Natalie Sisson

Unearthing Memory: St. James’ Cemetery Reimagined

Unearthing Memory critiques Toronto’s oldest operational cemetery, St. James’ Cemetery, its rigid conceptualization of cemetery program and aesthetics, and its lack of adaptation to changing needs of site users. Despite framing the site around memory and healing, St. James’ current strategies scar the earth, obscure history, and limit visitor access and agency. Through a targeted and phased planting strategy with infrastructure addressing needs of the bereaved, public visitors, and nonhumans, this project aims to revitalize physical and social site components, reclaim the cemetery for the living, and address an expanded understanding of memory and healing in humans, nonhumans, and landscape.

Advisor: Aisling O’Carroll