A new educational film based on Edinburgh Napier University research has been launched, with the aim of supporting people with learning disabilities to have open conversations about death and grief.
‘Life, Death and Lilies’, centred on a project of the same name, was given a premiere at in Edinburgh last night, as part of national festival of remembrance To Absent Friends – which runs until 7th November.
The initial project went on public display in 2017 – inviting members of the public to place an illuminated lily in memory of a loved one in the city’s Grassmarket area.
It was based on research undertaken by Dr Diane Willis from ENU’s School of Health and Social Care, and brought to life with support from Dr Kirstie Jamieson of the School of Arts and Creative Industries Dr Euan Winton from Heriot-Watt University, through funding from the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care.
As an extension of that work, this short new film explores bereavement and loss through a range of creative activities developed by members of charity Garvald Edinburgh, including expressive dancing, singing, visual arts, and sign along. It also contains interviews with adults with learning disabilities, and staff-facilitated discussion about loss and bereavement.
Dr Diane Willis said: “Just as Life, Death and Lilies enabled people from all communities to create and be part of a remembrance garden for those who had died, the film develops this work by enabling individual grief to be expressed through different creative mediums, while showing how to start such conversations about death and grief.
“We feel the film has shown that, given the right forum, people with learning disabilities want to discuss death and express their grief in a format they feel comfortable with. We wanted to address ideas about how to start conversations about death for those who support them.
“In the future we hope to offer a training package based on this work, so the legacy of this project can continue.”
The team behind the film hope it will be ready to be used as a resource in the new year.
Pictured - Above, the original Life, Death and Lilies installation. Below, people at the launch of the educational film in Edinburgh.