h a l f b a k e r yNot so much a thought experiment as a single neuron misfire.
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Assume that your great grandmother has just passed away. She has expressed a desire to have her remains cremated, as her mother before her and her mother before that. Your own mother passed when you were little, your grandmother who raised you died several years ago and, joy of joys, the urns are yours
to keep. Unfortunately your predecessors were not wealthy and have left you little else, so you find yourself mantle-less.
For a small fee, the Matrioskurn Co. will take those ashes and turn them into pottery. Matrioshka dolls to be precise, with your mother nestled inside her mother who is nestled inside of her mother who is...well you get the picture and speaking of pictures, if photos of the deceased accompany the ashes, your ancestors likeness can be painted onto the doll before the final firing.
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Annotation:
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Somehow I'm thinking the pottery servive will cost more than an urn. But just the idea of incorporating the deceased in pottery sounds novel enough. |
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And the dearly departed are less likely to get sold by some prodigal son/daughter than if you turned them into diamonds. |
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Sadly, there's probably a market out there, somewhere, for this. Me, I think I'll pass. |
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How big the initial doll is depends on how long you expect the family tradition to last. |
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You always make them into chessmen instead - take a while to fill the board. |
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If the nestling process were reversed, the tradition could be carried on forever. Also, most likely, the most recently deceased would be displayed when they are stowed. |
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I think that adding cremated remains to the ingredients in nested containers is a fine and workable idea. Personally, I'd probably prefer that the personification of those containers was limited to a particular artifact or meaningful quotation, rather than a fully sculpted likeness to make these items easier to live with and less likely to be deemed either ridiculous or macabre. Further, I'd prefer that the medium be less fragile than pottery, and less prone to accidental breakage and subsequent disposal. Iron, bronze, even spelter, or other ignoble metallic alloys would be preferable due to their sturdiness and ability to withstand the ravages of time, dusters and housemovers. |
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I like the reverse process. You could end up with entire lineages, within pottery the size of some Ming dynasty vases, in museums or shrines. It would certainly condense a modern cemetery. |
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Cremation ash glaze as a finish is cool too.
Raku In Peace. |
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And Flann O'Brien smiles contentedly. |
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+ I have to bun this, as just the other day I was thinking of an idea to make * beads* from the ashes and then make them into a necklace or bracelet. I didn't know if it was possible and I had to go away for a few days. I have come back to find this and think we were on the same wave length. |
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I, too, will have to bun this as just the other day I was looking at fireplaces made from a composite that has a appearance (somewhat) resembling that of limestone. They were, however, horrifically expensive so if they could be made of unwanted cadavers it might just shave a few squid pounds off the bill-of-materials. [+] |
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I like [DrC]'s idea of chess pieces - something about playing a game of chess with your ancestors. Very Bergman or something. I also quite like [2 fries] idea itself - maybe I just like making things out of dead people. |
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Now I can write my will! I'd hate for my dusty remains merely to sit in a dusty jar on a dusty shelf until someone guiltily threw them away. Too bad matrioshka dolls aren't part of my cultural heritage. Maybe I can be a clay hex sign to hang on the barn or a clay beer stein! Thank you, [2 fries shy of a happy meal]. |
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