From and To Dust
Socially engaged ceramic urn projectPresented at c3:initiative in Portland, OR 2017
As part of Social Objects with the Socially Engaged Craft Collective during NCECA 2017
From and To Dust is a socially-engaged ceramic urn projectand video created with a group of individual participants in the greater Portland area. The project centers around one-on-one collaborations with community members who work with me to design and produce their own cremation urn. Project participants range from community college students in their late teens, to senior citizens, to people who have terminal illnesses. Each person brings their own perspective on death and mortality, and an openness to engage complex conversations on these topics.
Project collaborators are people who plan to be cremated and are willing to live with a handmade urn in their home until it is used for its intended purpose. Together, we develop a design and make the urn. As a trained ceramist, I offer my technical knowledge when needed, but high craftsmanship is not required. Some people want to be very hands-on and make it themselves, while others prefer to direct me. Once the urn is finished, the participant then keeps the urn in their life until it eventually is used.
An urn is a body contained within another body. The metaphorical and physical connection between clay, ash, and the human body are as old as humanity itself. The dust of the ground is filled with the breath and bodies of our ancestors and span space and time. From and To Dust is a meditation on death and dying led by an inquiry into the value and function of a ceramic practice within a community.
