An eye-opening academic symposium on death, dying and grief in performance is being held in Manchester next month. This event will examine work that explores themes of death and grief and also consider the responsibility that artists may or may not bear to the subjects of their work. This includes people who contribute to and participate in the creation of the work and also the audiences who experience the finished piece.

This symposium is a part of Sick! Festival, which is a biennial international festival. Sick! Festival events examine difficult and important issues through a variety of art forms including dance, theatre, public installation and also through lectures and debates. The festival explores what it means to be human and looks into topics such as sexuality, identity, mental illness, ageing and death.

Artists and academics presenting and discussing their work at the event include:

• Mats Staub (Interdisciplinary Digital Artist)
• Prof. Mahesh Nirmalan (Critical Care Unit at Manchester Royal Infirmary)
• Steven Eastwood (Documentary Filmmaker)
• Dr Richard Talbot and Dr. Sheila McCormick (University of Salford)
• Leo Burtin and Ali Wilson (Performance Makers)
• Members of theatre companies Ridiculusmus and Quarantine

Alongside these fascinating panel discussions, the symposium will include an opportunity to experience Dr. Sheila McCormick’s project ‘Death, Dinner and Performance’. This project places the taboo subjects of death and dying in the conversational context of the dinner table.

In support of such a festival, James Dunn, co-founder of funeral price comparison website Beyond, commented:

"The Performance and Death Symposium is part of a fascinating festival. Events such as this play a vital role in encouraging people to talk about the subject of death.

"In order to drive positive change in the funeral industry, we as a society need to be talking more about death to normalise a subject that is still often considered taboo."

The symposium is being hosted by the University of Salford in their New Adelphi Studio which is part of the New Adelphi building. The state-of-the-art facility was opened in 2016 and is now home to Arts and Media on the main campus of the university.

The Performance and Death Symposium is being held on Thursday April 14 at 10am in the New Adelphi Studio at the University of Salford. General admission is £25 or £10 for wheelchair users and concession tickets. Lunch, tea and coffee is also included in the price of the ticket. You can book online here.

Issued for and on behalf of Zazzle Media