At Regionshospital Gødstrup, a dedicated ‘Ritual of remembrance’ was established in Palliative Care Unit, as a part parts of the ”Art in Health Biennale, a pre-project,” in November 2023. The pilot aims to investigate how the development, training, and implementation of a farewell ritual for departure processes can contribute to creating a beautiful memory. This exploration was facilitated through dramaturgical and interior architectural elements that create an aesthetic backdrop for the farewell.

The farewell ritual incorporates various dramaturgical elements and props, in conjunction with the architecture and interior design. Patient room 521 was decorated as an experiment in this, while the ritual itself was designed to be performed in all rooms within the department. Specifically, interior solutions such as a lounge chair, coffee table, curtains, and dining area were integrated. Props for the farewell ritual included flowers, cards for flower pressing, candles, a jewellery pouch, a comb, and a poetry booklet made by studio poēsís.

The ritual is a ceremony that helps us to be present together as we approach these moments. The ritual is social and conducted in a safe space where the staff offers their presence and comfort, ensuring that nothing can go wrong. The intention is for the ritual to serve as a supportive framework that relatives and staff can give meaning to together. Its structured format is a starting point to make room for poetry, song, music, symbolism, and aesthetics in our memory of a life once lived. During the ritual, there is room for uncertainty, doubt, powerlessness, and relief — everything that gives the ritual humanity and life.

The pilot project was developed by director Thure Lindhardt, actor Kai Bredholt, and architect Esben Bala Skouboe, in close collaboration with Chief Nurse Lene Høgsberg and the staff in a co-creative process. In the development of the farewell ritual, staff and artists needed to meet at the hospital to gain an understanding of key needs, sensory experiences, practices, and existential needs associated with death in the department. This included conversations with all professionals, roleplaying, and involving the hospital chaplain. The purpose was to provide a broader range of options that could address various needs of relatives based on the staff’s experiences and perceptions of the specific family.

The early effect of the ritual has included a sparked curiosity among the staff, which can stimulate a developing idea-space internally within the department. It has made them feel capable of offering a successful and special level of care, which can boost confidence, courage and resilience. For the relatives, the ritual contributes to creating a caring atmosphere that makes the farewell dignified, personal and memorable. This can serve as a positive distraction, which can thus be a starting point for rehabilitation and the grieving process.