Not far from the Toronto Necropolis and Crematorium on a drizzly afternoon last week, Simon Wilkinson and Jeremy Stewart issued Death a death sentence.
Sipping Earl Grey tea at Ben Wicks, a lower-level Parliament Street hangout complete with paperback books and board games, they looked anything but nefarious as they described the Fuck Death Foundation, a non-profit charity they're launching over the next year to ultimately defeat mortality.
Suspend your disbelief. Messieurs Wilkinson and Stewart are two of the city's most insightful people under 30 and their M.O. is not macabre, nor is it offensive.
Mainly, the FCF will begin by provoking dialogue: Is it performance art, alternative altruism or, quite simply, anti-reaper madness?
It will also begin with a "massive hip-hop discothèque reception" next week at the Latvian House, co-hosted by Santa Cruz, Tyler Clarke Burke's event series.
"Art can be so wishy-washy, so subjective," says Mr. Wilkinson. "We wanted to have a quantifiable contribution to society."
They already have a website ( ) and a toll-free number (1-877-DIE-DONT). An anonymous donor has covered initial administration and legal costs. In addition to assembling a board of directors, they hope to establish an operational model that will efficiently and effectively target parasitic and infectious disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer and AIDS. A Lightning Action Relief Fund will respond to global crisis situations. Over time, resources will be directed toward "life extension sciences."
Cue the Pandora's Box of FAQs (all addressed online): What about population control? Won't people die from accidents and murder? Are the creators afraid of death? Ad infinitum (incidentally, the FCF logo is an infinity symbol flanked by bullet points from a Greek tomb).
And most importantly, do they actually think anyone will buy into their pitch and fork over the funds?
"[We'll]get their attention immediately," Mr. Wilkinson says. "We're offering them a model of distribution of their money that not only benefits all five leading causes of death but it's also an investment in their own immortality."
Art is immortal too, as Shakespeare could confirm, were he alive. But sonnets are so formulaic compared with rhymes from, say, Wu-Tang Clan (the group of rappers whose motto "Forever" inspired an FDF badge). Pennants, mugs and a vinyl compilation are in the works.
The target audience definitely skews young, yet their frame of reference is broad. These men effortlessly converse about Nikola Tesla and Buckminster Fuller. Mr. Stewart cites Jane Jacobs and the Toronto Public Space Committee as agents who inspire change.
Their passion for discourse stems back to lectures at the York/Sheridan joint program in design, where they apparently enjoyed challenging the guest speakers. Mr. Wilkinson, who is the son of stage star Colm, currently works as an art director at a company that he says "does branding for the good guys." Mr. Stewart once apprenticed under Bruce Mau and now collaborates with fashion wunderkind Jeremy Laing, among others.
In 2004, they were responsible for the virally successful Grey Sweatsuit Revolution, which inspired people around the world to wear an unimaginative uniform as a form of rebellion. At Ben Wicks, they have surrendered to a bookish-meets-hipster look.
"We've evolved," Mr. Wilkinson quips.
"It's important to think about death. It's important to think about the clothes you wear and the things you consume - everything is political," Mr. Stewart adds.
No doubt FDF will have its critics, but the duo will only thrive on the debate. Says Mr. Stewart, "Unconsidered, life's not worth living."
Amy Verner