BSL Tour: Afterlife

Learn more about Katie Paterson's exhibition Afterlife at this BSL tour, designed for Deaf visitors.

Join us for a BSL Tour of Katie Paterson's exhibition Afterlife. This Deaf-led tour will be hosted by Trudi Collier and will offer BSL visitors the opportunity to learn more about the exhibition. We will have refreshments to wrap up the session, with opportunity to discuss the exhibition with Trudi and other attendees. Trudi will be joined by an interpreter for this event.

Access information

This event will take place in our City Dome Gallery, which has step-free access via our East Gate entrance. Please note that the outdoor paths leading to the gallery can become uneven and wet in harsh weather.

You can find more access information about visiting Collective on our website. If you have any questions, please get in touch at +44 (0)131 322 1240 or email mail@collective-edinburgh.art.

About Afterlife

Afterlife brings together nearly 200 amulets in a sculptural installation designed in collaboration with Berlin-based architects, Zeller and Moye. Amulets are miniature talismanic objects, typically carved in stone. Appearing across millennia and cultures, they are small enough to be held in the hand or worn, and are generally considered protective.

Afterlife reimagines this tradition. Working with museums around the world, Paterson has recreated amulets civilisations across the globe (including Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Viking, Islamic, Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Celtic, Greco-Roman and Pre-Columbian), using materials sourced from endangered landscapes and fragile ecosystems, to serve as a bridge between past and present.

The materials used to recreate the amulets reflect the pressing environmental issues of our time. Rocks from glacial terrains left bare by retreating ice, coral from the Great Barrier Reef, stones from islands facing rising sea levels, and other materials from devastated or threatened ecosystems are transformed into tiny objects of reflection, connection and renewal. Each chosen material carries a story of environmental fragility, symbolising urgent issues such as biodiversity loss, deforestation, and the impact of climate change.

Installed in a distinctive circular table crafted from sycamore by local makers Silvan, Afterlife explores themes of deep time, geology, and the environment. Drawing on centuries of cultural and spiritual traditions to reflect the fragility of the natural world today, Afterlife prompts us to consider the legacies we leave for future generations.

Afterlife was commissioned by Creative Folkestone for Folkestone Triennial 2025, with additional support from The Shifting Foundation, Collective Edinburgh and Goethe Institut Glasgow. Exhibition Design by Zeller & Moye.

About Trudi Collier

Trudi is a Deaf British Sign Language user and experienced psychological therapist. Her work focuses on making mental health support, learning, and the arts more accessible for deaf and disabled people.