In Conversation with Artist Jessica Maria Toliver

"See what lies before you and make something of it, everything is available." (Jessica)

Jessica, how did you come to design an urn?

A chain of many key experiences that began during my school days. My path to becoming a visual artist was not straightforward, but perhaps all the more intense and authentic for it. I always approach my art from a material context. The process is as important as the physical result. For example, in 2022, as part of a paper scholarship, I worked with fruit and "death water", among other things.

That was my first contact with a hospice. Years before, I had found accompanying my grandmother in her final days almost as formative an experience as the birth of my daughter. The wondrous encounter with my deceased father, as well as a sensitive awareness of my own mortality - all these events led to the realization two years ago that I wanted to create something truly authentic - interwoven as the essence of my artistic work. This is how I developed T'URN urns from pulp within a year. A time of maximum concentration.

What do you associate with an urn and what emotions does it evoke in you?

First and foremost, I associate a high symbolic power with an urn. It is a condensed space of meaning, the last home - and ideally a vessel with which I would like to make friends during my lifetime.

T'URNs break with classical forms. What bothered you or, conversely, appealed to you about the classical form of the urn?

With my design, I wanted to create a simple, reduced, and understandable form. A form that carries an archetypal symbolism of origin: the egg. The T'URN developed from the highly transformative process of pulp production, the use of natural pigments, and the balanced material combination of wood and pulp.

My design is based on fundamental, life-relevant questions, which are externally bundled into a minimalist, functional design: a concept urn.

How did the design process begin for your work – with an idea, a material, or an emotion?

As a paper artist, the material was a given. The very physical, repetitive process of pulp production and working with the strength of my hands suits me well. Since I open the T'URN concept to everyone in workshops, the process-accompanying, healing aspect of creative engagement naturally fits in here too. The form-finding, by the way, was mundane - a cellar find in the form of a flowerpot. What followed was intensive development - also with my two excellent woodturners.

From a design perspective, how do urns differ from other design objects for you?

For me, they don't differ at all in terms of design. I even considered the brand name as a title search. But unlike a pure art object, an urn must also serve a practical purpose: it must withstand weather and transport, and it is touched and carried in emotionally challenging moments. My urns meet the strict requirements of the FriedWald guidelines - I worked towards that from the beginning. From an artistic and design perspective, I still see immeasurable possibilities. But first, it was about developing a functional, practical object. One characteristic of the T'URNs is the lowering aid made of unbleached cotton. This way, the egg lies securely in its nest.

Does material, sustainability, or longevity play a special role in your art?

See what lies before you and make something of it, everything is available. This is how the color, structure, and contextual meaning of my site-specific urns emerge. There is the T'URN RuhrUrne, made from river water and riverbank soil. An urn model made from Spreewasser and Berlin soil, my series from Sauerland slate, regional brick rubble, or collected river pebbles. Materials whose origin I know. I am currently working with animal ash and fur.

My urns are characterized by transience - they are protected from moisture or rain by an algae emulsion for the duration of the burial, but are intended to decompose quickly in the soil. The T'URNs are often not perceived as urns at first glance. They fit wonderfully on the home sideboard.

Was it difficult to meet your own aesthetic demands when designing an urn?

I believe an urn offers an ideal design basis. In my visual art, I have been dealing with material aesthetics for many years. With reduction and focus. With the questions: Why do I use exactly this material, and what design conclusions do I draw from it? The simple is often the most difficult to implement.

I like the rough, broken in everything. When I char oak planks according to the Japanese tradition of Yakisugi, roll paper in mud and water, expose it to the elements for days, a connection with the material, an intimate resonance, arises. I feel this same sensation when modeling the urns. And it is transferred to the people who incorporate very personal materials into their urns in my workshops.

Have you received feedback on your work that you would like to share?

When people see their finished urns and toast with me to their last home, when they fully engage in the transformative manufacturing process, and then go home tired but deeply inspired, there is often a great sense of relief. I really get a lot of positive feedback. That touches me and fills me with great gratitude.

Death is often a taboo subject in our society. How do you deal with it, and has your work on the T'URNs changed that in any way?

I am open about this topic. Perhaps also because I am an artist and illuminate many things differently. I think death and beauty are so close, and the aesthetic, creative engagement helps immensely in dealing with loss. To deal with one's own transience during one's lifetime - coupled with a good portion of humor - that is my personal approach.

“What color is the essence of your life?” (Jessica)

Jessica Maria Toliver
Visual Artist and Founder of T‘URN from Schwerte, Germany