Happy Coffins Before You Die » How to Leave this World In Style

Would you fancy to ‘leave this world' in style? Leave this transitory life for the eternal afterworld in a colorful and uber-cool coffin that looks like an art canvass or a gift box?

I have previous posts regarding different fashionable ways to kick in the bucket list – wherein we can choose a non-traditional ways of disposing our body or perhaps a customized tombstone. Accordingly, I was amazed by this news in a broadsheet yesterday about a Singaporean charity which announced the winners of an international art competition to design "happy coffins." The aim is to encourage the elderly and dying to celebrate life, with 3,000 US dollars for the first prize winner.

Actually, when I read about it, I immediately googled it and came across thelifebeforedeath.com. The website features quality of death index, a first ever global study on the quality of death across 20 countries. The site also has a dedicated page for the things you could do and say before you die, a bucket list, last playlist and a legacy galley. It also highlights the winning “happy coffin” designs.

Well, I think these coffins are cool, why not?

The Happy Coffins contest

In July 2010 an international art competition was facilitated by online portal for creativity, Eyeka. A total of 733 entries was received from 37 countries. Artists and designers from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Australia and Europe enthusiastically responded to the challenge to get creative with the most unusual of canvasses – the Coffin.

Participants had to design a coffin for a family member, close friend or someone who had been an inspiration. Or they could choose to design their own coffin. Each entry had to be accompanied by a written sharing of the thought process leading to the final design.

Professional designers were presented the challenge of creating 3 personalized coffins for residents of the St. Joseph’s Home & Hospice (Singapore) or for a family member, close friend or someone who had been an inspiration. Or they could choose to design their own. Six winning designs out of 733 entries from 37 countries were made into personalized coffins in cooperation with a local funeral home. The awesome entries and winners are compiled at the Underground Gallery.

The project was spearheaded by the local Lien Foundation, which favors non-traditional forms of philanthropy. Under the slogan "My Life, My Coffin" the foundation said it wanted to encourage people to think "out of the box" about taboos surrounding death.

The winning designs

First Prize
"Hello Coffin" by Ines Van Gucht, 27 from Belgium

According to Ines

“This coffin is designed for myself so I wanted it to be personal and real.

I have begun thinking about my life, the future, my death and my funeral. These things raise many questions, like – Who will I be? Will I be happy? Will I be happy with what I made of my life? Will there be regrets?

I cannot answer these questions now.  And once I lie in my coffin, I guess these questions won’t matter. The only certainty then is this coffin. That is why I designed my coffin to be my friend - the one who will take care of me after my death.”

Second Prize
"An Inspiring Force" by Ian Lim Wei Ming, 25 from Singapore

According to Ian:

"This coffin is dedicated to my late Art teacher, Ms Ivy Ho Hwee Ting. She passed away in 2002 from Hepatitis B. The image on the coffin is without facial expression because the essence of Ms. Ho’s smiles cannot be replicated in a painting. But her love of sunflowers is clear.

A devoted mentor, she carried on helping us even after she left teaching for further studies. Her love and enthusiasm inspired me to follow in her footsteps and take up design as a career. This coffin is specially created in appreciation of her"

My Pick among the Merit Prize

My Favorite Things in Life by Martin Matera

R.I.P. (Rest In Pride) from Indonesia

Genesis from Indonesia

The Boatman’s Call from  Singapore

Love is Our Life from China

How about you, what would be the design of your coffin? 

Unto Dust Returnest: How You Want Your Body Disposed

I know this is morbid but I’m just curious what others want done with their bodies after they die. Naturally, we don’t have any control on how our body will be disposed by our family or relatives. However, what if you are lucky to have your final wish – a specific instruction on how they will disposed your body without any legal, religious and cultural hindrance.

Let me give you some ideas:

1. Let the Tomb Raiders find you   

Have your remains be entombed or buried. This is very common and traditional – you will have your mausoleum, a cross and an angel and a nice R.I.P. sign with your name on it. If you are rich maybe the tomb raiders will try to desecrate your tomb – so don’t forget those nasty curse.

Useful curses you might consider:

• A donkey shall violate him, a donkey shall violate his wife -- (Deir el-Bahri Graffito No. 11, Dyn. 20)
• A child be within you forever unborn!--Irish curse
• May the fleas of a thousand camels lodge in your armpit.--Arab curse
• May your life be filled with lawyers!--Mexican curse
• May every day of it be wet for ye.--Saint Patrick of Oreland
• He should have a large store, and whatever people ask for he shouldn’t have, and what he does have shouldn’t be requested.--Yiddish curse
  

Of course you can always make your custom-made and era-appropriate curse like “May all your files be infected by all kinds of viruses and all your social networking sites, blogs and e-mails be deleted -- yodz curse.” 

2. Sail Away! Sail Away!

Burial At Sea. The tradition of burial at sea is an ancient one. As far as anyone knows this has been a practice as long as people have gone to sea. In earlier times, the body was sewn into a weighted shroud, usually sailcloth. The body was then sent over the side, usually with an appropriate religious ceremony. Many burials at sea took place as recently as World War II when naval forces operated at sea for weeks, and months at a time. Since World War II many service members, veterans, and family members have chosen to be buried at sea.

3. Become a Space Dust

Space Burial. A burial procedure in which a small sample of the cremated ashes of the deceased are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of lipstick and are launched into space using a rocket. Or you can have your ashes buried in the moon like Dr. Eugene Merle Shoemaker

4. Farewell by Fire

Cremation. Under the 1917 Code of Canon Law, there were penal provisions for people who asked to have their body cremated, or for anyone who ordered the cremation of a body, including being denied a Christian burial and blessing. But in 1963, shortly after the Vatican II or the period of intense study and renewal of its teachings and practices, the Catholic Church “determined that cremation was no longer absolutely forbidden.” What this meant was that the restrictions and penalties of the 1917 Code would only apply “when it was certain that cremation was chosen because of the denial of Christian dogmas, or because of a sectarian spirit, or through hatred of the Christian religion and the Church.

In the New Code of Canon Law (1983) these prohibitions was lifted, as well as the penalties, as it states “The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burial be retained; but it does not forbid cremation, unless it is chosen for reasons which are contrary to Church teachings.”

So, for the devout Catholics out there, no more guilt if you choose this one.

5. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice be Beetleized

Part of “natural burial” movement or green burial common for ecology-minded scientists. It is a shallow burial in a forest where the body could be recycled by nature’s most commonplace undertakers mainly burial beetles. 


6. Freeze me before going to hell!

Promession is another ecologically-conscious method for disposing of human remains by freeze drying. It was invented and patented in 1999 by the Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak. It is achieved by submerging the body in liquid nitrogen, making the remains so brittle that they shatter into a powder as the result of slight vibrations.

7. Chop Chop your Body

Organ Donation.  If you want to live in somebody else’s body, or save a life then you might consider organ donation. You will not need your body anyway, not unless if you believe you will not be resurrected if your body parts are scattered.       

8. In the name of Science

Body Donation. Your body can still be useful even after your death. You can donate it to a university and science laboratory for medical research and education. Your body will be useful for understanding the human body and for advancing science.
 
9. Become a tourist attraction

Preserve your body in a refrigerated crypt for viewing like the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. However, this requires you to be famous or have done something of historical value before you die – it doesn’t matter if it is heroic or evil, as long as it captures world’s attention.

If your name only appears on Facebook then just consider being beetleized.   

10. Your body as a scandalous work of art

Have your body preserve in a process called plastination and be part of the “Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies.” Plastination is a technique used in anatomy to preserve bodies or body parts invented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens. The water and fat are replaced by certain plastics, yielding specimens that can be touched, do not smell or decay, and even retain most properties of the original sample

I am considering cremation for myself, my ashes to be scattered in the sea during sunset (I personally think that’s poetic.)

YOU?

Researched & compiled by yodz insigne