‘Grief — A Work in Progress’ is a multidisciplinary project funded by the Wellcome Trust. Over the past few years, together with scientists, therapists and the bereaved, I have been collecting and archiving individual stories of loss in the 21st century, in order to create collaborative interventions in the form of performances and public events with those affected.

Loss and the process of grief are universal human experiences, which are nevertheless remarkably unique in their individual manifestations. From the end of life to the end of the world: in an age of mass extinction, climate change, new pandemics, and the undoing of democracy the sources of our grief are multiplying.

How do we define and express our sense of loss? How does anticipating grief affect us and our sense of self once loss occurs? How does grief affect our interactions with others and the world? How do we navigate through these self-transforming experiences and conflicts? How do we mourn when our losses are not recognised? Grief — A Work in Progress aims to work across disciplines and cultures to explore, challenge and reimagine the depth and limits of loss and grief.

My own travels through the landscape of grief – personal, scientific and literary – led to the development of this Wellcome Trust-funded project, which was conceived as a series of interventions designed to develop new spaces where we could confront, document, curate and disseminate our collective chronicles of grief.

*Zoe Papadopoulou is an artist who doubles as a tour guide at Highgate Cemetery. Her practice aims to engage a wide range of audiences in ethically challenging issues through workshops and direct participation. Her work takes many forms from installation and writing to performance and has been shown at the V&A Museum, the Wellcome Trust, the ICA, the National Museum of China, the Science Gallery in Dublin and Van Boijmans Museum, amongst others.