Standardised western burial practises commemorate loved ones through a burial ceremony and/or a cremation. But, for experimental designer Justin Crowe, it doesn’t have to end there. He launched Chronicle Cremation Designs, an experimental company that transforms a loved one's ashes into remarkable ceramic design objects for the home.
“Creating objects that tell stories is my passion,” explains Crowe. “The inspiration for Chronicle came following a death which lead to a period of personal growth. Instead of observing an urn or photograph on a shelf, I wanted a way to interact with memories on a daily basis. Our process was born out of a desire to keep those who've lived before us remembered in daily life.”
Using human ashes, the company creates a number of different, everyday objects. They offer anything from vases, luminaries and cremation urns to cremation jewellery, and other keepsakes. The item chosen is coated with the custom-made ceramic glaze infused with the ashes of a loved one.
The company was inspired by an earlier experimental project called the Nourish series, which was made using the ashes of 200 people to infuse a sense of mortality into everyday moments.
