Test ride a coffin in Amsterdam

All those sombre Dutch funerals may never be the same again. At the "I R.I.P" Amsterdam exhibition launched on 30 January, visitors can manufacture - and testride -- their own environmentally-friendly 'corpse box' which costs 24 Euros.

And then get their picture taken to prove that yes, they've been there and done that... see the Dutch-language website here The formal opening at 68 Vijzel Street in Amsterdam only allowed in visitors wearing suitable, black and white formal attire. The event kicked off with the ritual unveiling of the "Teddy Bear Coffin' from Ghana; followed by a performance from someone rather ominiously called "Mudboy.' And that was just the mind-boggling beginning: two coffin makers from New York city, Melanie Bonajo en Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, also were on hand, helping visitors "Build a coffin for your loved one'. But wait, there's much more to death in this internet age -- shouldn't you also be worrying about what happens to your online profile after your demise? Can you rest in peace about that, or should you make arrangements so that you will always be suitably memorised online? The "I R.I.P" exhibit can also help you there. Other subjects: a series of truly exquisite death-portraits of Harlem residents by Elizabeth Heyert, the computer game The Graveyard; and a steady stream of workshops in coffin-making. You could even decide to select a sample from amongst the many flashy, handcarved coffins on display, in any shape and subject you'd like, which are made in Ghana -- pick out the flashiest art-object as your final fashion statement to your next of kin. They're so beautiful it's a pity they have to get buried. Willem Velthoven, director of Mediamatic, who has set up the exhibit, says those who are interested in this sort of thing, can even enter the world of the dead temporarily by test-driving the biodegradable 'corpse box' and have yourself photographed in it. And coffin-designer Michael O'Shea also provides an online detailed description on how to put your own environmentally-friendly coffin together all by yourself, at very low cost -- as a last kindness to your grieving relatives...: see Velthoven says the biodegradable cardboard corpse-box they produce, is a major advantage especially for grieving relatives because it only costs 25 Euros, compared to the cheapest Dutch pine box which sells for at least 500 Euros - or the luxury models costing thousands of Euros... The corpse-box now is only available from Mediamatic in The Netherlands - but Velthoven hopes that 'the concept will be adopted rapidly because after all, " we don't want to become funeral directors'. Coke bottle coffin - oh indeed why not? The most remarkable portion of the exhibition are the coffins from the Ghanese Ga-tribe - who have themselves buried in the most outrageous objects they love the most from everyday life, from Coca-Cola bottles, to onions, a goldfish, a giant crab, even a favourite trainer... or a car. These are less environmentally-friendly as they use a lot of wood, but they are beautiful. Veldhoven says the Dutch are far too remote and tense about death -- "I don't understand this Dutch conservative reformism which seems to have to have those boring, boring coffins,' he said. He doesn't say which coffin he's picked out for himself, though. If you can't be in Amsterdam, all dossed out in your best black and white finery to view the exhibits -- you can always browse the site You might want to use your browser's translator... much of the site is in Dutch.here.