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Continuum: The Burial Cocoon that Sprouts Flowers

Aleksa (Leksi) Kostur

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Hi, I am Leksi! My work exists at the intersection of product design, materiality, and social science.  Previously, I earned a Bachelor degree in Psychology, with minors in Anthropology and Art. During my time at Central Saint Martins, I have employed my academic background to produce work that calls into question what it means to be a citizen of the world in its current, wicked-problem-ridden state; from cancel culture and uniformity, to the political divide, to reframing the end of life and death. Whilst I am invested in interrogating the Big Picture, I am also taken by the beauty of small moments. I grew up dancing, exploring, and mountain climbing in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, USA. My experiences have instilled in me the importance of intention and grace, and an admiration for nature’s rhythm and timeless relevance. I aspire to bring elements of nature’s ingenuity into all my work. I enjoy synthesising my awareness of social issues and environmental sustainability, with the ultimate goal of keeping humanness at the core of my design practice.
Hi, I am Leksi! My work exists at the intersection of product design, materiality, and social scienc...
Continuum is an eco-burial product that celebrates lifecycle. The two popular methods of final body disposition in the Western World, traditional burial and cremation, both contribute to the climate crisis. Cremation requires natural gas and, therefore, produces an excess of CO2. Burial involves the use of chemicals that are toxic to both morticians and the burial environment. The human desire to ‘immortalise’ manifests itself in attempts to preserve the physical body, which ultimately harms both us and our planet. These attempts are futile, as we all return to the earth eventually. Each component in the Continuum process is made of organic matter. The project challenges traditional attempts to ‘immortalise’ while shedding light on the beauty of lifecycle and decomposition itself. It celebrates the body’s physical form rather than concealing it, encouraging the acceptance of our inevitable return to stardust. The passage begins by placing the body on a wood beam, before it is dressed in a ceremonial veil and covered with a winged cocoon, made entirely of biomaterials. The body is taken to a natural burial ground, which has been certified for rewilding the land. A walking procession and ceremony takes place, choreographed depending on the beliefs of the departed. The wings are removed and the beam lowered into the earth. Finally, the grave is covered, and the wings placed atop. The wings contain native wildflower seeds. As the rain comes, the biomaterials dissolve into the ground and new life sprouts. The gravesite becomes a natural garden, completing the transition from individual to collective. The materials used in this project are entirely biodegradable and were developed by the designer, in collaboration with Nikolet Kostur, Biomaterials Technician at the Royal College of Art.

Final work

A side profile of the iridescent green cocoon coffin in a green field

Natural burial is the way of the future, and, fortunately, is already becoming part of the present. With over 200 sites in the UK alone, the demand for green burial products is increasing. Many people are realizing that their last act on earth should be one that gives back.

Continuum offers a fresh and hopeful perspective on the end of life. Designed under the guidance of green burial experts, itis a practical solution. The product balances the natural and the ethereal, and does something unique: it sprouts wildflowers on the grave.

1) Top view of two people's hands holding coffin's handles, 2) Several people touching cocoon that sits on stands, 3) 6 people around cocoon in field.

The funeral is a liminal period–a time and space that is neither 'here' nor 'there.' While liminality can be unsettling, it offers an opportunity for reflection and acceptance of the present. Continuum corresponds to the transitional nature of funeral ritual, with its translucent appearance, use of seeds and sprouting, and cocoon shape, which is symbolic of metamorphosis. 

1) 6 people carrying cocoon casket, 2) Bust wearing colourful shroud, 3) Head wearing colourful mask, 4) 5 people lifting wings away from the body.

Beauty in Decomposition

Decomposers–bacteria, fungi, and insects–are typically described as unpleasant or disgusting. Thus, the plethora of brilliant colors, textures, and patterns of these species is largely overlooked. The aesthetic of the Continuum is derived from decomposers, in an effort to cast a positive light on the process of decomposition. These garments and accessories offer celebratory costume for the transition out of the living world, and decompose with the body. 

The veil and mask obscure the body from direct view while still highlighting its physical form. The bright colours and form-fitting silhouettes of Continuum set this shroud apart from all others on the market. 

GIF of 4 stages of wing decomposition. As wings decompose, flowers sprout.

Lifecycle

Since the most recent ice age, woodlands in the UK have been controlled by humans. Resultantly, plants and animals gradually adjusted to the changed conditions, so much so that they now depend on human management of their habitat. Continuum focuses on the flora level of the woodland, planting native flower varieties. It therefore serves both a poetic and practical purpose; it invites family and friends to view death as a part of lifecycle as they watch the grave grow and bloom, and simultaneously helps natural burial grounds achieve a balanced habitat.

The Continuum cocoon consists of two wings, whose materials are designed to quickly flatten over the soil and biodegrade. They hold seeds, certified as local to the UK. The wings are removed prior to burial, and placed on the grave after it is covered. They dissolve with rainwater and the seeds begin to germinate. Over time, flowers grow on the grave, turning the body below into part of the forest.

Research and process

Series of colorful material experiments in jelly-like textures.

Material Experiments

Seeds in various colorful materials, some of which have sprouted.

Sprouting Experiments

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Continuum: The Burial Cocoon that Sprouts Flowers

Continuum is an eco-burial product that celebrates lifecycle. The two popular methods of final body disposition in the Western World, traditional burial and cremation, both contribute to the climate crisis. Cremation requires natural gas and, therefore, produces an exce...

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