2024

Urn

A natural last vessel

This vessel, made of high-grade wood, does not have the typical vase shape of the urns to which we have become accustomed. But history shows that the ashes of the deceased have always been stored in differently shaped containers. This also applied to the urn that I created around fifteen years ago: a glass egg resting in a shell made of walnut wood. It was part of the ‘Memento Mori’ collection, which was shown by helmrinderknecht contemporary design in Berlin in a solo exhibition. 
Now I have been taking a fresh look at death and impermanence, and have again created an urn with a rather unusual form. The faceted cylinder with its round lid may remind some people of a pillar, others of a container for storing worldly objects. If the mortal remains of a human being are surrendered to this vessel, it will envelop them with care. If placed in an urn grave, it will eventually disintegrate and merge with nature, because the material has not been treated in any way.
The urns are produced in an unlimited edition in three local woods – ash, walnut and cherry – at the Schreiner Ausbildungszentrum [Carpentry Training Centre] in Zurich. They are available at our studio for the price of one thousand eight hundred francs. If you would like to come to see these artifacts in person or have any questions, please contact us.

Woodworking: Schreiner Ausbildungszentrum, Zurich
Photography: Frédéric Dedelley, Zurich