This edition of Death Salon features presentations by Susan Thomson (writer, filmmaker and visual artist), Carrie Stanley (artist and mentor) and Zara Slattery (comic artist and illustrator). Together, they will share how specific projects or long-term practices have shaped their relationship to death, grief and survival.

At the centre of the space will be a specially commissioned, shrouded vessel for remembrance, designed by Luna Arts in collaboration with Dagmara Rudkin (Sacred Wings Shrouds). The vessel invites audiences to pause, reflect, and gently engage with their own experiences of loss or memory — offering both a focal point for quiet contemplation and a subtle challenge to how death is often hidden or sanitised in Western culture.

Death Salon creates a thoughtful, welcoming space for conversation around subjects that are often avoided. It celebrates creative expression as a tool for wellbeing, connection and collective care, and invites audiences to listen, reflect and be present together.

The evening is curated and produced by Wendy Pye (Luna Arts) and hosted by celebrant and podcast host Jess May.

Speakers

Susan Thomson

Susan Thomson is a writer, filmmaker and visual artist. Her recent film The Swimming Diaries (2024), funded by an Arts Council of Ireland Reel Art award, premiered at the Dublin International Film Festival and has since screened internationally. Based on her memoir, the work explores memory, embodiment and survival. Susan’s films have been shown at institutions including Tate Modern, MoMA PS1, the Barbican and IMMA. She is currently completing Ghost Empire, an award-winning long-term film project examining the legacy of British colonial anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
susanthomson.co.uk · @susanthomson_ghostempire

Carrie Stanley

Carrie Stanley is a Hove-based artist and mentor whose practice centres on creative healing following traumatic loss. After the death of her husband in 2012, Carrie began using art as a way to process grief, identity and motherhood, drawing deeply on her relationship with the sea as a space of spiritual and emotional transformation. Her multidisciplinary work spans painting, performance and installation, and for the past 18 months has focused exclusively on ultramarine blue. Carrie has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and is a member of the Throes of Grief collective.
@carriestanleyartist

Zara Slattery

Zara Slattery is a comic artist, illustrator and educator, and author of the award-winning graphic memoir COMA (Myriad Editions). Her work explores medical, historical and environmental themes through collaborative, research-led comics. Zara is a disability and inclusivity advocate, co-director of the Comics Cultural Impact Collective, and a steering committee member of the Society of Authors’ Comics Creators Network. She is currently working on a graphic adaptation of the medieval eco-fable Sweeney’s Progress.
zaraslattery.com · @zaraslattery

Death Salon is presented and curated by Luna Arts
lunaarts.org.uk/death-salon · @lunaarts_org