Research and Readings

Spiritual Path, Sacred Place

What I learned most from this book, is the progression and ideas of path. The most intriguing ideas are in which the visitor experiences and chooses their way through the spaces. This book mentioned the Woodland Cemetery and the Brion-Vega Cemetery. I decided to further research these ideas (See later on in this blog) I will come back to this book and the way it references nature and spirituality.

The Woodland Cemetery

Okay, after this book I no longer feel anything toward this project. I have decided to no longer pursue it as a precedent. The progression of the design ideas between the two architects seemed haphazard and unrelated. The only features that I liked were the meditation knoll and the placing of the graves under the trees. I have decided to focus my studies on the Brion-Vega Cemetery

At this time, I just checked out a book on Brion and will begin my further research on it. The Spiritual Path devoted an entire chapter to and has provided me with a lot of ideas. The use of symbolism through out the space is intriguing. I like that is very personal to the family yet the visitors still want to come.


On Death and Dying

The ideas that I pulled from this reading were:
Prepatory depression versus reactive depression
Acceptance is almost void of feelings. The final rest before the long journey, it's the time the family needs the most help.
The patient reaches a point where death comes as a great relief.
Monumental task required to achieve this stage of acceptance, leading towards a gradual separation (decathexis) where there is no longer two way communication.
Death is not the problem. Dying is feared because of the accompanying sense of hopelessness, helplessness and isolation.
Death is just the moment dying ends.
And this poem from Stray Birds CLXXVI by Tagore:
The water in the vessel is sparkling;
the water in the sea is dark.
The small truth has words that are clear;
the great truth has great silence.

Last Wish by Betty Rollin

This is the story of a terminally-ill woman. It is written by her daughter. It does a wonderful job chronically her life all the way to her last moment. It discovers the pain and torment of both the patient and the family. It was written in the early 80's when even less knowlege was available than today. One of the best lines from the book took place in a dialogue between the daughter and her husband:
"I can't imagine her actually doing it, can you?" "Yes, but in a way that's not the issue. The issue is choice."
I found this to be so compelling. Why don't more places allow someone to help these people that so desperately want help.

A Chosen Death by Lonny Shavelson

I think this is my favorite book I have read on the issues so far. It provides the accounts of five different terminally-ill patients and their struggles to find help. It references the books I have already read as well as the ones on my nightstand. The insight from this book is what I was looking for. If I had to recommend only one book on the topic, it would be this one. The author remains objective through out the interviews. He provides stories on the elderly, the young, the disabled and the depressed. It provides summaries of the other books I have been reading and pointing out the relevance to each case.

Next up on my reading list:

Derek Humphrey's list of books: Final Exit, Jean's Way and Let Me Die Before I Wake
Final Acts of Love by Stephen Jamison
Icons of Twentieth-Century Landscape Design by Katie Campbell (features Woodland Cemetery)

I also found a great website devoted to Scarpa's work that provides many useful drawings and images.