Interactive Urn Designed for a Widow’s Most Private Sorrow

Who else could have devised the ultimate ‘interactive’ urn for preserving the cremated remains of a lover passed than those darn tulip farming, chocolate obsessed, cheese waxing, pot smoking, sex crazed, windmill spinning, wooden shoed Dutch?

From the contemporary Netherlands design studio of Atelier Mark Sturkenboom comes 21 Grams, a customizable memory box in which a widow can preserve keepsakes of her departed intimate partner. As Sturkenboom’s website gracefully annotates, “After a passing, the missing of intimacy with that person is only one aspect of the pain and grieve, and often remains unspoken. A difficult time for a widow”.

Sure, there is the nifty iPod connector to amplify music once beloved by the couple. Yes, the locking mechanism opens with a pendant collier crafted from gold and brass as one might expect. And there is ample room in the memory box to stow tributes such as a special photo, a trinket, or a vial of her partner’s favorite cologne. But, storing his ashes in a hand blown glass dildo to relive intimate experiences, well, that’s pretty damn creepy indeed!

Once that furled eyebrow has been given the opportunity to acclimatize to the notion of mixing thoughts of sex with those of death, an uneasiness prevails, as those are two very sensitive topics that rarely belong in the same sentence. “21 Grams speaks in metaphors, not shock value”, grants Sturkenboom.

It would be tempting to insert some levity here given the uncomfortable product description just read. But in the interest of keeping it real, unless one has been in the situation of becoming a widow and who now finds herself craving a physical connection with her former lover, it would be hard to imagine a more gratifying release. This urn is a shrine to her former companion. Besides, who could deny her one more time for old time’s sake?

As the glass dildo is a discriminating characteristic of 21 Grams, it remains an open question of who could be the model for its form.

This is one of those types of products that defies category. It is not something one could offer as a gift for any imaginable occasion. Nor could it be considered an impulse or add-on purchase. And given its intended use under taboo-like conditions, one cannot help but be a little grossed out at the prospect of its mere existence. From a business perspective, the hope of recouping any research and development costs by selling units of 21 Grams ignores all reason, although when contacted, Sturkenboom refused to discuss sales and pricing data for this article.

Pushing boundaries and smashing barriers is hardly novel for Mark Sturkenboom. He seems to thrive on it. From his Ark time capsule, to his Sweet Anticipation humane live mouse trap, to his Separation Anxiety self destructing safe, this Dutch designer thinks on a more antithetic level than most.

The 21 Grams cabinet is constructed of wood, measures 25x15x15 cm and weighs in at 2 kilograms.