Death

Explore digitised objects from the ArkDes collection, with a focus on the 2025–2026 exhibition period and the theme Death.

Skogsljus Chapel Crematorium in Gävle sits nestled among pine trees in Max Plunger’s 1992 photograph. Much has changed since Sweden’s first crematorium was built in 1887, and with its raw concrete walls, Skogsljus marks a clear shift in architectural expression. The chimney is absent, and instead of religious motifs, it is the sky, forest and light that shape the experience. A series of examples from the collection shows how architectural commissions are influenced by more spaceefficient and egalitarian approaches to death. The rise of cremation creates new needs for crematoria and memorial gardens. Similarly, disasters and pandemics call for new ways to plan spaces for grief.