Sex toy technology is getting pretty advanced, but even the most sophisticated teledildonics has not solved the problem of how to properly memorialize one’s deceased sex partner while masturbating. That’s where artist Mark Sturkenboom comes in: He’s created a blown-glass dildo that doubles as an urn.


The dildo is part of an art piece called “21 Grams” shown at Milan Design Week this month, and it can hold up to 21 grams of ashes. There’s a gold urn within the translucent shaft, so the ashes won’t slosh around. It’s actually quite classy looking.

Discredited pseudoscience and Alejandro González Iñárritu suggest that 21 grams is the weight of a human soul, so the sex toy effectively gives people a way to simulate a Ghost pottery scene situation, except Whoopi Goldberg is a dildo.


The idea of bonking oneself with a container that holds the remains of one who once bonked you is definitely a little outré, but the artist’s rationale is sweet. Talking to Dezeen, Sturkenboom described how he wanted to point out taboos around grieving and sexuality.

The idea for 21 Grams, which is handmade to order and can be personalised to the requirements of the customer, grew from his relationship with an elderly widow.

He just wants grieving widows to be happy! By achieving greater Onanistic pleasure with the knowledge that the now-non-sentient organic remnants of their loved ones are technically inside of them! As far as art pieces that incorporate sex toys into an exploration of mortality go, this one’s on the heart-warming side.

Sturkenboom first came up with the project idea back in 2012, and he hand-makes and customizes the classy sadness dildos. He’s only sold one so far but says that there’s renewed interest after showing it off this week.


No word yet on whether there’s a Grief Fleshlight in the works.

[The Verge via Dezeen]

Photo via the artist’s website