Telephone Urn with Morgan MacLean

The idea came about because my mom has asked me for years to make an urn for her ashes when she dies. The idea of a phone came to mind because she is ALWAYS on the phone. I was also thinking about the wind phone in Japan, which I heard about on This American Life. It’s an unconnected telephone booth created by Itaru Sasaki, where people can “talk to the wind” to connect with deceased loved ones, (presumably hated ones too). Sasaki used it to help him cope with his cousin’s death but later opened it up to the public after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami killed almost 20,000 people in Japan.

The idea of an urn made entirely of metal seems kind of cold for the ashes, although I still might make one. I like the idea of the ashes being encased in warmer wood, like this beautiful mahogany Morgan chose, and I also love the combination of wood with bronze. The solid bronze receiver weighs a little over five pounds and is satisfying to hold.

For the wooden telephone vessel, I immediately thought of @studio_morganmaclean, who hand-carves everyday forms in wood, like a paper bag, leaf, or crushed plastic bottle… so a kindred spirit for sure.

Having received my father’s box of ashes in the US Mail, with a giant CREMATED REMAINS sticker on it, I know for sure this urn won’t fit a whole body’s worth of ashes. But that’s ok because when I presented the completed urn to my mom at the nursing home, she said “Oh I decided I want my ashes spread.” Oh Doris! So this size works ok if you’re spreading some ashes or sharing with others

Please message me for more information or to commission a telephone urn.