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CIRCLE OF HERITAGE


  “All things are incomplete. All things, including the universe itself, are in a constant never ending state of becoming or dissolving. Often we arbitrarily designate moments points along the way as “finished” or “complete” but when does something’s destiny finally come to fruition? Is the plant complete when it flowers? When it goes to seed? When the seeds sprout? When everything turns into compost?”

-Wabi-Sabi spiritual values, Wabi sabi for artists designers poets and philosophers by Leonard Koren
The one who is dead isn’t here anymore, but the body stays. Our body is composed of material, consisting of chemical elements with their own cycles. These elements don’t end with our death. It will be part of a new shape. It can be the fertile ground for something else. I find that a comforting thought.

I give cremation ash form in bone china, an ancient form of porcelain with bone ash as the main component. The cremation ash thus continues in the form of porcelain, discoverable in texture and colour details. I use this to make objects that can provide consolation for the grieving. Unlike conventional urns, these objects can be used and become part of personal rituals in a tactile or visual way to help farewell and remembrance.
Billie makes the cremation ash porcelain commissioned in her studio in Amsterdam.
For more information, visit Bij Afscheid or get in touch via studio@billievankatwijk.com.