In this episode of "Death And," licensed mortician Victor M. Sweeney sits down with funeral director and restorative artist Contessa King to explore the art and science of restoring the dead. They discuss how Contessa became fascinated with postmortem reconstruction, her use of medical prosthetics, silicone, and techniques borrowed from plastic surgery and special effects, and why she believes families deserve the opportunity to see their loved ones after death. The conversation also delves into the challenges facing funeral service, the profession's struggle to earn back public trust, the dignity of the human body, and the importance of funeral directors learning from one another. Together, Victor and Contessa consider what it means to care for the dead—not simply by making them presentable, but by treating them with the same humanity, skill, and respect they received in life. http://instagram.com/contessaking1 http://instagram.com/mortuarycontessa/ http://facebook.com/contessa.king.494327/ http://linkedin.com/in/contessa-king-150602201/ http://deathandpodcast.com http://youtube.com/@victormsweeney http://instagram.com/victor.m.sweeney http://tiktok.com/@victormsweeney http://x.com/victormsweeney http://simonandschuster.com/books/Now-Departing/Victor-M-Sweeney/9781668062111 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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