The Death Coat (2018) encourages talk and thinking about death. The coat is covered with skulls and the names of dead people we want to remember. I started the names with a few of my family members, but then I left space for future names. I would wear the coat in public and invite others to add a name of someone they want to remember. This would lead to a conversation about their departed friend or family members, and I think the practice of talking of death makes it easier to cope with.

Almost everyone I encountered loved the coat, added a name, and told me their story. Two different Death Coats have been made and sold, and I will make more. 

Make your our Death Coat: 

1. Select one of your coats for an upgrade or purchase one from a thrift store

2. Use acrylic house paint or craft paint to make lots of skulls. It's OK to me messy. Place scrap cardboard within the coat to keep the paint from bleeding all the way through.

3.  Add a defining line along the collar or bottom edges (optional).

4. Get a light colored marker and name some of the skulls. Keep the pen with the coat so others can interact.

5. Voila!