How would you like to be died?
The aim
This project aims to spark conversations about how we die .
We have certain funeral cultures or rituals we follow after death.
Why do we follow them?
Do they fit into modern society?
Why are some things taboo? Is death disgusting? Is death sacred?
We all die.
In this project, I explored the possibilities and meanings of utilizing cremated ash as a material for ceramics.
How it started
When I was listening to a presentation about reindeer bone china research, my mind started thinking about the urns that hold the ashes of my grandparents and my family dog.
Those urns are kept on a shelf. Ashes hidden, never to be touched. I wondered.
If someone was so dear to me, maybe I would wish to interact with them, incorporating them into my everyday life. Even more, maybe I would wish to incorporate them into my body.
Stories
A big thank you to HESY-keskus and PET Oy for their generous support in providing the ash and information about animals and cremations.
Stories - Neco
Neco, a fluffy tabby female stray cat, was very skinny and extremely feisty.
Being feral, she didn’t really understand playing and was busy hissing at and swatting people who got too close.
She loved wet food and did not consider kibble as food at all.
Research - Clay
I ground and milled the material because there were a lot of bone chunks.
Then, I experimented with several ratios of ash and other materials to produce a malleable ash-clay body.
Stories - Meemo
Meemo, a Scottish fold-type stray cat, was a sweet boy who had clearly been someone’s pet. We suspect he was abandoned when the health issues typical for his breed started to appear, and his owner just didn’t want to deal with them.
When Meemo was sheltered by HESY, he was already too achy to do much more than sit, eat, and receive scratches.
Fold-breed cats will always develop osteochondrodysplasia due to a natural dominant gene mutation. This mutation contributes to the breed’s unique ear-fold appearance but also causes a developmental abnormality that affects cartilage and bone development, ultimately resulting in severe pain.
Due to these health concerns, several countries have banned the breeding and sale of this breed.
Research - Firing
When researching for this project, I became aware of the impact that ceramic works and funeral activities have on the world’s ecology.
I am currently testing the right firing temperature for this material to biodegrade in the future.
For those who wish to return to the soil after their death.
Stories - Haruka
Haruka is my friend in Japan. She told me about her experience with her deceased father when I spoke about my project. Her father did not want to have a grave of his own because he did not want to burden the family. Now he is buried in a “common” grave, where he rests under a tree with strangers. Haruka said, “I think it was a smart choice, but I also like your idea about keeping part of your family in tangible form. After five years, he will be removed from under the tree and scattered in the garden, and his name will be removed from the tree as well. We can still visit the grave after five years, but it might feel different. So, I would like to have something of him to remember him by.”
Stories - Hershey
Hershey was my sister’s dog. I have known him since he was less than a year old. My sister lives in the U.S., so I was not able to see him often, but I was lucky to be with him when he was a baby and when he got old. He was a timid and sensitive soul. He loved people and enjoyed sitting on laps.
He was put down in March 2024 because he had suffered a lot from his health conditions. He had lost his sight at the end of his life, making him stare into space often.
Stories - Eva
Eva is a woman over 60. She is lively, cheerful, and has a mind of her own. When we talked about this project, her reaction was, “I am not your customer.”
She continued, “I am too old and a minimalist. I am trying to get rid of things now so I don’t leave anything behind. I have kept my grandparents’ teaspoon for a long time, and I have passed it down to my nephew now. I don’t need to pass myself on to anyone.”
Research - Glaze
Glazing possibilities with animal ash were also explored. While glaze provides aesthetic appeal, durability, and waterproofing for ceramics, it often needs to be fired at high temperatures to adhere to the clay body.
Various options for coloring and glazing were tested to seek eco-friendly alternatives.
Ash-mixed glaze, mineral paint applied with ash-mixed clay slip, and ordinary glaze were tested with both high-fire and low-fire methods.
Stories - Matti
Matti, a black rabbit, was a shy little baby. He liked to munch on hay and stay out of the way of his more boisterous siblings. He was the runt of the litter and would occasionally get picked on by the others.
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