Seeyou

has to be one of the most unusual pieces shown at IMM Cologne. A collaboration between Hungarian designers Akos Maurer Klimes and P©ter Kucsera in partnership with Ivanka Studio, Seeyou is the first contemporary grave design I’ve ever come across.

Seeyou. Designed by Akos Maurer Klimes and P©ter Kucsera in partnership with Ivanka Studio.

The designer’s statement includes a brief explanation to the obvious question of ‘why’ and touches upon Western society’s often schizophrenic approach to burials: The often-extravagant displays at funeral and then the all-to-frequent years of neglect. Not to mention designs for grave sites that are stuck hundreds and thousands of years in the past. “The cemetery is a place where we slow down and lower our voices; it’s much like a chapel. But we wanted to create an ‘interactive’ grave site, because a tomb is not just a maker for the departed, but a place of connection between family members, friends, etc.,” explained Kucsera.

“Seeyou helps with family togetherness,” he insists. “When I look into the surface of the water, I see the natural world reflected in it; this world, but not this world. I see a cross. And when I lean in closer, I see myself, with you not there. The tomb is now an object that hopefully brings the visitor to deeper messages and meanings than just names and dates on a headstone.”

Made from poured concrete, (there’s a great series of production photos on their design blog) the designers also wanted to ensure that the tomb would look good even if family and friends stop visiting, as years pass and the moss and lichen grow, the piece will take on a different type of beauty.

There?s something I find really wonderful and touching about this piece. There’s a comforting simplicity to the (fairly) universal symbol of the cross, even if you’re not Christian, and the spare elegance of Seeyou reminds me of Shaker designs. If any single thing could get you to consider or reconsider your plans for your “final resting place” this is it.