Designer Will Mullins has a fresh vision for the future of caskets. Inspired by observing a niche with little change in manufacturing methods, design, and functionality he’s conceptualized a new casket from production to burial. His Time Capsule design is apart of the Abydos collection and it looks like a stylish car or shiny modern product you might come across at the Design Miami exhibit.
“As a designer I wanted to make my mark with a design that was new and would make a change to the industry,” Mullins told Connecting Directors. “I found that casket design and production has not changed for many years. [The Time Capsule is] a radical new approach to not only the design, but how they are produced as well.”
Mullins comes from an engineering background in the automotive field working with Nissan, Honda and Toyota as a tier one supplier before persuing caskets. The inspiration for the design itself came from a variety of places including a visit to a mold-making company, Excedrin headache capsules, replacing the batteries of a TV remote, and finally, Spock’s death and his space casket.
The Time Capsule’s lid slides forward for viewing and can also be completely removed. Mullins’ explains why:
“…I didn’t want a traditional lid that opened and closed like today’s caskets so I came up with a sliding
lid. Then I had to design a system for the lid to be able to slide and lock in place.”
The casket itself is made of fiberglass and the long-term production goal is for each made-to-order casket to be 3D printed, painted, and shipped to the funeral home. Mullins is currently gauging public and industry interest with hopes to move forward with production once an order threshold is met.
Design concepts like Mullin’s Time Machine are compelling and important for death care professionals to consider. The design gives perspective to exactly how old-school some of our methods and aesthetics are and ask us to think about why we landed here – at the status quo. I’m not suggesting we have arrived at a moment of imminent change (it will be pretty clear when we get to that point), but considering alternatives and imagining the future is a healthy thought exercise in every industry.
Do you think your customers would purchase the Time Capsule? Let us know in the comments and get in touch with Will Mullins at wmullins58@yahoo.com for more information and availibitly.
