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Media Release

September 16, 2005

Deadly topic goes public

From Six Feet Under to the CSI franchise, popular culture has recently taken a “deadly” turn. But what does death and dying really mean in Australia today?

UniSA research group Cultures of the Body explores this question in a public forum Death Works, the second in the Talking Bodies Series to be held this Tuesday September 20 at 6.30pm.

UniSA PhD student and forum organiser Katrina Jaworski said that while death is a part of the human experience, it is a topic that is not often discussed.

“The forum is an opportunity to have relevant public discussions about issues surrounding death and dying,” Jaworski said.

“And while it can be very painful for some to talk about death, it is important we engage with the topic.”

“In my own research I’ve found that interpretations of death are quite often one-sided. So we’ve collected a diverse group of speakers as means of exploring various aspects of this immensely significant issue.”

With input from health practitioners, artists and cultural researchers investigating topics from suicide to obituary journalism, the forum promises a diverse exploration of life’s inescapable experience.

The speakers include: Dr Kay Price, registered nurse, UniSA senior lecturer and key researcher in the Centre for Research into Sustainable Health; Associate Prof Chris Orchard, senior lecturer and head of drawing at the Adelaide Central Studios and School of Art (ACSA); Bev Quested, nurse and researcher into the hospital care of dead patient bodies; Dr Nigel Starck, UniSA lecturer and researcher into newspaper obituaries; Katrina Jaworski, UniSA PhD researcher focusing on gender in suicide.

DEATH WORKS – The second public forum of the Talking Bodies Series

When: 6.30pm, Tuesday September 20, 2005
Where: Basil Hetzel building, UniSA City East campus, Frome Road.
RSVP: culturesofthebody@unisa.edu.au

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