Design student Anna Schwamborn has created a range of jewellery made with the hair and cremated ashes of a dead loved ones.
Schwamborn, who has worked for Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood and is studying at Central St Martins in London, uses real human hair and human ashes mixed with black bone china.
The series comprises a rosary, necklace and a watch chain tear catcher.
The following text is from Schwamborn:
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Mourning Objects
Wearable body pieces including human material
The collection of objects contains post-mortem memorial pieces which include aspects of a deceased corpse, namely hair and cremated ashes.
Human remains act as an important medium of remembering a passed away loved one and are some of the longest lasting and most individual natural materials. Above: Mourning Objects, rosary.
Besides pure hair being used, cremated human ashes are mixed with black bone china, the world´s highest class porcelain. Above: Mourning Objects, necklace.
The objects are supposed to be worn close to the body of the mourner symbolizing a lasting physical connection between two individuals even after death. Above: Mourning Objects, watch chain tear catcher.
Furthermore this collection is supposed to remind the wearer on the fragility and appreciation of life and most importantly, acting as a keepsake.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
nicely done, but God, that’s depressing
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:35 pm
beautiful! Wonderful collection, I specially like the concept!
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
While these object are beautiful, they represent an attitude towards death that needs to be shed, as it is antiquated. Death is about letting go, not holding on.
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:55 pm
just make sure that just before your ‘loved one’ dies – they get their hair dyed nicely for you.
trying to figure out if this is worse, or just as bad as putting on a fur coat.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
so ehm..apart from it’s appearance…,..macabre and wel..i’ve seen it before..
does it mean the dead person goes into the coffin with a bald spot?
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:16 pm
I don’t think Prada will catch on….
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I agree with Radley on this-time to let go. Beautiful in execution but conceptually morbid.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
While I’m sure her intentions are most sincere this just comes off to me as ghoulish. What’s wrong with keeping photos of loved ones instead of wearing their remains?
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:31 pm
absolutely beautiful!
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Repulsive. The idea of using body parts is so old that the aztecs were doing it. ‘Bodyworks’ is no longer new or shocking. These pieces hold no beauty or poetry or , indeed, any relevance to the individual that has died and as such, seem to me to be attention grabbing pieces that otherwise would be banal and have no design merit.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I thought I could do something like this for my grandmother, who just lost her husband of 67 years, my Grandfather. Although the concept sounds great, I wouldn’t want my grandmother to think I reduced my Grandfather to a key chain.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Lovely objects, but overall it grosses me out.
June 24th, 2009 at 12:18 am
now i need to get more shampoo for jewellery
June 24th, 2009 at 12:46 am
gross
is she proposing ones remains are made into a relic?
June 24th, 2009 at 1:32 am
Using plated luggage hooks as clasps (in the top image on the black surface) really diminishes the quality of the object. A jewellery designer should concentrate on the detail in their work, as it’s these details in the object that make them visually coherent and shows real skill. If it was done intentionally, then i can’t see how it adds to the quality of the theory behind the object. And also, I think the concept itself is questionable just because the proximity of wearing these items makes it a bit too..morbid/odd/just plain eeewww…..
June 24th, 2009 at 2:08 am
I think the concept is interesting, and the beads are beautiful, Knowing what has been done in the past with victorian hair weaths etc, i am a bit dissapointed with the treatment of the hair… it does not seem practical especially in the bracelette’s case
June 24th, 2009 at 6:24 am
other than being just plain creepy, surely over time you would end up with them falling apart. Nothing worse than bits of Uncle Bob ending up in your pockets or inadvertently in your bowl of soup
June 24th, 2009 at 8:32 am
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND THOUGHTFUL CONCEPTS I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME ! I WOULD ABSOLUTELY WANT ONE OF THEM. USING HAIR AND ASHES AS A KEEPSAKE IS NOT REPULSIVE, ITS JUST NATURAL, BACK TO THE ROOTS! FANTASTIC….RESPECT.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Conceptually it’s nothing new. Projects about death run all the time in Uni and so many people do exactly the same thing. At least four students produced jewelry from body parts such as bones, teeth and hair this year at a Goldsmiths project and plenty last year as well. However, they’re beautifully done with a much better finish then anything I’ve seen.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Curiously interesting concept, but I do agree with Radley about letting go. I would jump back if someone had a keyring of their grannies hair.. Maybe the hair could be from someone that is still alive? but then again I don’t think that would change the object. dead human cells.. nice..
ew
June 24th, 2009 at 9:44 am
cpcp, how can you compare this to putting on a fur coat? in that case an animal is killed for their fur – the life is taken away for the purpose…
the idea of having a piece of someone you dearly loved close to you (like in an urn) seems morbid but there is something strikingly poetic about these pieces and having them next to your skin .. people do strange things when mourning.. don’t know if i’d ever go so far as to wear them around my neck though.
June 24th, 2009 at 9:46 am
also there’s something about them that makes me think of bondage and whips
June 24th, 2009 at 9:52 am
all the negative statements that have been said above, show how ignorant people s are behaving towards death and mortality nower day! very sad, since they should become more open minded, accept new things referring to this area especially when it is so beautifully, and craftsmen wise technically brilliant objects. the jewellery collection is very cleverly and esthetically done and completely adapted to the 21st century!!love them..
June 24th, 2009 at 10:24 am
exactly xenia: STRIKINGLY POETIC ! thats the right way of discribing it….
June 24th, 2009 at 11:32 am
its a bit weird for me, i think the closest i could get to this would be a tiny lock of hair in a locket, and even then i would have to have given it whilst alive or visa versa, and that’s associated with love – not “when im dead you can have my hair “, why would anyone do that? – too weird for me.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:36 am
but if it is about mourning someone who died, then still, for me a lock of hair in a locket, I wouldn’t want to wear the above.
June 24th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Strikingly poetic? What? Do you even understand what you’re saying? Poetics in design don’t just involve creating a concept and calling it poetic, there needs to be a thorough understanding of context, historically and culturally and then using this understanding to create an object that reflects these areas and addresses them in a way that really is poetic. This is not even a limerick.
The concept, as mentioned before, is old hat and has been used from jewellery design to photography, but that’s no precursor to the quality of the implementation, which in this case is poor. A concept with little context and no well made object to back it up is just a concept.
The jewellery itself is poorly made and as i said before has little attention to detail, as shown by use of off the shelf clasps, underwhelming beading and untreated hair. In terms of manufacture quality, this really isn’t that great. If you see it in real life, the effect is even more underwhelming. Shame that this stuff gets such adulation and attention when at the same show there was far more worthy work.
June 24th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
this is not gross, but its just not all that beautiful. just a lil bit creepy
June 24th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Gorgeous, love it!
June 24th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Brown hair? This must have been a young person who died :s
I find it very morbid. On the other hand, you have to treat these things with respect. You’ll feel bad if you chuck these things.
June 24th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
mike – ive just read your comment, really good constructive criticism, plus your comment has now got me thinking about lockets & what a contemporary, poetic version might look like,
and with regards to mourning:
when trying to relate to the concept as above and thinking about losing someone very dear to me, i think i would instead arrive at something which would be (if anything) more of a wearable memorial – tiny and discrete (if I was wearing it), and personal in some way, remembering that person.
i have to say though, i find the subject quite difficult, especially for a design student, its so personal – its only my view though, i could be wrong, plus i guess it could be tongue in cheek?………. maybe.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
a little bit disgusting ! but funny
June 24th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
“look kids, it’s grandma!”
nasty but lovely
June 24th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
having been perpetually in mourning for several years i think the concept is great.. i recently poured some ashes into the sea with my son and he really would have loved it if i could of used some to make a keepsake for him.. it could catch on and i think its a beautiful statement.. i just collect my late friends bits and bobs but something like that would be a thing to cherish… call me morbid but i like it..
June 24th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
NOTE TO MY ATTORNEY: When I die, for God’s sake keep my corpse away from design students!
June 24th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I don’t believe I would enjoy seeing this on someone. Perhaps only the bereaved can truly appreciate it and find it comforting..
June 24th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
hallo anna,
deine stücke sind sehr mutig, ungewöhnlich aber auch interessant. dein opa ist sehr stolz auf dich. mach weiter so.
joerg
June 24th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Egad! What a ghastly concept. I find this very disrespectful to the dead, not to mention the appalling design…
June 24th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
all of you negative and narrow minded people have SUCH AN OLD FASHIONED AND CONVENTIONAL WAY OF TREATING AND THINKING ABOUT THIS TOPIC!!!!!! namely treating it as a complete taboo theme, which shouldnt be the way of facing it!
all of these materials are the most natural ones and in ALL CULTURES this material has been ascting as something very important.
SO: dont be so disrespectful towards the designer, who has a deep thought and new way of handling a mourning situation.
Its a brilliant concept.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:13 am
rahk:
what an un-modern thinking you just admitted…
show a bit more zeitgeist and appreciation for the effort of somebody who studied human rituals in depth and wants to bring back an old tradition that we lost in our society…namely appreciate and honour our lost loved ones by remembering them through their immortal material that luckily remains for us to remember them in their unique way.
do not make such incompetent comments.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:20 am
WHERE I CAN BUY IT ?????????????
ITS AMAZING…BEAUTIFUL DESIGN, SPECIALLY SINCE THE EXECUTION IS BRILLIANTLY ADAPTED TO OUR TECHNICAL TIME…
VERY CLEVER, SINCE THIS SEEMS TO BE A NEW WAY OF CONFRONTING PEOPLE WITH DEATH AND MOURNING, SPECIALLY BECAUSE ITS SO INTO YOUR FACE. I ADORE IT….
SPECIALLY SINCE I HAVE LOST A CLOSE PERSON RECENTLY AND WOULD LOVE TO USE THE ASHES FOR JEWELLERY LIKE THIS!
SO PLEASE, TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET IT MADE, ANNA….
STUNNING…
June 25th, 2009 at 9:26 am
absolutely gorgeous…
June 25th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I can’t think of any better way to sentimentalize the loss of a family member than to repurpose their remains as fashion accessories. If this is an attempt modernize the practice of scalping then bravo.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:11 am
This is just a concept – using found materials, fashion photography, and photoshop!
She is just showing her concept, but presents it to be true.
It’s sad that this actually pervades the design profession nowadays.
Ashes with black bone china? That necklace is plastic! and all those black components are plastic!
June 26th, 2009 at 8:37 am
hi anna, it´s great, congratulations…
June 26th, 2009 at 8:45 am
…hi anna, it´s great, congratulations…
June 26th, 2009 at 9:27 am
this reminds me of Gisele Ganne’s work
http://www.giseleganne.com
June 26th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
mikoy: she had an exhibition running until today in London at central saint martins and the pieces were amazingly handcrafted!!! perfect detail…all real materials! Everybody was so excited about it! and ACTUALLY: SHE USED REAL BONE CHINA AND HAIR.
June 26th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
yes I saw her exhibition aswell! beautiful stuff, amazingly produced…specially the porcelain and hair were so delicate and stunning…BRAVO
June 28th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
these are hauntingly beautiful, actually. I believe this designer- this artist- really accomplished a frightening and gorgeous manner of displaying the hair of the deceased.
Whether or not you tell someone what kind of hair it is is up to you. It’s deeply personal. I guess its a disgusting display of respect, or even disrespect- depending on what you think.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:36 am
AMAZING work , stunning pieces and beautiful concept. very poetical way of remembering our lost ones and effectively i line with our current time. i simply LOVE it!!
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:41 am
The idea is lovely, and not uncommon; mourners often weaved beautiful art objects from hair of deceased loved ones, but the execution is just not doing it for me.
The hair looks sloppy, and the hardware, thought expensive, seems garish and cheap to me. Check out some of the Victorian mourning art for truly amazing craftsmanship.
July 5th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
The idea is great indeed !
And specially the fact that the designer DID NOT do it like they used to do in the victorian aera, but addapted to our present modern times via this visual quite cleane and brutal look is CLEVER…respect!
July 7th, 2009 at 11:13 am
It really has been done before, to death. I’m sorry, it is pleasantly made and photographed, but really it is nothing to write home about! the reason i comment at all is because i have seen it in real life and was equally un enlightend by the concept (there where other far more interesting and inspiring ideas at that particular csm show). HOWEVER, they are not badly made as people keep on saying, just fairly un exciting as a new entry into the design world.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:12 am
I sort of like it. Why do we cherish baby hair and do strange things with it yet we’re grossed out by dead people’s hair? I think the design aspect is excellent. And, having lost a spouse, frankly, I can see the appeal. Even if one wore something like this in private only it might be a way for people to feel connected with their loved one. And what’s the difference between this and having ashes in an urn, really, its a matter of preference. I think design students should be given free reign otherwise we end up with crappy design overall because we limit creativity.
I particularly like the idea of the rosary and I’m not even religious. We all have such judgment against new ideas. Too bad….
August 12th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
God !! this is weird .. but still cant say that is not nice….
September 19th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
My 18 yr old son was killed in a car accident and they gave me a clipping of his hair before closing the casket.. I’ve been holding unto since and someone told me about hair jewelry… I guess its creepy if its not your love one but when its someone very close to you wearing the necklace just keeps a part of them close to you. I wish I knew how to find this person so she could do a necklace for me… The rude comments about dying their hair before they die or are they burried with a bald spot… uncalled for.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:29 am
I find this art to be most personal.
I became interested in human hair art after seeing a framed floral arrangement in the window of an Oregon antique store. It was magnificant: shades of blond, brown, and red flowers positioned at the end of stems in shades of dark brown. And, decades ago while visiting Denver’s downtown Frontier Hotel, I learned that it was common for “ladies of the night” to produce and sell such hair art.
I cherish my grandmother’s broach that holds interwoven locks of hair taken from each of her children when they were babies. And, without taking a breath, I asked the funeral home director to cut a lock of hair from on daughter’s head before she was creamated.
As I read each of the above comments, I also remembered seeing magnificant works of art by Southwest American Indian that is embedded with horse hair. I have been able to purchase tiny baskets with lids, plates, and bowls but horse hair pottery is well out of my reach financially.
In one of the drawers of my bathroom is hair from my head as well as from each of my children and grandchildren, and my hope is to find an artist who can produce my family’s floral arrangement.
To me, the beauty of human hair art is truly in the eye of the beholder.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:35 am
I became interested in human hair art after seeing a framed floral arrangement in the window of an Oregon antique store. It was magnificant: shades of blond, brown, and red flowers positioned at the end of stems in shades of dark brown. And, decades ago while visiting Denver’s downtown Frontier Hotel, I learned that it was common for “ladies of the night” to produce and sell such hair art.
I cherish my grandmother’s broach that holds interwoven locks of hair taken from each of her children when they were babies. And, without taking a breath, I asked the funeral home director to cut a lock of hair from on daughter’s head before she was creamated.
As I read each of the above comments, I also remembered seeing magnificant works of art by Southwest American Indians that is embedded with horse hair. I have been able to afford tiny horse hair woven baskets with lids, plates, and bowls but horse hair pottery is out of reach finacially.
In one of the drawers of my bathroom is hair from my head as well as from each of my children and grandchildren, and my hope is to find an artist who can produce my family’s floral arrangement.
The beauty of human hair art is simply in the eye of the beholder.