RITUALIZED SPACE OF WATER BURIAL
Site: Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, RI, US
Individual Work, Cemetery Design, RISD, 2017 FALL
In Egyptian Mythology, Ra is the god of the sun, the creator of all lives, while Osiris is the god of afterlife, of transition, resurrection and regeneration. Ra, regarded as the symbol of the soul of a deceased human, travels during the day and merges with Osiris into one being at night. Due to the regenerative power of union, Ra continues on his journey through his emergence at dawn, which is seen as the rebirth.
Although along with the development of astronomy and physics, we gradually came to regard the sun as phenomenal rather than sacred, the perspective that considering time as a continuous pattern and Ra lives in a constant cycle still has profound meaning in terms of our ultimate questions of life and death.
The funeral at sunset brings back the presence of sun and its divine light. The significant meaning of death is fulfilled and the hope for rebirth is implanted. Every morning, the rising sun will shine on the river as a beautiful symbol of life and eternal perpetual care. The sun reminds us of a larger cosmic order which may transcend death and life.
