Grief Space

Hosted by Venus Jasper, Grief Space brings together 10+ artist-facilitators and many more visitors in an exploration of grief as a site of connection, resistance, and renewal.


Central is the notion that grief is not something to be fixed, “healed” or “overcome” -as it is often the case in traditional western frameworks- rather, Grief is seen here as something that can constitute who we are as humans, together: learning from, through – and with grief.

‍
Rooted in queer, crip, and ecological thought, Grief Space offers a place to grieve collectively, to rest, to make meaning, to share, and to compost. From somatic workshops and ritual writing to communal voice work and swamp-centered storytelling, the program unfolds as a living ecosystem of practices—tender, raw, ceremonial and informal. Grief Space is made together. It is a hanging out. A conversation. It is not a solution.

It is a pause, a process, a place to be with trouble. An outdoor gathering site for the sharing of grief practices, rituals, conversations, and collective rest—in response to eco-grief, climate anxiety, and the intersecting griefs shaped by racism, ableism, capitalism, and hetero-cis-normativity.
‍
‍
Program
‍
In this first edition of Grief Space, taking place at RE_NATURE festival 2025, the following workshop hosts shared their practices over the span of two concecutive days: Toni Steffens, Anna Arov, Rajni Shah, Kai Hazelwood, Tyron Winter, Jinxiao Zhou, Anllell Maria, Toni Kritzer, RE-PEAT Collective and Nina Boas. More info on their specific offerings here.
‍
𝙏𝙤𝙣𝙞 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨 — 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨
𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝘼𝙧𝙤𝙫, 𝙍𝙖𝙟𝙣𝙞 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙝, 𝙆𝙖𝙞 𝙃𝙖𝙯𝙚𝙡𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙 — 𝙂𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚
‍𝙏𝙮𝙧𝙤𝙣 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 — 𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙝: 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥
𝙅𝙞𝙣𝙭𝙞𝙖𝙤 𝙕𝙝𝙤𝙪 — 𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜
𝘼𝙣𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖 — 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙑𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙁𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚
𝙏𝙤𝙣𝙞 𝙆𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙯𝙚𝙧 — 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝘾𝙧𝙞𝙥 𝙀𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙚𝙨: 𝙈𝙪𝙙 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙥 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘
𝙍𝙀-𝙋𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 — 𝙎𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝
𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝘽𝙤𝙖𝙨 — 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙋𝙞𝙥𝙚
‍
‍

‍

Ceramic Pot
‍
We all gathered in a simple tent perched above a circle of strawbales. Guarding our gathering, was a ceramic herbal oven in the shape of a screaming amphibian deity. Inside this ceramic sculpture, people could burn scribbled papers with wishes, memories, and departures in a simple ritual called Grief Spell. Via a little side-hatch, charcoal and myrrh resin was placed in the base of the pot, setting the writings ablaze.
‍

Grief Space was a moment to lay our bodies on damp earth, to close eyes and explore the slowness of serpents and reptiles: to slither, to sense deeper, to exhale, and to seek out hibernation and recovery.

‍