House of Grief

EASTERN CEMETERY / MUnich

House of Mourning – dance film for the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising

The new funeral home in eastern Munich – a new and light-filled, open building serving as a place of encounter and hospitality on the border between the city and the cemetery. Changes in society, families and lifestyles have created new needs in dealing with death and grief.

The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising has created a special inclusion project here with great dedication: a modern funeral home that connects people as a communicative space, offers comfort and provides room for innovative grief work – a place for pastoral care, farewells and rituals.

The special architecture is the heart of the house – a vertical light shaft stretching from the basement to the attic symbolises the process of mourning. All emotions are welcome, from the dark basement to the bright attic, in a constant interplay. In the areas of the house where the light refracts in different degrees of brightness, seating areas offer space to linger, reflect and feel. An invitation to take a seat, also for conversations.

For the opening in July 2024, we had the opportunity to initiate a creative project – a dance film. In collaboration with choreographer Roberta Pisu and the Arcis Collective, under the artistic direction of the wonderful Elisabeth Lutz (cultural management at archdiocese of Munich and Freising).

This dance film captures the special play of light in the building, brings the unique atmosphere of the funeral home to life and reminds us of the importance of saying goodbye in a modern, open culture of mourning. It was presented at the opening and can now be viewed there.

Artistic direction: Andrea Elisabeth Lutz

Concept, direction: Roberta Pisu / arcis_collective

Production: Raphael Kurig / WE ARE VIDEO

Music: Arcis Saxophone Quartet

Camera: Claus Hierluksch, Jure Knez

Video editing: Alfonso Fernandez Sanchez/ Arcis Visuals

Composition: Shuteen Erdenebaatar

Dance: Erica D’amico, Hikaru Osakabe, Edoardo Cino

Voice-over: Julia Cortis

Texts: Else Lasker

‘The house at the eastern cemetery in Munich now offers a place of refuge for mourners. It is probably unique in Germany in this form.’

Further information: https://www.haus-am-ostfriedhof.de/home