Dissertations... what a joyous activity every degree student partakes in.
Many of us may have negative memories associated with the act of writing our dissertations. We tend to focus on how frustrating, overwhelming and time consuming the process was, rather than the good that came from the experience - such as learning about a new topic or discovering a new career direction.
Having completed my dissertation and witnessed the effect it had on my mental wellbeing, I decided it was time to move on. Initially I had thought of accumulating all of the notes, documents, scribbles and packets of biscuits to then scan in and create a publication from. However, by visualising the emotions expressed, I found that doing so only brought them back rather than letting go...
Instead, I threw a funeral for the dissertation. Usually at these services those who wish to say goodbye to the deceased attend and express their memories. While this can be an upsetting event, attendees often feel relived as it allows them to focus their grievance on the good times and what they will treasure, compared to the loss.
By throwing this dissertation funeral, my aim was to help fellow peers with the process of reflection as they became more focused on what they had learnt. While these experiences may not have been the most positive to reflect upon, they do shape who we become as both people and designers.
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Invitations.
Spread across the library (for last minute crammers) and discreetly placed onto peers desks, these invitations displayed their emotions on the front to create an interest for the event. The copy foreshadows the outcome of the event with the copy 'in a years time (...) won't matter', suggesting act of moving on.
Order of Service.
At the event, order of service booklets were handed out to attendees which included the following:
An introduction, warning (to let out all emotions and mind the fire), a poem about letting go rather than a hymn as this felt disrespectful to religious ceremonies, space to write what they disliked and learnt from their dissertation, guidance on how to let go (the fire), a parting messaging and party hat stencils to cut out and wear during the wake/celebration. The colours chosen represent the funeral process i.e. fire, ash/darkness, growth. This also inspired the illustration as it mixes both flames and leafs to symbolise the event.
At the Service.
At first we struggled to burn the dissertations as it was rather windy. But with a lot of cursing, wafting, and huddling together, we got the fire burning. Lots of laugher and eulogies were spoken through exhausted and relieved expressions. The graphics car park was transformed into a safe space with the addition of some matches, tutor Matt’s office metal bin, and paper. Throwing a symbolism of their dissertations into the fire suggested an end, with the opportunity for growth to come from the ashes.
For a video of the event, please see my instagram.
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Ashes to ashes... or ink?
As the bin cooled down and I was able to bring it inside I thought to myself 'what on earth am I going to do with all of this ash??'. Well Megan, you can make ink of course! Inspired by advice for bereavement, I decided to write a letter to my dissertation with the ink made from its 'remains' to let out all of the raw emotions I had felt, thus finalising the letting go journey. Doing so was unsurprisingly difficult as I felt vulnerable.
From this three day self-initiated project I learnt a few things.
It's important to reflect on the past, but also to let go too. By over analysing the negatives, we tend to forget the positives and this reflects in everything we do. Burning paper is fun, but maybe use a bigger bin... Laughter, play and risk are incredibly important parts of a design process. Without them we become too serious and fear the unknown. Not only do we not enjoy the process, the outcomes aren't as imaginative or expressive because we aren't putting ourselves into them. While purpose is important, it shouldn't be the only driving force when developing creative solutions.