Colleen Storer-Milne

Why did you choose to work on a cardboard coffin

As a part of the annual Viking Festival held every November in Victor Harbor, the call was sent to out to all interested parties to participate in the festival in a unique way. As a business owner I saw the opportunity to set up a stall under the shelter of a gazebo and promote my cardboard coffin products by using the Viking theme of Norse burials as my inspiration.

Why did you choose the materials you used?

I chose to use the materials listed above as part of the message around sustainability of burial products and how they can be used in modern times. All the materials are ethically sourced including the premade cardboard coffin that is now on the market for another option for people to consider when making ‘greener’ choices for their last journey, in this case, on their way to the Halls of Valhalla. Even the glue is eco-friendly right down to the pieces of paperbark lining the coffin which I sourced from some paperbark trees from our local park where I walk my dog.

Explain your process in as much detail as possible – include things that went well and things that were challenges.

The process took some thinking out as the lining was important to reflect the natural materials the Vikings would have chosen as there were no commercially made items to purchase from Bunnings or BigW! The shields were a bit challenging as they are round and ‘hang’ off the sides of the coffin which was painted to look a bit like a long boat and needed precision cutting and colour selection. I decided on a long boat idea as many Viking Warriors were buried in their boats with all manner of fighting gear including their shields.

What is the story/inspiration/meaning behind your artwork? What does it represent about you and your life story?

My business Returning Home AUS represents a big part of why I started it in the first place. To honour people’s lives in unique and meaningful ways with a strong emphasis on the environment and sustainable practices. This piece was unique to the festival but holds a message about reclaiming old practices of burying our dead. Presenting the coffin at the festival was exciting for the event holders as much as myself as it had never been done before and was eagerly received. The ‘Odin to Valhalla’ talks about the old Norse mythological God Odin and the strong beliefs the Vikings had. In Norse mythology, Valhalla is the majestic hall where Odin houses the souls of warriors who have died in battle. It’s a place of honor and feasting and funerals were a big part of the culture of Vikings no matter where they settled across the globe. They celebrated a person’s death and life as one event. I like that concept.

What are 3 new things you have learned from being part of the Eco Coffin Project?

• current and modern choices in terms of a ‘good’ death
• sustainable practices around death
• being prepared for our ultimate death as the most natural part of life.

What is one thing you will do (or have done already) differently as a result from being part of the project?

Completed a Will and an Advanced Care Directive.

Any other thoughts or comments you would like to add?

I’ve begun to raise conversations around death in a natural and humorous way with friends and loved ones, to take the sting out of the idea of dying and reduce the unnecessary fear so many people have, just as talking about pregnancy won’t make you pregnant, nor talking about death will suddenly make you die.

Testimonial

This project is so full of information, accurate and timely. By attending the project, it highlights there is so much misinformation around, no wonder people are a bit put off from talking about death. The vital message is that yes indeed we may all be dying but we are also living and that is a wonderous thing, an event not to be missed and one to celebrate every day we draw breath. This is a project you want to be involved in, you’ll make some new friends and learn about the wonderful things happening in this space. Just like I have.