US artist makes dinnerware from human ashes (VIDEO)

Some people prefer to scatter the ashes of loved ones into the air, but this US artist has come up with a new way to remember your dead relatives – he makes cups, plates, bottles, and mugs from their ashes.

This unusual dinnerware was “designed to infuse a sense of mortality into everyday moments,” according to the creator of a company called Chronicle Cremation Designs.

Justin Crowe, the founder and CEO, told Ruptly that these products are “unique” as they are “interactive and they let you integrate the memories into everyday life, and use them, interact with them, and see them on an everyday basis.”

Crowe believes that using his mugs is “much different” from just “looking at a picture of someone on a shelf or looking at an urn on a shelf”.

“This is a mug you can use every day,” he says.

According to the designer, cremation is becoming “radically really” popular.

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“It [cremation industry] has risen 25 percent over the last 10 years and in the US right now the average... 42 percent of all deaths are cremated. The funeral industry is really struggling right now, because they make their money off of caskets, selling caskets, burials, embalming and services.”

Crowe first started working with human ashes for an art project dubbed Nourish, in which he made a dinner set using the remains of 200 anonymous individuals. 

Now the motto of Crowe’s company is “decorate your home with the memory of your loved ones.”

“We help you fold the memory of your loved ones into daily life. Our unique service transforms your loved one’s ashes into remarkable design objects for your home,” the website says.