Mini Urns Created By Lisa Merk, A Perfect Way To Say Goodbye
Lisa Merk is a student from Lund University and the designer of the series of mini urns that can be held by the loved ones while the funeral service is going on. This is a way to lessen the anxieties brought about by the loss of a loved one.
During the Stockholm Furniture Fair, the mini urns were part of the exhibit. The urns are called Tactile Perception urns and were made in order to start a burial rite that is contemporary and removed from the traditional ones.
The urns made by Merk are made of wood and are shaped like pebbles. These will be filled by ashes of the loved ones who passed away and will offer family and friends a way to comfort their grieving hearts while celebrating the funeral service. After the service, they can keep the urn if they want to as it can serve as consolation or they can give it back so that it can be placed in a larger urn which will be buried.
The urns are made of untreated trees such as walnut, ash, and beech. These have smooth designs and will fit perfectly in the palm of a person’s hand and will act much like stones to ease anxiety as well as worry.
According to Merk, her vision was that to create soft mini urns that will fit the hands. The ashes inside is a symbolic means that will make the person feel as if they still have a part of the deceased love one. The urns are designed for mourners to have something they can use to ease their stress and lessen their emotion. They can hold on to the stone while mourning and grieving during the entire funeral service. Once the ashes have been placed inside the small urns, it is designed to never be open again.
Lund University has 24 projects and one of them is the Tactile Perception which was used in the exhibit held in Stockholm Furniture Fair’s Greenhouse young designers section. The master students in industrial design took their inspiration from products in the modern age while considering the impact on the environment. This may soon be one of the funeral urns in Perth in the near future.