.
I am in a process of developing workshops where you can design and make a shroud for yourself or your loved one. Making your own shroud is a stimulating and life-enhancing experience, regardless of how far you may be from the end of your life. Getting together and making a shroud for a person you love helps with processing grief and anticipation of your own death.
Art Workshops easing conversation about death and dying.
Together with my friend and colleague, photographer and filmmaker Wendy Pye, I have co-founded Luna Arts– an art organisation that specialises in art workshops and events for well-being. Wendy is also a co-founder of Soul Films , an organisation that makes films about the life of someone who has died or is near dying. Together, we facilitate workshops where creativity is used to ease conversation about death and dying.
Teaching
I have been teaching Art and Design for over 20 years and offer workshops to individuals and groups. I have experience in pastoral care as a Course Leader on Adult Foundation Course and I also facilitate art workshops for schools and adults at Hastings Contemporary and Phoenix Art Space. I hold a PGCSE in Art and Design.
YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DAGMARA AND HER SHROUDS HERE
https://dagmararudkin.com/
https://www.instagram.com/dagmara.rudkin/
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