anita’s ashes
There is a fraction of hope in every being that believes that part of them will remain after they’ve consciously left the world. Although it is true that their memories will forever linger in the hearts of loved ones, there has never been any tangible evidence of someone who once existed – a piece or object able to be passed on throughout generations. Anita, an artist from suburban Toronto, has given birth to a creative, fetus of potential life of an art form that consists of the remains of the once lived. She has entered a new frontier of possibilities to help maintain a character once they have deceased, in a tangible form. She has created Ashes.
Contrary to the conventionalists’ belief, Ashes is a completely sanitary and natural display of the dead. It offers a celebration of life – demonstrating a triumph; rather than performing some morose or gruesome ritual. It is an original perspective on the most inevitable fate – and deals with it in such an artistic manner; leaving the living with something left to love.
The process of each project can vary from four to six weeks, depending on what the client wishes to do – as well as how many products and if more people wish to keep a piece. Correct – this option is open to everyone close to the deceased and is not restricted to one sole member of the family. “Different people have different relationships with a person,” Anita explains, “Ashes are mixed with different mediums and the amount of ashes per piece can differ and be separated.” These mediums include sculptures created with plaster or paper, glass art, bonsai trees and many more.
Anita has completed projects already for pets and people and has distributed the ashes in these forms. Her sculptures are created with care and precision that leaves the client in awe with the result. People reluctant to participate in this unorthodox unique ritual can be guaranteed that their initial reaction will differ from the product. Her previous clients were entirely overwhelmed by her artistic creation. While aesthetically pleasing, within the beauty of the creations a personal memory and relationship will eternally survive from generation to generation. A tale told through a glorious art piece – a real, solid, concrete memory that will continue to touch the hearts of many.
Anita has resurrected this concept, for it had been dead for the past few centuries. A couple of cultures, namely the ancient Greeks and Egyptians embraced a similar technique before her. Anita has modified the notion and has managed to produce something modern – as well as having the full potential of becoming a tradition. This option enables a person to become more than a remembrance, but a physical piece of history. This method, unlike embalmment which is a touch too eerie for today’s societal standards, holds the same sentimental and bodily value that future generations will appreciate – while contributing to the home as something artistic and respectable.
Toronto, with arms wide open, shall begin to embrace this new whim – with open mind and open hearts. As with every idea that blossoms in society, there is a thorn that pricks as well – however, being the cynic only emphasizes on the narrow-minds of individuals that aren’t ready to progress in life. Ashes is about life and offers you an artistic, tangible option as to what to do after it. It is about remaining, when all you’re left with are remains.
 
 
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