Cemetery Rites Animation – University of Reading

I made this research animation with Professor Avril Maddrell, a social and cultural geographer at the University of Reading. It was part of CeMi, a European study of cemeteries and crematoria as public spaces of belonging that ran across eight towns in six countries, funded by HERA. The research looked at how these shared spaces can welcome the varied burial and mourning needs of migrant and minority communities in increasingly multicultural societies.

The animation moves through loss, ritual and belief, and I wanted to handle all of it with care. We chose a muted palette and stayed close to small, intimate moments rather than big statements, so that something communal could also feel personal. I hoped anyone who has stood at a graveside would recognise something familiar in it, whatever their faith or background.

This is the kind of project I find meaningful to work on. Helping Avril’s research reach the people who can use it, planners, faith communities and families, while being careful with how sensitive the subject is, was a real privilege.

If you’re a researcher or organisation working on grief, ritual, migration or cultural inclusion and you’d like to bring your work to life through animation, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch.