Graduation project
Mementum
Baptiste Comte
# “When they’re extruded, the urns mimic the growth of natural matter, using organic transformation as a reflection of individual characteristics.”
When cremated after death, we are packed into impersonal cremation urns. This mass-produced object fails to honour the unique identity it contains and reflects the taboo status of death in Western culture. Why not take a lighter approach? By imagining urns as ‘skins’, Baptiste Comte finds a natural way to commemorate the individual. His clay vessels honour the memory of a person and their fading tangibility as they return to the earth. Extruded like living organisms, every biomorphic cylinder is different. Random variations in the clay recall the uniqueness of each person. This skin remains over time as a memorial for relatives, while the ashes are sealed in a degradable container inside that can eventually be buried.