sebastian s. bjerkvik

^projects
to die twice
men det var en gang i oslo
alle kirkene restaureres

^commissioned
portraits

cityguides
svalbard
st. hanshaugen run club
1000 og en dag

To die twice

The ongoing project "to die twice" (working title) explores how we as a society define human worth by photographing municipal funerals. The photographs examine cases where no one comes to say farewell after someone has left this world. The project is a visual and philosophical reflection on existential questions about life and death.

When someone passes away and the bereaved are unable or unwilling to handle the funeral arrangements, the municipality is legally obligated to take on this responsibility. When the municipality takes over, the obituary simply reads "friends." Such municipal funerals take place between one hundred and two hundred times a year in Oslo. In several of these funerals, no one attends.