Here is my research for Project 1 compacted and reduced into two poster for the hand in.

Following on from my initial research I want to carry by reinvented and reimaging what an urn is and what new interactions can be had with this new urn design.

I really liked the idea of being able to return peoples ashes into nature and allow there remains to re-enter the cycle of life. I want to make the ash into rock forms that look quite elegant as an ornamental function but also allow you to scattered the ash in a new way that sparks positive emotion. Instead of just chucking the ashes into the wind I thought that skipping the "Urn Rocks" on water would be quite a beautiful way to say good bye to your loved ones and in a way it also includes them in the process, even though they aren't there physically its like your doing an activity together one last time.

The photos below are some memories that I've made skipping rocks. Skipping rocks seems to be something that is enjoyed all around that world and it isn't special to only one culture or place. Its something I've always done, I've skipped rocks with my father, my grandparents my brothers and my girlfriend. There's just something about being in nature and searching for that perfect skipping rock that brings me joy. Its like a naturally occurring toy ! So many people skip rocks and linking the scattering of ashes to this interaction seems like a perfect fit.

Images that serve for inspiration that I took during some "field research".

Seeing the fossilized shells in the rock really made me think of how old these shells are and also about how these shells once carried life within them, And this is kind of similar to my project of the urn. The Urn rocks that I create in a way toy with the idea that I'm creating fossils of people and encapsulating their life into a subtle object of quite eminence meaning.

Next I moved on to modelling in 3D CAD software's. Initially I used fusion 360 but then moved into blender and Zbrush.  

After modeling smooth natural rocks and obtaining scans of hands and alpha maps of fingers, I was able to use those scans as a tool to Boolean out the initial shape. After cutting the shape I could then smooth the edges. I also experimented with sculpting the lines by hand but decided not to do that as it isn't exactly accurate or personalized to the scan/urn.

Conducting material experiments was important as this is such a huge part of my process and project.  I mixed plaster, ash and water in different quantity's to see the different material quality's. Results below show the wet mix and dry mix swatches. 

All up there is 8 swatches - here are the ratios for each swatch - 1 part equals 15ML of raw Material 

Additive manufacturing is the industrial production name for 3D printing, This is a computer controlled process that creates three dimensional objects by depositing materials to create the form. After conducting smaller test prints, modelling and material experiments I moved on to creating a more refined prototype. Below shows my process of finishing the 3D print to a a finer quality. The smooth finish was complete with a mix of wet and dry sanding from 120 grit to 800 grit paper and using filler between that. The final urn model photo shows that it is ready for the next step (project 3) which will be casting it in a silicon mold so that I can pour my Ash mixture into the mold.

After sanding I spray painted a speckled grey glossy finish to mimic what a wet or polish rock may look like. Ive tried to convey through photography the emotion that one may go though when touching the rock and how that connects them to there loved one. I have also shown the rock balancing as this is how you could display the urn in your home in a way that you may display art or ornaments, you would display this in your home as a reminder of the life that once was. When the purpose of display is over and your ready to part ways and scatter the ashes you can disassemble the rock stack and replace them in nature or skim them on water. Because the urn is made of plaster and ash the rocks will breakdown outdoors and return them to the cycle of nature. 

Next steps - Making a mold of silicon. I will make some more prints of different hand impressions and then finish them to a high quality and pour them into a silicon mold. This will allow me to then pour ash and plaster into the mold and take it out easily. 

The hand is a important part of the body and we express so much emotion and interaction though our hands. Also everyone's hands are so unique and each Urn will be different. 

Next steps- I want to think of packaging, If i was to order this Urn how would it arrive ? Would I make a real high quality CNC wood storage box ?  Should I design a nice base for the urns to be displayed on when there inside ? - all things things i will need to finalize by project3

Could I push this project in a different direction >? After some discussion with class coordinator there is potential that i could use the ash as a material for building ? I think making some sort of war memorial of ash as a building material could be interesting