Of the thesis entitled: 90 Minutes with the Machine
Abstract:
Cremation, or the incineration of human remains, unites two fundamental elements of human existence: fire and death. This unity is today facilitated by the cremator, a machine that burns bodies as efficiently as engineering allows. In the cremator, an average corpse takes only 90 minutes to transform into ash and bone fragments.
However, as the machine hums away, we come to realize that we are forced to reckon with a ninety-minute void. We are forced to wait – to experience time that is unwanted. Waiting brings discomfort in a variety of forms, from grief to irritation to fidgeting, but it also invites honesty. The vulnerability and expectation of waiting allow us to simply be, even if we are seated in a drab witnessing room waiting for the ashes of a loved one. We face time, and, in turn, face ourselves.
This thesis, through a series of essays in a range of media, explores what it’s like to spend 90 minutes with the machine.
The examining committee is as follows:
| Supervisor: | Robert Jan van Pelt, University of Waterloo |
| Committee Members: |
Marie-Paule MacDonald, University of Waterloo Dereck Revington, University of Waterloo |
| External Reader: | Bob Wiljer |
The
committee
has
been
approved
as
authorized
by
the
Graduate
Studies
Committee.
The
Defence
Examination
will
take
place:
Monday
December 17,
2018
2:00
PM
Idea
Exchange,
Design
at
Riverside
Gallery
A
copy
of
the
thesis
is
available
for
perusal
in
ARC
2106A.