The pandemic has once made us more aware of the fragility of life and the importance of being able to properly mourn the dead. Dramaturg Guy Cools has been researching laments and other rituals of mourning. He is particularly interested in how the emotions of loss need to be externalised. The laments are a formal device, used in many cultures to express and contain the emotions of grief. In a poetic, meandering, personal way Cools explores cultural habits, traditions, rituals, and artists’ performances.