a woolen urn for a swedish funeral home
The new woolen burial urn ‘Ocke’ has been developed by the innovative Stockholm funeral home Systrarna Ocklind — ‘The Ocklind Sisters’ — together with the award-winning architecture and design firm, Claesson Koivisto Rune, alongside manufacturer Falköpings Träindustri.
Claesson Koivisto Rune was commissioned by Systrarna Ocklind, in the spring of 2020, to propose a new burial urn design that was more genuine in its shape, feel and quality due to their funeral home clients requesting more contemporary and different options from those found in the catalogues.
images by Ida Borg | @_idaborg
swedish design by claesson koivisto rune
Mårten Claesson, of Claesson Koivisto Rune, says: ‘This is an unusual assignment for us. I think Systrarna Ocklind are brave to take this step, in a business that is quite conservative. We wanted to make an urn that feels dignified, and that we, ourselves, would want to use in that situation.’
In line with Swedish tradition and regulations, a recycled cardboard box containing a bag with the ashes is despatched from the crematorium to the funeral home. Usually, the cardboard box is discarded before the ashes are transferred to an urn made from a hard material, such as ceramics or wood. However, instead of discarding the box its use is prolonged as it forms the ‘core’ around which the Ocke woolen urn neatly fits.
the hand-sewn design
Claesson Koivisto Rune developed an urn from 100% wool with some vegetable tanned leather details. The Ocke urn is constructed from sections of wool fabric, a material that is seen as possessing an inherent warmth, and sewn together with woolen thread. Traditionally, when sewing pieces of fabric together, a ‘seam allowance’ is used but usually hidden from view.
During the development phase it was discovered that the fabric strips, resulting from the seam allowance, created an appealing ‘ribboned’ effect, lending the Ocke urn a softer aesthetic. Even though these burial urns are intended to be interred in the ground, they are held by the bereaved before being buried and so developing a softer, warmer design was important.
Additionally, the opening at the top of the Ocke urn is strengthened with a leather band that can be closed to form a loop. This loop has a necessary function, allowing the urn to be securely held as it is lowered in to the ground. Thus, all of the materials used — cardboard, wool & leather — are naturally biologically degradable.
‘The urn is made of soft wool. We see it as a kind of shroud. As in many cultures, where there is, or has been, a shrouding of the deceased, you may also treat the remains, the ashes, in a similar way. The natural materials give a sense of warmth and protection, and they also perish, quite naturally, in the soil.’
The name Ocke comes from the village where sisters Anna and Sofia Ocklind grew up, located in the mountainous northern Swedish region of Jämtland. With its uncomplicated but warm appearance, and materials such as wool and leather, it represents a lot of what they cherish about their birthplace.
‘To us, Ocke means the freedom of nature and the safety of home. But there is so much about Ocke the urn that we find fantastic,’ the sisters say. ‘It’s feminine as well as masculine, it breathes modernity and tradition, it’s warm and enclosing, it is simple yet has measured details.’
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