The living urn: an embodied practice

Abstract

Historically, the decorative urn appears to have been an object of great importance. The Urn, as a subset of vases, appeared as a form in Greek and Roman classical times and was reintroduced to Europe during the renaissance, which began with artists such as Giotto in the 14th century and continued to the 15th century and beyond. In the hands of architects, designers and artists, the fundamental form of the classic urn has been continuously reinterpreted and applied as a decorative ornament to architecture, the interior, furniture and landscape design. However, more recently, the decorative urn appears to have fallen from favour. Now, newer versions are needed if this once essential object is to be reinstated as a desirable form, appropriate to contemporary culture. This research observes the relationship between the decorative, ornamental urn and the human body and uses this lens to comment on the usage of the decorative urn within specific points of material culture: 18th and early 19th century English architecture, object and interior design, 20th century ceramics and 21st century fashion. Studio-centred art works are created in a parallel response to these literary investigations: mimicking early urn incarnations, appropriating construction methods, reinterpreting the urn to represent the human body and as wearable structures for the living human body, particularly the female body. At particular points within the research, there is evidence of the decorative urn’s service to mankind, adding value with its placement and inspiring new design with its form. The urn’s association with classical antiquity and the rituals associated with the celebration of death and remembrance has imbued it with an aura of purity, chastity and solemnity. Historic and subsequent usage of the decorative urn adds to these, the values of ‘style’ and ‘taste’, in each manifestation. This research suggests that a collective understanding of the urn’s history and symbolic values sit subliminally within our psyche. This mutual respect for the traditional urn encourages and prompts our acceptance of new designs; now referencing its morphology, indicating the form of the decorative urn is timeless. The literary and studio based outcomes of this research are documented within this exegesis and an exhibition of contemporary, decorative urn artworks to be presented at ‘COFAspace’ UNSW. College of Fine Arts, Sydney 2014.