Family Diamonds

Birth, life, death —  this natural sequence couldn’t been changed. The perception of death changed and still being changed under the influence of religion, culture and physical sciences. Nowadays the death is considered to be rather awful, ugly, wrong and unexpected than natural end of life. Due to the high level of medicine development the death is estranged from humans and relatives lack the opportunity to be together with a goner and his body, slowly taking his leave. 

Formerly people considered death as a sublime event, as the moment when a soul reunites with God. This consideration was the base for old funereal music and farewell rituals. 

Some time ago a new technology appeared in Switzerland: it transforms cremation ashes to diamonds. At least 500g of cremated remains are needed to synthesise one or more cremation diamonds 0.3 ct minimum. Human body temporality has been overcome — a physical bit of a person remains after his death. And this bit is the most beautiful and the most solid gem — a diamond. 

Within this project I module the situation in which this technology of producing the memorial diamonds appeared many years ago. And several  diamonds remained from my gone foregoers as a part of my family archive. I can look at them and even take those diamonds into my hands.

The christian culture claimed: «… till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return» (Genesis, 3:19).

Could it be the progress offering us the new perception of the death: seeing the process of love transformation to precious memories in it?