Decay and death are natural processes. However, in modern society the natural cycle of life tends to be denied, an attitude that is both harmful to the process of mourning and harmful to the natural environment. To reverse the denial, Maurizio Montalti decided to research how nature itself might contribute to the decomposing of both organic and inorganic tissue. In close cooperation with scientists he explored future possibilities, and created decomposing coverings. The felt dresses, inoculated with fungal organisms, are capable of ‘eating’ both human remains and plastic waste materials. In the end, these will return to the soil as nutrients, completing the cycle of life.

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