ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alison Killing - Architect
An 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.

More profile about the speaker
Alison Killing | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2014

Alison Killing: There’s a better way to die, and architecture can help

Alison Killing: Há uma maneira melhor de morrer, e a arquitetura pode ajudar

Filmed:
1,316,847 views

Nesta curta e provocativa palestra, a arquiteta Alison Killing analisa construções onde a morte e a sua chegada acontecem: cemitérios, hospitais, nosso próprio lar. O modo como morremos está mudando, e os lugares construídos para a morte... bem, talvez devessem mudar também. É um olhar surpreendentemente fascinante quanto aos aspectos escondidos de nossas cidade e nossas vidas.
- Architect
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.

00:12
I'd like to tell you a story
about death and architecture.
0
810
4031
Gostaria de contar uma história
sobre morte e arquitetura.
00:16
A hundred years ago, we tended to die
of infectious diseases like pneumonia,
1
4841
4630
Há 100 anos, tendíamos a morrer
de doenças infecciosas como pneumonia,
00:21
that, if they took hold,
would take us away quite quickly.
2
9471
3297
que, se tomassem conta,
levariam-nos rapidamente.
00:24
We tended to die at home,
in our own beds, looked after by family,
3
12768
3734
Morríamos em casa, em nossas
próprias camas, aos cuidados da família,
embora esta fosse a opção convencional,
00:28
although that was the default option
4
16502
1792
00:30
because a lot of people
lacked access to medical care.
5
18294
2590
já que poucas pessoas
tinham acesso à assistência médica.
00:33
And then in the 20th century
a lot of things changed.
6
21614
2779
E então, no século 20,
muitas coisas mudaram.
Desenvolvemos novos remédios
como a penicilina,
00:36
We developed new medicines like penicillin
7
24393
2097
00:38
so we could treat
those infectious diseases.
8
26490
2485
então, poderíamos tratar
aquelas doenças infecciosas.
00:40
New medical technologies
like x-ray machines were invented.
9
28975
3274
Novas tecnologias médicas como as máquinas
de raio X foram inventadas.
00:44
And because they were
so big and expensive,
10
32249
2252
Mas como elas eram muito grande e caras,
00:46
we needed large, centralized
buildings to keep them in,
11
34501
3018
precisávamos de locais grandes
e centralizados para mantê-las,
00:49
and they became our modern hospitals.
12
37519
2299
então vieram nossos hospitais modernos.
Após a Segunda Guerra Mundial,
00:51
After the Second World War,
13
39818
1423
00:53
a lot of countries set up
universal healthcare systems
14
41241
2640
muitos países criaram
sistemas de saúde universais,
então, todos que precisavam
de tratamento poderiam obtê-lo.
00:55
so that everyone who needed
treatment could get it.
15
43881
2647
00:58
The result was that lifespans extended
from about 45 at the start of the century
16
46528
4249
Como resultado, a expectativa de vida
subiu de 45 anos, no início do século,
01:02
to almost double that today.
17
50777
2183
para quase o dobro hoje em dia.
01:04
The 20th century was this time of huge
optimism about what science could offer,
18
52960
4098
O século 20 foi bastante otimista
sobre o que a ciência poderia oferecer,
01:09
but with all of the focus on life,
death was forgotten,
19
57058
3727
mas todo o foco estava na vida,
a morte foi esquecida,
01:12
even as our approach to death
changed dramatically.
20
60785
2405
assim como a nossa abordagem
à morte mudou drasticamente.
01:15
Now, I'm an architect,
21
63580
1203
Bom, eu sou arquiteta,
01:16
and for the past year and a half
I've been looking at these changes
22
64783
3242
e há um ano e meio tenho
observado estas mudanças,
e o que elas significam para a arquitetura
relacionada à morte e a sua chegada.
01:20
and at what they mean for architecture
related to death and dying.
23
68025
3154
01:23
We now tend to die
of cancer and heart disease,
24
71179
3233
Agora tendemos a morrer
de câncer e doenças cardíacas,
01:26
and what that means is that many of us
will have a long period of chronic illness
25
74412
3996
ou seja, muitos de nós passaremos
por um longo período de doenças crônicas
01:30
at the end of our lives.
26
78408
1974
ao fim de nossas vidas.
Durante este período,
01:32
During that period,
27
80382
1113
01:33
we'll likely spend a lot of time
in hospitals and hospices and care homes.
28
81495
5063
provavelmente, ficaremos muito tempo
em hospitais e asilos.
Bem, todos nós já estivemos
num hospital moderno.
01:38
Now, we've all been in a modern hospital.
29
86558
2206
01:40
You know those fluorescent lights
and the endless corridors
30
88764
3390
Conhecemos aquelas luzes fluorescentes,
os corredores sem fim
01:44
and those rows of uncomfortable chairs.
31
92154
3018
e aquelas fileiras
de cadeiras desconfortáveis.
01:47
Hospital architecture
has earned its bad reputation.
32
95172
3762
A arquitetura hospitalar
mereceu sua má reputação.
01:50
But the surprising thing is,
it wasn't always like this.
33
98934
3157
Mas, surpreendentemente,
nem sempre foi assim.
01:54
This is L'Ospedale degli Innocenti,
built in 1419 by Brunelleschi,
34
102091
4334
Este é o L'Ospedale degli Innocenti,
construído em 1419 por Brunelleschi,
01:58
who was one of the most famous
and influential architects of his time.
35
106425
3747
que foi um dos mais famosos
e influentes arquitetos de sua época.
02:02
And when I look at this building
and then think about hospitals today,
36
110172
3343
Quando olho para esta construção
e penso nos hospitais de hoje,
02:05
what amazes me is
this building's ambition.
37
113515
3088
o que me espanta
é a ambição desta construção.
02:08
It's just a really great building.
38
116603
1649
É realmente uma grande construção.
02:10
It has these courtyards in the middle
39
118252
1834
Tem esses pátios no centro,
então, todos os quartos
recebem a luz do dia e ar fresco;
02:12
so that all of the rooms
have daylight and fresh air,
40
120086
2533
02:14
and the rooms are big
and they have high ceilings,
41
122619
2413
os quartos são grandes
e têm pés-direitos altos,
02:17
so they just feel
more comfortable to be in.
42
125032
2484
então, parecem ser mais confortáveis.
02:19
And it's also beautiful.
43
127516
1765
E também é belo.
02:21
Somehow, we've forgotten
that that's even possible for a hospital.
44
129281
3831
De certo modo, nós nos esquecemos
que isto é possível para um hospital.
02:25
Now, if we want better buildings
for dying, then we have to talk about it,
45
133112
4023
Agora, se quisermos locais melhores
para morrer, temos que falar a respeito,
02:29
but because we find the subject
of death uncomfortable,
46
137135
2571
mas como achamos
o tema "morte" desconfortável,
02:31
we don't talk about it,
47
139706
1440
não falamos sobre ele,
02:33
and we don't question how we
as a society approach death.
48
141146
3312
e não questionamos como nós,
como sociedade, abordamos a morte.
02:36
One of the things that surprised me
most in my research, though,
49
144458
3174
Uma das coisas que mais
me surpreenderam na minha pesquisa
02:39
is how changeable attitudes actually are.
50
147632
2685
é como as atitudes são realmente mutáveis.
02:42
This is the first crematorium in the U.K.,
51
150317
2392
Este é o primeiro
crematório do Reino Unido,
02:44
which was built in Woking in the 1870s.
52
152709
2809
que foi construído
em Woking nos anos 1870.
02:47
And when this was first built,
there were protests in the local village.
53
155518
3407
E quando foi construído,
houve protestos na vila local.
A cremação não era socialmente aceitável,
e 99,8% das pessoas eram enterradas.
02:50
Cremation wasn't socially acceptable,
and 99.8 percent of people got buried.
54
158925
4883
02:55
And yet, only a hundred years later,
three quarters of us get cremated.
55
163808
3776
Porém, apenas uma centena de anos depois,
três quartos de nós somos cremados.
As pessoas são, de fato,
bem abertas às mudanças das coisas,
02:59
People are actually really open
to changing things
56
167584
2527
03:02
if they're given the chance
to talk about them.
57
170111
2401
desde que tenham a chance
de conversar a respeito.
03:04
So this conversation
about death and architecture
58
172512
3323
Então, esta conversa
sobre morte e arquitetura
03:07
was what I wanted to start
when I did my first exhibition on it
59
175835
3159
era o queria propor quando fiz
minha primeira exposição,
03:10
in Venice in June,
which was called "Death in Venice."
60
178994
3226
em Veneza, em junho,
que se chamava "Morte em Veneza".
03:14
It was designed to be quite playful
61
182220
3274
Foi projetada para ser bem interativa,
então as pessoas, literalmente,
se envolveriam com ela.
03:17
so that people would
literally engage with it.
62
185494
2198
03:19
This is one of our exhibits,
which is an interactive map of London
63
187692
3255
Esta é uma das nossas exposições,
é um mapa interativo de Londres
03:22
that shows just how much
of the real estate in the city
64
190947
2675
que mostra a quantidade
de imóveis da cidade
03:25
is given over to death and dying,
65
193622
1879
que é dedicada à morte e a sua chegada;
03:27
and as you wave your hand across the map,
66
195501
2369
e conforme você desliza a mão pelo mapa,
03:29
the name of that piece of real estate,
the building or cemetery, is revealed.
67
197870
4829
o nome do imóvel, construção
ou cemitério é revelado.
Outra de nossas exibições
foi uma série de cartões-postais
03:34
Another of our exhibits
was a series of postcards
68
202699
2508
03:37
that people could take away with them.
69
205207
1997
que as pessoas podiam levar com elas.
03:39
And they showed people's homes
and hospitals
70
207204
2461
Eles mostravam as casas
das pessoas, hospitais,
03:41
and cemeteries and mortuaries,
71
209665
2415
cemitérios e mortuários,
03:44
and they tell the story
of the different spaces
72
212080
2461
e contavam a história
de diferentes espaços
03:46
that we pass through
on either side of death.
73
214541
2833
que atravessamos
em ambos os lados da morte.
03:49
We wanted to show
that where we die
74
217374
2345
Queríamos mostrar que onde morremos
03:51
is a key part of how we die.
75
219719
3251
é uma parte fundamental de como morremos.
03:54
Now, the strangest thing was the way
that visitors reacted to the exhibition,
76
222970
4783
Agora, o mais estranho era o modo
como o público reagia à exposição,
03:59
especially the audio-visual works.
77
227753
2368
especialmente às obras audiovisuais.
04:02
We had people dancing
and running and jumping
78
230121
3692
Havia pessoas dançando,
correndo e pulando,
04:05
as they tried to activate
the exhibits in different ways,
79
233813
2995
conforme tentavam acionar
as exposições de diferentes maneiras
04:08
and at a certain point
they would kind of stop
80
236808
2444
e, num certo momento, elas paravam,
e se lembravam de que estavam
numa exposição sobre a morte,
04:11
and remember that they were in
an exhibition about death,
81
239252
2734
04:13
and that maybe that's not
how you're supposed to act.
82
241986
2624
e que talvez essa não fosse
a maneira adequada de agir.
04:16
But actually, I would question
whether there is one way
83
244610
2647
Mas, na verdade,
eu questiono se há um jeito
04:19
that you're supposed to act around death,
84
247257
2275
certo de agir perante a morte,
04:21
and if there's not, I'd ask you to think
about what you think a good death is,
85
249532
4551
e se não há, peço a vocês que pensem
sobre o acham que é uma boa morte
04:26
and what you think that architecture
that supports a good death might be like,
86
254083
3669
e o que você acham que a arquitetura
associada a uma boa morte deveria ser;
04:29
and mightn't it be a little less like this
and a little more like this?
87
257752
4728
e não poderia ser menos assim
e um pouco mais deste jeito?
04:34
Thank you.
88
262480
2214
Obrigada.
(Aplausos)
04:36
(Applause)
89
264694
2020
Translated by Fernando Gonçalves
Reviewed by Leonardo Silva

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alison Killing - Architect
An 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.

More profile about the speaker
Alison Killing | Speaker | TED.com