• Display looks at rituals and traditions surrounding death and mourning

• It also highlights artworks in the museum which explore themes of death and grief

• Festival event programme includes comedy night “Dead Funny”.

A community exhibition on the themes of death, dying and grief has opened at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.

On display until the end of June, the exhibition is part of local collective BrumYODO’s annual festival A Matter of Life and Death (2 to 16 May) and national Dying Matters Awareness Week (4 to 10 May).

BrumYODO is a community interest company made up of artists, undertakers, food artists, hospices, palliative care professionals and others. A Matter of Life and Death aims to promote healthy and productive conversations about death and dying.

The exhibition looks at rituals and traditions surrounding death and mourning and invites visitors to consider the topic of how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to manage grief.

It also highlights artworks in the museum which explore the themes of death, dying and grief, as well as giving information about BrumYODO and organisations providing grief support services.

A Matter of Life and Death Festival has a programme of events for people of all ages, including Dance Me To The End (Of Love) family-friendly workshops at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 2 May.

Led by artist Bianca Beneduzi from ITZATNA Arts, these creative sessions blend dance improvisation and intuitive drawing and are inspired by traditions like the Mexican Day of the Dead.

Artist Jemma Mellor will be leading a grief and clay workshop on Friday 15 May, during which participants can decorate a small clay token to remember someone who has passed away.

Clay has long been connected to rituals of remembrance across cultures and time. Once completed, the tokens can be kept as a personal keepsake, or placed somewhere meaningful, outside, in a garden or a special place and allowed to slowly return to the earth.

Further pop-up art and craft activities will be taking place in front of the community display in the Made in Birmingham gallery in the museum during the festival. Visit brumyodo.org.uk for more information.

Meanwhile, Comedy at the Museum: Dead Funny on Thursday 9 May brings together five comedians, each of whom will offer their own unexpected and thought-provoking take on death and dying in the historic tearoom at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.

The evening’s line-up includes award‑winning stand‑up Angela Barnes and Stephen Owen, a former homicide detective-turned-impressionist and comedian.

Details of the full festival programme are available on the BrumYODO website.

Andrea Bonnell, partnership manager at Birmingham Museums Trust, said:

“We are excited to be hosting the BrumYODO community exhibition and to provide a space where people can reflect and have meaningful conversations about death and dying as an inevitable and natural part of the life cycle.”

BrumYODO board member Helen Tomblin said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with so many wonderful local organisations including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for this year’s A Matter of Life and Death festival.

“With everything from fun-filled workshops, a comedy night and safe discussion spaces where people can explore all aspects of death and dying, we hope our programme will appeal to all.”