LET'S TALK ABOUT COLOR
Blue, Brown and Yellow - Why Did You Choose These Colors for Uurna?
Our Uurna collection features three carefully selected colors in addition to the plain wooden Uurna. Designer Saara Renvall describes the process that led her to choose these three specific colors:
“We normally associate black as default color for death in our culture. I do appreciate it and understand its historic value representing loss, sadness and grief. However, in this design task, I wanted to examine the role of color as a means to communicating these feelings associated with death.
Traditional urns are usually quite plain with black or white finish, perhaps featuring some images or symbols. They seek calm aesthetics in this often-turbulent moment in our life.
While designing the Uurna, I started to experiment with colors. I wanted to see the effect it had on this quite specific product. I was not afraid to give Uurna a strong identity, and immediately I felt that using stronger colors gave Uurna a feel of humanity, creating a specific atmosphere around it. Color, in a simple definition, is light reflected by an object. With this in mind, I felt that using colors in Uurna, a special warmth was created by the light.
Before the Uurna is dyed, the surface is first sandblasted and then brushed. This opens the wood grains and creates a visual topography on the surface. You can really feel the time grown into the material. Then the color soaks into the material and creates an impression of multiple layers.
After a lot of testing I chose three distinct colors: strong yellow, deep brown and dark blue. In the beginning it was clear that I wanted to do the dark blue one. Instead of just plain black I wanted to create a very dark blue so the surface could reflect more light. Somehow I feel this blue has a deeper poetic finish that if the Uurna would be just plain black. I also love indigo blue that is the most beautiful blue in the world and rich in symbolism, representing basically everything we need and desire.
My aim was to find a shade of brown that is the ‘archetype of browns’. To begin with, I was not sure if I could get it right, especially as there is a long tradition of coloring wood with stained brown finishing. I wanted to do justice to the color, but also to the wood. Brown represents stability, safety and history and I can relate to that and to the saying: brown is a color where our story grows.
Color yellow symbolizes joy and optimism. It's often associated with the sun's warmth and energy. I know that bright yellow is a bold choice for the Uurna but I wanted to include in the collection one color that creates a mood of optimism and conveys emotions that are fuelled by gratitude. I feel that while grieving the loss, we can celebrate the life lived.
Colors affect us in different ways, and we all have our individual preferences as well as personal and cultural contexts. While I understand that the rationale behind the three colors of the Uurna collection may not relate to everyone, I believe many will find joy in their aesthetics that differ from the more traditional colors and symbols used in the objects linked to burials and death.
