Ritual


ANONYMOUS REMAINS: Memorial to place remains that do not have an identity.


OBJECTIVES: Create space to give anonymous remains a resting place. Create a space that is not meant to be inhabited or visited


CONCEPT: Using nurse logs as the concept's foundation, the space restricts growth only to the voids where the remains rest, providing the nutrients necessary for life. How can there be growth through death; the answer is a nurse log.


RITUAL: Anonymous remains are cleansed and wrapped in a cloth, the anonymous remains are brought to the memorial. Upon the arrival the remains are placed within the voids in the cement plinth, wrapped in a cloth, and upon the wooden stands. A cedar box is placed over the top section of the void. The body is then left to decompose peacefully and provide life through its nutrients to plants that grow within the pockets of life on the concrete edifice.

Anon


Being anonymous is an interesting way of life. If one dissects the way one becomes anonymous, then one would discover everyone is only a few steps away from being consumed by it. When one thinks about how we become ourselves, one sees relationships, appearances, history, self-discovery; we would all be anonymous if we never interacted with one and another, or did not have someone to tell our stories. Interaction forms us. Every contact with an individual or an experience has molded us, it doesn't matter if these have affected us good or bad, either way it creates us.


Much like wood grain, we will never find someone who is exactly the same as us. No matter the type of wood, one grain is different from another. The understanding of our life is grown from inside, outwards, this is how we are formed, we can never lose our identities within ourselves. Only upon the exterior can anonymity occur. There is one place where we can lose identity: death. Death robs us of our youth, our thoughts, our history, us.


Even if one has lost life, the remains, down to the bones, will tell our stories. If no one knows you, it does not mean that you never lived. In death we are united in difference. With no one to tell our history we become unknown, the only thing left to tell our stories is the artifact of our body.


The anonymous remains memorial, is not meant to be experienced, it is not a sought after travel destination, and is not meant to be inhabited. The memorial is a final resting space for remains that have been in limbo due to their anonymous status. →