Eternal rest: Polish designer reflects on life and death

Polish designer Aleksander Skworz wants to change the way we think about death. To this end, he has created the Urn for Living — a cremation urn that to be purchased long before death and used as homeware.

Inspired by youth-obsessed contemporary culture and popular anxieties regarding death, Skworz designed the urn both to help people cope with the concept of mortality and to be used in practical ways prior to death, for example as a fruit bowl. In bringing the urn-to-be into everyday usage, Skworz hopes to prompt reflection on the importance of living life to the full.

“Contemporary culture focuses on youth,” Skworz said in an interview with Dezeen. “There is nothing wrong with that, until we realise that we are totally unprepared for passing away. [...] We instinctively start to live a better and fuller life when reminded that our time is strictly limited. This is why I have designed an urn one can buy during one’s lifetime.”

Made of oak and marble, which were chosen for their durability, the urn can be purchased here.

Source: Dezeen