Alison Killing: There’s a better way to die, and architecture can help
Alison Killing: Es gibt eine bessere Art zu sterben – und Architektur kann dabei helfen
An architect and urban designer, Alison Killing uses journalism, filmmaking and exhibitions to help people better understand the built environment. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
about death and architecture.
über Tod und Architektur erzählen.
of infectious diseases like pneumonia,
an Infektionskrankheiten
would take us away quite quickly.
uns recht schnell dahinrafften.
in our own beds, looked after by family,
unseren Betten, von der Familie versorgt,
lacked access to medical care.
medizinischer Versorgung fehlte.
a lot of things changed.
änderte sich dann vieles.
Medikamente wie Penizillin,
those infectious diseases.
zu behandeln.
like x-ray machines were invented.
wie Röntgenmaschinen, wurden erfunden.
so big and expensive,
buildings to keep them in,
Gebäude zur Aufbewahrung,
modernen Krankenhäuser.
universal healthcare systems
Gesundheitssysteme ein,
treatment could get it.
diese auch erhielt.
from about 45 at the start of the century
von 45 zu Beginn des Jahrhunderts
optimism about what science could offer,
eine Zeit großen Optimismus
death was forgotten,
das Leben vergaß man den Tod,
changed dramatically.
zum Tod extrem veränderte.
I've been looking at these changes
anderthalb Jahren diesen Wandel an,
related to death and dying.
die mit Tod und Sterben zu tun hat.
of cancer and heart disease,
und Herzerkrankungen,
will have a long period of chronic illness
am Lebensende eine lange Zeit
in hospitals and hospices and care homes.
und Pflegeheimen verbringen.
and the endless corridors
die endlosen Flure
has earned its bad reputation.
ihren schlechten Ruf verdient.
it wasn't always like this.
war das nicht immer so.
built in 1419 by Brunelleschi,
1419 von Brunelleschi erbaut,
and influential architects of his time.
berühmtesten Architekten seiner Zeit war.
and then think about hospitals today,
dann an die heutigen Kliniken denke,
this building's ambition.
have daylight and fresh air,
Tageslicht und Frischluft haben.
and they have high ceilings,
more comfortable to be in.
in ihnen noch wohler fühlt.
that that's even possible for a hospital.
für ein Krankenhaus sogar möglich ist.
for dying, then we have to talk about it,
dann müssen wir darüber reden,
of death uncomfortable,
as a society approach death.
wie die Gesellschaft zum Tod steht.
most in my research, though,
vor allem eine Sache überrascht:
in Großbritannien.
there were protests in the local village.
gab es Protest vor Ort.
99,8 % der Menschen wurden begraben.
and 99.8 percent of people got buried.
three quarters of us get cremated.
drei Viertel von uns eingeäschert.
to changing things
gegenüber Veränderungen,
to talk about them.
darüber zu reden.
about death and architecture
über Tod und Architektur
when I did my first exhibition on it
meine erste Ausstellung darüber
which was called "Death in Venice."
mit dem Titel "Tod in Venedig".
literally engage with it.
which is an interactive map of London
eine interaktive Karte von London,
of the real estate in the city
Grundbesitz in der Stadt
the building or cemetery, is revealed.
Gebäudes oder Friedhofs angezeigt.
was a series of postcards
eine Reihe von Postkarten,
and hospitals
of the different spaces
von verschiedenen Orten,
on either side of death.
vom Tod durchlaufen.
that where we die
dass der Ort, wo wir sterben,
wie wir sterben.
that visitors reacted to the exhibition,
auf die Ausstellung reagierten,
and running and jumping
the exhibits in different ways,
verschiedene Weise zu aktivieren.
they would kind of stop
und erinnerten sich,
an exhibition about death,
über den Tod waren,
how you're supposed to act.
nicht so verhalten sollten.
whether there is one way
ob es eine Art gibt,
about what you think a good death is,
zu überlegen, was ein guter Tod ist.
that supports a good death might be like,
die einen guten Tod fördert, sein,
and a little more like this?
so sein, und nicht so?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alison Killing - ArchitectAn architect and urban designer, Alison Killing uses journalism, filmmaking and exhibitions to help people better understand the built environment.
Why you should listen
Alison Killing is an architect and urban designer working to engage people with their built environment, via design of buildings and urban strategies, film making, exhibitions and events. She explores the relationship between death and modern architecture, looking at how cities are rebuilt after disaster.
Recent projects include Death in the City (and its first iteration, Death in Venice, which was shown as an independent event during the opening week of the Venice Architecture Biennale), a touring exhibition about death and modern architecture; work with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on better rebuilding after disaster and how to integrate relevant urban design tools into humanitarian response; and a study of financial models for arts and community projects temporarily using vacant buildings to help these projects become self-sustaining.
Alison Killing | Speaker | TED.com