Saffron Butt

Dying to Live

Dying to Live is a project that explores the silence surrounding grief in young adulthood. Through honest conversations and visual storytelling, it invites viewers to engage with loss in a way that’s both personal and communal. Created for those aged 18–30 navigating bereavement alongside life’s major transitions, it challenges the taboo of death. It opens a space for connection, expression, and healing, proving that in talking about death, we learn more about living. After losing my mum, I found myself navigating bereavement in a society that rarely speaks openly about death, especially for people my age. The desire to process my personal experience and the need to produce something that speaks candidly to others in like circumstances led to the development of this project. Both a short film and a printed book are included, each providing a unique perspective on the same topic. Ultimately, Dying to Live is about reclaiming space to talk about death without fear, shame, or silence. Developed to create connections and help others feel understood in their grief, the project is grounded in lived experience. 

Virellum

“In response to the ISTD’ Not Just Fleurons’ brief, Virellum is a typographic investigation into biological development. The concept reimagines type as a regenerative system, drawing inspiration from the life cycles of plants. The phases of birth, bloom, and decay are symbolised by the three modular types Typoseed, Typobloom, and Typowither. The piece questions typographic traditions and captures the unpredictable character of nature using experimental layouts, patterns, and materials. Virellum offers a hopeful, dynamic visual language with an ecological foundation by using type to re-establish connections with lost stories.”