The Human Memorial – Tattoos and Grief

About the event

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In an age when most of us will not be remembered on tombstones, we may find we live on in the form of a memorial tattoo on the skin of a loved one. Many argue that having a tattoo made can not only ease the pain of bereavement, but that it also provides a daily reminder of the deceased.

During this session, Dr John Troyer considers the implications of marking a living body with representations of death. He explores the evolution and psychology of these tattoos, discussing current innovations in memorial tattooing. He also discusses the practice of mixing the cremated ashes of a loved one in with the ink that will be used to create the tattoo, thus forming a physical as well as a symbolic link to the deceased.

This event is a pre-recorded session from a previous Good Grief event. This event will be available to watch on-demand on Saturday, October 29th, 2022. There is no live Q+A for this event.