13 artists and designers question death with their minimal urns

industrial finishes and impersonal insignias often come together to create — not an urn, not a final resting place, but — a generic container. cookie-cutter graves. not much has changed in the 9,000 or so years they’ve been around. in response, ‘shelf’ — a collaborative design platform based in mexico, headed by ricardo casas — invited 13 artists and designers of different disciplines to propose new objects. objects that questioned death, rather than accepted it.

urn designed by marco colin
all images courtesy of rodrigo chapa

urns is the third collection shelf has presented in latin america’s leading art fair, ZONAMACO diseño. it was developed by designer ricardo casas
, who, along with 12 other authors, generated this interesting reflection of death. every artist’s approach was unique. their processes were different. their outcomes were as personal as one’s individual relationship with the end of life. catholicism, ancient egyptian tradition, alien abduction — some of these urns are restful. some are fun. all pose questions. finally, with this project, funerary urns (first registered in china, 7000 b.c.) have experienced some much needed reevaluations.

urn designed by derek salgado

urn designed by edgar orlaineta and perla valtierra

urn designed by enrique jezik

urn designed by ricardo casas

urn designed by roxana ortega and jesus hernandez

urn designed by iker ortiz

urn designed by marco colin

urn designed by marco colin

urns designed by cartu

urn designed by ricardo casas

urn designed by ricardo casas

urn designed by enrique jezik

urn designed by edgar orlaineta and perla valtierra

urn designed by derek salgado

urns designed by moises hernandez

urn designed by moises hernandez

urn designed by mauricio nava

urn designed by manuel munoz

urn designed by tania candiani

urn designed by jorge yazpik

project info:

creative direction: ricardo casas
graphic design: eric león
copy editor: enrique giner
product photography: rodrigo chapa
styling: oscar olivas
site photos: jaime navarro
for more info: [email protected] shelf.mx
shelf showroom
anaxagoras 928 colonia narvarte ciudad de méxico cp 03100