circle of life by Natale Hugvik from norway

Design for death
- Wrappings of mortality

"The circle of life"

We have come to see that what we call Life is a product of culture rather than nature. Life is not so much a script we follow as one we as individuals and as societies write as we go along.

We enter life as a tiny little seed. With all its building blocks it grows in a mother’s womb into a tiny little human bodily shaped vessel.
The day we are born is the day we enter the grid called life. Without knowing what life has to offer us we continue to grow and live our own reality. With our existence, knowledge and consciousness we shape the people and world around us.

As we continue to grow, we grow old and one day we die. Our bodily shaped vessel has no more function and it can no longer contain life.

The branching of trees, the strands of our DNA the star we spin around, the galaxy we spiral within, the air we breathe, and all life forms as we know emerge out of timeless geometric codes.

“Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else”. Leonardo da Vinci

Idea description:

The concept “Circle of life” is an alternative way to wrap the mortality in the modern world with the use of 3D printing technology.

The process starts with the burial method called Biocremation (Resomation) A reductive cremation process that is an alternative to the traditional options of burial or cremation.

The biocremation method, known as alkaline hydrolysis, is similar to many physiological processes that occur naturally in the body. Biocremation converts tissue and cells of the human body into a watery solution of micromolecules, leaving the bone structure of mineral compounds, such as calcium and phosphates. Since biocremation is not a combustion process, it is environmentally friendly and does not produce toxic gases or air pollutants.

Resomation is an alternative to cremation and burial which offers a number environmental benefits including:
‪- A significantly lower carbon footprint
‪- ‬ Significantly less energy required in the form of electricity and gas
‪- ‬ No airborne mercury emissions
‪- ‬ The sterile liquid effluent is safely returned to the water cycle free from any traces of DNA
The output of the resomation process is bone, and these are then cremated to a fine ashe.

3D printing with ceramic and human ashes

Technique and material
Additive manufacturing is often referred to as 3D printing, as it works in a similar way to a laser printer. The technique builds a solid object from a series of layers - each one printed directly on top of the previous one.
With the help of the opportunities that technology offers us, we can create a human seed (code) based on a logarithmic formula that uses the desisted birth number and date of death divided with Pi. By using software, the seed is then translated info a 3 dimensional form. The .stl file is then sent to 3D printer that uses ashes from the diseased

Formula
The ashes are mixed with fine ceramic powder, which is bound together with a binder, fired, and glaze with a lead-free, non-toxic finish. The material is both recyclable and heat resistant. The primary advantage of this technique is its ability to create a shape or geometric feature.

“Circle of life”
The concept “Circle of life” is an alternative way to wrap the mortality in the modern world with the use of 3D printing technology. A 3 dimensional shape that is based on a logarithmic formula that uses the deceased birth number and their day of death divided by Pi. This gives each individual a unique 3D geometry that is placed back in the “The circle of life” library for others to visit in the future.

This is essentially the modern grave yard, a library for others to visit in the future. Family and loved ones are automatically registered when they enter the complex with the sphere. Containing thousands of individuals with their own unique structured shape, the sphere hovers above the ground - creating a devine atmosphere. The individual shapes are lowered to eye height for a close encounter with the spectator, automatically showing the shape of the people who they have come to visit.