Conferences
Spontaneous Memorials: Contemporary perspectives on their sociocultural, psychological and organisational impact
International Conference, Manchester
12-13 June 2025
Workshops
Working with spontaneous memorials: Reflecting on practice and co-designing guidance
International Collaborative Workshop
Manchester Art Gallery, November 2024
Creating, Documenting and Using Archives of Spontaneous Memorials
International Workshop, Manchester Art Gallery, September 2018
Performances and Exhibitions
12 June 2025
Fragments of Paris: Spontaneous Tributes after November 13
A photographic exploration of collective grief and loss, following the November 13 attack on Paris.
By Yves Samuel
13 June 2025
Mourning Flowers /
Flower Sleeve
An art project that brings awareness to the ripple effects of trauma and fear that communities sustain after acts of violence.
By Tanja Hollander
12 June 2025
Fence, photograph, pandemic, piano: The Makeshift Music of Sudden Memorials
Introduction by Kevin Malone / Performed by Adam Swayne
In 2006, Kevin Malone took a photo of a makeshift wire fence near the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 Shanksville, Pennsylvania. On the fence, visitors had been attaching objects of remembrance, loss, honour and thanks since the crash. The photo captured a sudden, transient moment of hundreds of items, some carefully designed and brought to the site, while others were spontaneously offered when visitors were moved upon seeing it.
From this, Malone set out to compose his powerfully evocative musical Odyssey, Sudden Memorials.