Embracing Mortality: Hayley West on Art, Death, and Community

Don't Be Caught Dead

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What happens when you mix art, death, and a whole lot of creativity? You get Hayley West – a multi-talented artist, librarian, death literacy advocate, and aspiring doom metal vocalist. In this episode, Hayley takes us on a journey through her fascinating life, where death isn’t just a topic—it’s a muse.

From interactive art installations to hosting a radio show called Dead Air, Hayley’s work challenges us to think differently about mortality and how we engage with it. Whether you’re curious about natural burials, death cafes, or just want to hear a wild story about a stolen hearse, this episode is packed with insights and inspiration.

Hayley West is a true multi-potentialite. She’s an artist, a librarian, a death literacy advocate, a radio presenter, and even an aspiring doom metal vocalist. But what ties all these roles together is her deep connection to death—not as something morbid, but as a natural part of life that deserves attention, creativity, and conversation.

In this episode, Hayley shares how her personal experiences with loss shaped her art practice, leading her to create thought-provoking installations like her cooling bed performances and her grotto made from artificial flowers collected from cemeteries.

We also dive into her advocacy work, including her involvement with the Natural Death Advocacy Network (NDAN) and her role in promoting death literacy. Hayley’s passion for breaking down taboos around death is infectious, and her stories—like the time a hearse was stolen with a coffin inside—are as entertaining as they are enlightening.

Plus, she gives us a peek into her radio show, Dead Air, where she explores all things death-related, from natural burials to necrophilia (yes, really!).

Key points from our discussion:

• Art and Death: Hayley’s art practice is deeply intertwined with themes of death, grief, and memory. From creating interactive installations to performance pieces like lying on a cooling bed, her work invites people to confront their own mortality in unexpected ways.
• Death Cafes: Hayley shares how death cafes—a global movement where people gather to talk openly about death—changed her perspective and helped her feel less alone in her experiences with loss.
• Natural Death Advocacy: As a member of the Natural Death Advocacy Network, Hayley is passionate about environmentally friendly death pra

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Music composer: Ania Reynolds - https://www.aniareynolds.com/