A Space for Critical
Design Thinking
The Embrace
Iris Wong-Wylie, Lea Papillon & Odessa Boehm
The Embrace
Iris Wong-Wylie, Lea Papillon & Odessa Boehm

What will death practices look like in 100 years? Will we still be embalming bodies, averting decay? Will we still be burying caskets, forgoing land in perpetuity? Perhaps the future of death practices will compel a reconnection with nature, within a society that fully embraces the temporality of existence. Perhaps it will be commonplace to plan one’s death, allowing families to embark on a meaningful death ritual. In a society that honors a medically assisted death, a new typology of buildings will emerge. This drawing depicts an accessible gondola ride, bringing an individual at the end of their life up a mountain peak to experience a glorious final view.