click to enlarge - Courtesy of Generator
- Jae Rhim Lee
Vermont, prepare yourself for death and decomposition — the good kind. On
Thursday, November 12, in Burlington, Jae Rhim Lee and Mike Ma will discuss their work creating a sustainable, eco-minded "death suit." Their presentation is the second installation of
Generator’s "Big Makers" series, to be held at the Champlain Ballroom (163 South Willard Street). Drinks at 7 p.m., talk at 7:30.
Lee, an artist and designer, is the brains behind the
Infinity Burial Project, which centers on a mushroom-spore-infused burial outfit that, according to Generator’s website, “is an unorthodox and environmentally friendly alternative to burying our dead.”
Once a deceased person clad in the suit is buried, spores in the garment (with the aid of a liquid culture) begin growing on the surface of the body. The mushrooms are able to cleanse the body of accumulated toxins, such as mercury and lead, and break the remaining organic matter down so it can be reintroduced to the natural environment.
Together, Lee and Ma, who is a former finance executive, recently formed
Coeio, the company that will soon offer Infinity Burial products. Part of Lee's mission is to promote caring for the Earth after death, something that Generator executive director Lars Hasselblad Torres thinks will hit particularly close to home in Vermont.
The Big Makers series, he adds, aims to introduce Vermonters to ideas that are “a little beyond the curve,” and the Infinity Burial Project certainly fits the bill.