ATYPICAL NICHE DESIGN

JOURNEY JOURNAL... Sorrento Valley (San Diego), California

UNITED THEY STAND

Many things are aggregates composed of elements, parts grouped together to form wholes.  Separately, the individual components might not be so functional, aesthetically appealing, or impressive, but integrated with others to form a composite they may become strategic aspects of a magnificent ensemble, possibly even a masterpiece. For instance, think of a bouquet or handmade quilt!

“It's the sum of the parts that make up the whole, so in my opinion excellence comes from how one undertakes to do something. 
It all begins with the thought process - which is creative and exalted to produce something out of the ordinary.”

                                                                                                                  ~ Pankaj Patel 

Indeed, “out of the ordinary” characterizes the Narro-Niche columbarium permutation conceived and designed by the Conrad Pickel Studio.  The slim, yet full-capacity bronze urns that comprise the inclusive composition are box-like in shape and covered by a three-quarter-inch slab of solid marble or granite.  A mosaic design, dubbed a “Mosaicfront” by the originators, may be applied as an exterior embellishment.  The design on the front of niche unit is a cardinal element of the larger depiction.

Besides aesthetic appreciation, practicality underlies the conceptual rationale for this, as indoor or outdoor walls and corridors ordinarily unsuitable for niche installations can be utilized, requiring only five and a half inches of depth.  A joined assemblage of niche compartments can be applied directly against an established surface without the need to forge a recessed indentation.    

Beyond utility, though, is the potential for a vividly captivating illustration created by visionary artists.  That is, by nature of a coordinate frontal design, a single niche is like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle… a necessary component that’s pivotal to the larger image layout.  Without it, the picture on the wall would not be complete.  It is an essential part of the whole. Crafters use Venetian glass smalti to create the decorative wall panels.  The mosaic fronts are framed in bronze using conventional mounting systems.    

The El Camino Memorial Park in the San Diego area draws visitors aiming to see the gravesites of notable individuals, such as Jonas Salk (founder of the polio vaccine and the Salk Institute) and Ray Kroc (founding partner of McDonalds and owner of the Padres baseball team).  But straying from the usual tourist pathways can lead a visitor to the site of a Narro-Niche installation.  

Here, the structure and its mosaic portrait stand out against a blank mausoleum wall.

The site is embellished with plants, cenotaphs, and other stone structures.

Nameplates are positioned above individual niches. 

From the vantage of a side view, an unknowing observer might not realize that a collection of urns is behind the decorative panorama.

The only building in this image appears on the frontal facade of a single urn.  

This creation is but one of many stained and faceted glass windows, mosaics, and sculptures for religious and secular buildings that are produced by the Pickel Studio artists. Niche and crypt facades are only part of their focus. The enterprise was founded by the late Conrad Pickel, a world-renowned stained glass artisan as well as a sculptor and painter.  Since his death the company has been managed by his son, Paul.  

Professional artists on staff specialize in various aspects of design and installation while developing new techniques and applications.  

Photo Source:  Pickel Studios

Their work is featured in churches, cathedrals, and cemeteries around the country.  Among their showpieces are the faceted glass windows at Michigan Memorial Park’s Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum (photos via link below).

At the Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois (Chicago area), two stories of magnificent glasswork enclosing a mausoleum purportedly form the largest stained glass window in the world.  Huge stained glass depictions of Bible narratives and more can be viewed by walking clockwise around the second and third floors of the building.

Photo Source:  Flicker by Robert Powers 
(more photos in blog reference)

The company’s Narro-Niche innovation, though of diminished proportions in contrast to their other productions, affords a balm of soothing representations, nonetheless.  “Good things come in small packages,” or in the case of cremated remains, go in small packages… and, at the hands of Pickel Studio creators, sometimes in narrow ones.  The packaging here invariably amounts to inspirational works of art.  Whether the projects are undersized or massive, their resplendent renderings reflect the words of an exemplary figure with an artistic eye who said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together”                                                                                                                        (Vincent Van Gogh).  

Conrad Pickel Studio Website

Resurrection Mausoleum

  

Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum

Pickel Studios Gallery of Cemetery Projects

Blog: A Chicago Sojourn

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CREMATION GARDEN... Winter Park, FL

Journey Journal… Winter Park, FL

MUTATION in ELYSIAN FIELDS

Anyone who has not been to any cemeteries in recent years might be surprised by the modern imprints that now beautify them.  In many cases, landscape architects haven’t left a stone unturned, so to speak.  Cremation gardens, in particular, are contemporary features of recent origin on burial properties and, at certain ones, they are exquisite masterpieces of design.  

The concept of these attractive havens has been grasped by cemetery owners who recognize their desirability.  As the rate of cremation escalates, so does the development of this type of amenity on burial grounds throughout the country.  The economic forecast for a return on such an investment is favorable.  In contrast to substantial acreage required for whole body interments, the space allocated as quarters for many units of cremated remains can be confined to a smaller area.  The sales potential is great due to the significant number of remains that can be accommodated within a delineated area.  Maintenance costs are lower.  And opportunities for stylistic innovations are refreshing in contrast to predictable patterns of commonplace cemetery layouts.  

Sometimes a cremation garden suggests a sense of sanctuary in an area that feels segregated from the rest of the grounds, if not geographically, at least visually.  Foliage accentuates the effect. The Glen Haven Memorial Park harbors one that implies that sort of retreat.  

Its entrance pathways surround a fountain, refreshing to body and mind under the searing Florida sun.

A stroll along groomed walkways reveals an eclectic mix of stone memorials.  Some of the conventional ones are modest and generically basic.

Other memorial structures are distinctly unique and exceptional.

Cremation bench monuments summon an impression of meditative repose.  Such configurations are constructed with single or multiple inner chambers to hold cremated remains of an individual or several family members. They may be straight or curved, with or without arms and backs.  

Symbols reminiscent of the person who died may be prominent elements of style.

For decedents who had been multi-taskers, perhaps memorial signets that serve a dual purpose are especially apropos.  Granite birdbaths invite enlivening activity.

Sundials on pillars with chambers that contain cremated remains capture a natural way to avoid losing track of time… perhaps even alluding to the preciousness of it!    

Often a cremation mecca such as this one features niche walls or community columbaria on the premises.  

It is common, also, to encounter a contemporary version of a cenotaph.  The bronze plaques on this community memorial bear the names of people whose remains were buried or scattered elsewhere – sometimes in another area within the garden.    

In an arena of sectioned “family estates” there is room for multiple burials of related remains.

The expansive allotments offer opportunities for unconfined creativity.  You never know when a visitor might want to pause for a picnic or a game of chess!

Perhaps the most commanding component of this picturesque “Tranquility Oaks” cremation garden is the tranquility of its pond and waterfalls enveloped in lush foliage.  

Amid soothing bird songs, sun-drenched lily pads, and gentle ripples, it is an oasis of serenity that bespeaks the nature of death.  

Glen Haven Memorial Park

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FUNERAL HOMES FLAG RETIREMENT

Journey Journal… Florida and Beyond

A NEW WAVE for OLD GLORY

“You’re a grand old flag

You’re a high flying flag

And forever in peace may you wave

You’re the emblem of

The land I love

The home of the free and the brave

Every heart beats true

‘Neath the red white and blue… “

Since 1906 when George M. Cohan composed the lyrics to this quintessential American march that rallies patriotic fervor, the images evoked by that “… Grand Old Flag” have suggested unblemished crispness.  In the minds of visualizing beholders, probably the flawlessly intact fabric of that unfettered flag undulates picturesquely in sweeping billows against a pure blue sky.  

But, like the people they represent, flags eventually wear out.  Over the course of time they are apt to fade and become tattered, torn, dingy, and no longer emblematically serviceable.  

Photo Source:  Website of Bordentown Home for Funerals 

Actually, the composer’s original title and, later, the first line for this popular piece of music featured the word “rag.”  The notion for it stemmed from an encounter with a veteran who had fought at Gettysburg.  After Cohen noticed that the man was holding a folded, but ragged flag, the veteran declared, “She’s a grand old rag.”  These words were adopted as the name for his new tune, but he had to rethink it since individuals and groups objected to a title that implied disrespect for the iconic national symbol.  Though he changed the “Rag” to “Flag” in the title, the chorus began, “You’re a grand old flag / Though you’re torn to a rag.”  That version, too, went the way of the wind, but copies of the original ones still circulate among collectors. 

So what happens to American flags that become rags or lose their luster?  According to the United States Flag Code, they should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning.  

Many funeral homes have responded to this mandate by sponsoring flag retirement ceremonies to which the public may be invited.  

Photo Source:  Website of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services 

Community members and groups may be asked to deliver their unusable flags to the funeral homes prior to such events.  Protocol dictates a sequence of proceedings that entails either burning of all the flags that have been collected or a representative one of them; in such instances, the remaining ones are later incinerated.  Funeral homes often engage veterans' organizations and Boy Scout or Girl Scout troops to participate in ceremonies.  There may be a Color Guard involved in performing rituals, and sometimes even a military gun salute.  

But let’s look more closely at two lines of the “… Grand Old Flag” song.  Many countrywide funeral homes have established an alternative type of practice that negates a few of the words… the ones alluding to every heart beating true under the red, white, and blue.  

Like the facilities that host retirement ceremonies, they request worn-out flag donations, sometimes by way of prominent signs on their properties.

Kays-Ponger & Uselton Funeral Homes and Cremation, Englewood, FL

But instead of ceremoniously burning the collective assortment outdoors as an event, they burn them individually in conjunction with cremation processes.  That is, according to family wishes, a donated flag is draped over the casket of a veteran prior to its entry into the crematory chamber.  Though hearts are no longer beating under the red, white, and blue, the hearts of family members are warmed by the significance of this gesture.  

Photo Source:  Website of Charlotte Memorial Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, Punta Gorda, FL

The initiative is taken a step further at the Charlotte Memorial Funeral Home.  Flags that are not incinerated as part of cremations are burned separately in the chamber, after which the ashes are placed in the Veteran’s Garden of Honor section of their memorial park.  Some facilities routinely send a certificate to a family, verifying that a flag accompanied a loved one in this manner as part of the cremation process for that individual.  

The ongoing escalation of cremation rates has accelerated a uniquely patriotic opportunity for resourcefulness in funeral homes these days.   This commemorative measure honors those Americans who have served to promote peace for fellow countrymen living under the high flying flag… in the land they love… the home of the free and the brave.

Kays-Ponger & Uselton Funeral Homes and Cremation, Punta Gorda, FL

Wikipedia: You're A Grand Old Flag

 Charlotte Funeral Home Flag Program

             

Hiers-Baxley Flag Program

Kays-Ponger & Uselton Flag Program

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BURIALS AT SEA

JOURNEY JOURNAL, Marshfield Hills, Massachusetts

The ocean has its silent caves,

Deep, quiet and alone;

Though there be fury on the waves,

Beneath them there is none

… peaceful sleep is ever there,

Beneath the dark blue waves.

Excerpts from “The Ocean” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

TIDAL GRAVES

For immersion in a meeting with a company representative to glean details about New England Burials At Sea (NEBAS), one might expect to see water.  But in this case, within the confines of a hotel lobby, the only water in the near vicinity emanated from the young hospitality apprentice manning the front desk who was still wet behind the ears. 

Photo illustrations of this enterprise must be limited to the company’s website postings, as relevant “Kodak moments” were unavailable during this meeting in a hotel.

Rather than at headquarters in Marshfield Hills on the continental coast, Dennisport on Cape Cod was the location for conveyance of introductory enlightenment.  At the time of this afternoon interaction with an appointed representative, the company’s owner was on his way to San Diego. The next day he would host a cruise to submerge a group of funeral directors in the concept and conduct of sea burials for expansion of operations in Pacific waters.  

Captain Brad White, the originator of this business that was baptized in 2006, has not only managed to stay afloat, but has ridden the swelling waves of expansion during the ensuing years.  Services are provided from Maine to Florida on the east coast and through an affiliation with the scattering company, Ashes On the Sea, on the west coast from San Diego to San Francisco. 

There is no shortage of seafaring operations established specifically for scattering missions.  This one, though primarily engaged in disposition of cremated remains, also conducts eco-friendly, whole body burials on a regular basis.

Most often, families and friends are on board for scattering and burial missions.  Only about ten percent are unattended.  There is a full menu of options from which they can select, determined fundamentally by the degree of involvement desired and the number of people who will participate; variations are available, including an unattended scattering with a ship-to-shore conference call enabling up to four family members to listen to the ceremony from a location on land.  Both unattended and attended year-round memorial cruises are available for disposition of either cremated remains or bodies. 

Boats vary in size; for up to fifty passengers, one that is thirty to sixty-five feet long is used, but for larger groups of up to four hundred people, vessels up to one hundred and twenty-five feet are employed.  The company has access to over forty-six boats around the country, which deploy from multiple ports. 

Excursions typically last about two hours for scatterings and longer for whole body burials.  In compliance with regulations established by the EPA, which oversees burials in American waters, cremated remains must be scattered at least three nautical miles off shore, whether deposited directly or in an aquatic type of biodegradable urn.  

Bodily burials must take place in at least six hundred feet of water, which can be reached at about twenty-five to thirty miles from a northeastern port, but may be farther out – thirty-five to ninety miles – in other areas. 

  

Instead of traditional wooden or steel caskets necessitating modification as required by the EPA and entailing additional expense, use of a locally hand sewn, company trademarked ocean-friendly burial shroud is encouraged as an eco-friendly alternative. This Atlantic and Pacific Sea Burial Shroud that’s made of canvas and sailcloth has zippered access and is carried with ropes.  It biodegrades in three to six months.  Families may write messages on the canvas and a picture of the decedent may be slipped into a transparent pocket on top of the shroud.  A chamber separate from the body contains four oversized cannon balls weighing almost forty pounds each; a federal regulation mandates at least one hundred and fifty pounds of additional weight to assure sinkage and stability on the ocean floor.  

The rate of decomposition varies, depending on the ocean depth and temperature, as well as the population and hunger of sea creatures scavenging for nourishment in that spot.  Once the body has been utilized for fish food and the shroud biodegrades – presumably in ninety to one hundred and eighty days – the canon balls serve as artificial reefs that attract marine life.  In contrast to a body anchored at the bottom of the sea, cremated remains generally become part of warm ocean currents propelling them in perpetual motion. 

In concert with an intention to minimize environmental impact, embalming is avoided – unlike the protocol for sea burials provided by the Navy to qualified veterans as part of regular missions.  Another difference is the distance for a body to be delivered into the waters, ordinarily sliding about a foot down over the side of a boat in contrast to plummeting ten stories from a military carrier.    

A funeral director must be on board to oversee custody and disposition of a body, but does not need to be present for a scattering event.  Once participating funeral directors have been apprised of company protocols and practices, the company certifies them to manage preliminaries for this form of disposition. 

The boat captain officiates for ceremonial purposes unless a family chooses to have a clergy member or other representative serve in that role.  Proceedings can be varied according to wishes for particular readings, poems, tribute videos, or other commemorative elements.  The boat may circle over the spot of a body’s deployment into the water, often defined by flowers floating above it, in conjunction with a canon salute. 

In nautical history, the sounding of eight bells rung after a sailor had died indicated the end of one’s watch at sea and the beginning of another. This ritual, identified as an “Eight Bells End-of-Watch Blessing,” is one of many optional “bells and whistles” available to embellish the memorial experience.  A common practice is the tossing of a single flower, rose petals, or an easily biodegradable wreath. 

                 

 

Some others include a military honor guard, musical additions, such as a bugler, bagpiper in authentic garb, or use of a portable sound system, photography packages, and Internet simulcasting.

Everyone onboard is encouraged to participate, often taking turns tossing a portion of the cremated remains. 

The boat’s engine may be shut down for moments of quiet reflection, enabling folks to drink in the surroundings and douse their senses in the sounds of winds and waves as well as the sight of gliding birds, bounding whales, cavorting seals, and whichever other creatures may happen to pass by. 

A memorial voyage can be more than a mission and often is garnished with catered food.  In fact, the tide may turn once remains have been consigned to their aquatic grave, perhaps even transforming a tsunami of tears and an undercurrent of sorrow into billows of social interaction. 

Another course of action is available at ports from New England to Virginia. In an affiliation with and as a distributor of Great Burial Reefs, NEBAS is able to offer a scattering alternative that will keep cremated remains from becoming part of swirling ocean currents.  Instead, they are situated within six-hundred-pound concrete structures coated with microsilica to attract marine creatures on the ocean floor. 

Photos from Great Burial Reef website

Using GPS coordinates provided by the company, divers can subsequently visit the site to observe the progression of marine habitation.

Photo from Great Burial Reef website

For anyone who wishes to mark one’s journey into the wild blue yonder by taking flight before submerging in the deep blue sea, the enterprise offers scattering over the sea by air – at points between New Jersey and Maine, via vintage airplanes.  

Through “geo-targeting,” cremated substance can be scattered within a relatively small area.  Though family members are not able to accompany remains, the captain can conduct a brief maritime ceremony on the tarmac beforehand.  They can then witness the scattering from a nearby boat or land location or may be flown in a different aircraft alongside the plane to watch it close up.  Folks observing from a distance will see the plane’s wings dip in a final salute and through radio contact will hear the pilot read a final prayer.   

Regardless of the manner in which remains in any form are “laid to rest” under the auspices of this enterprise, after each event a family is given a certificate noting the navigational coordinates (latitudinal and longitudinal location) for future reference. 

Multiple varieties of souvenirs are available for purchase to mark the occasion.  Concierge services can be tapped for assistance with lodging, dining, and transportation arrangements.  Pet remains can be handled in like manner as well. 

As cemeteries become saturated with underground occupants and mausoleum structures keep popping up to expand their offerings, a sea of opportunity awaits.

Since water is so predominate both as a symbol and as an agent, its growing appeal as a final resting place is not surprising.  For someone whose occupation, hobbies, vacations, or dreams have led to an aqueous milieu during life, burial of one’s physical residuals in a similar setting may be particularly apropos.  But for others, the lure of a final splashdown to the ocean floor may simply be motivated by an urge to return to an environment reminiscent of amniotic bliss.

Primary Source of Photos:

http://www.newenglandburialsatsea.com/

http://www.greatburialreef.com/

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