Towards a Porous Landscape of Mourning

Starting in January 2026, Niko Hafkenscheid hopes to work with a grant under the Arts Decree on a research project exploring contemporary mourning infrastructure and the dramaturgy of mourning that has emerged within it. The research does not focus on the emotional aspects of mourning, but rather on the architectural machinery and the dispositives that have recently been put in place to shape and codify death and its dramaturgy. He focuses in particular on crematoria, buildings that, in his view, form the foundation of the dramaturgy and (pseudo)rituals that are common today. Crematoria embody a peculiar trinity: they are at once factory, temple, and theatre. His research examines the tension between these functions within the typology of these buildings.

In preparation for this research, Niko Hafkenscheid is delving into a number of aspects of contemporary mourning dramaturgy that are not included in his 2026 application but will serve a supporting role. At workspacebrussels, he focuses on the role of the eulogy within this context.