Su Chard
I have been a funeral Celebrant in the South West of England for the past 20 years. In 2016 I completed a MSc at the Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath and am now pursuing funding for a PhD. My interests bridge professional practice and academic study. My masters dissertation looked at how the early questions a Funeral Director asks a customer determines the Funeral Rite that is conducted. My PhD interests are about how we will use Crematoriums and their grounds in the future as they find them selves in the 21st century at the centre of a changing industry and amid evolving and innovative expectations of those planning a funeral. ASDS provides a rare opportunity for professionals in the funeral industry and academics who are considering and curious about all aspects of death and dying to meet. This seems to me a fertile place for great conversations and networking.
I am also interested in creative methods for research and the use of the arts for opening dialogue about death and dying. I curated a project, Written in Stone, at Gloucester Crematorium as photographer in residence with a poet in residence. This ended in a performance of music, poetry and images. The Empty Chair was an art installation That was installed at the Universities of Warwick and Bath.
I am also a partner, a mother, a grandmother, a Quaker, gardener and sometime artist. I identify as female and use she/her.
email: Suchard17@gmail.com