Memento Mori
2278 Birthday Candles
2010
Part of 'Designs On' for IDEO · Every birthday is a reminder of your own mortality; this reminder becomes increasingly visceral with age. Imagine being provided with a set of birthday candles when you are born, enough for your entire life, intended to spur such intense reflection at younger ages.
The set is comprised of 2278 birthday candles held in a wooden block; this number represents the number of candles required for 67 birthdays, the world average human life expectancy. Each year, one row is removed to place on the cake; this elevates the act of preparing for a birthday celebration to a meditative ritual.
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Each installment of the 'Designs On' series focuses on a different issue or topic. This concept was included in the collection entitled 'Birth'.
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Copyright © 2005 Nicholas Zambetti