I photographed Virsi Side Table II, a sculptural work by Finnish designer Tuomas Markunpoika that explores transformation and material memory through the lens of cremation's aftermath. The title translates to "hymn" in Finnish. Working from 3D scans of animal bones, Markunpoika reconstructs organic forms using industrial and synthetic materials, creating neither an anatomical study nor a meditation on death itself, but rather an examination of what persists afterward. The sculpture exists as trace and impression, concerned with the quiet, transformed state of matter that once held life and purpose. The work sits at the intersection of Markunpoika's practice, which operates between design and art, investigating how objects carry metaphysical weight beyond their material presence.
