Senior Project

Inspired by the poem The Dash (written by Linda Ellis), this untitled project looks to find a better way to provide insight to visitors of the lives of the deceased at their gravesites. Traditionally, one can be buried in a casket and laid to rest underground with a headstone above ground. An alternative to this, is to be cremated and placed into a wall grave. As of this very moment, the following information is available to visitors of each grave: a name, birthday, date of passing, and a personal message or prayer. While these are vital pieces of information for anyone to identify whose graves they are visiting, it does not provide additional information for those seeking it. Not everyone is fortunate enough to hear many stories of the deceased and this project looks to change that. While one cannot tell an entire life story on a single sheet of paper, provided enough room, a short description can be written accompanied by personal anecdotes. The paper length would be that of a scroll (33 in x 6.5 in), to be rolled up and placed into a slot next to the gravestones. This would make it so that no one’s life stories would be lost in time and the following generations to come can be informed of their family history.