Unclaimed

Although published late in 2008, I just read about David Maisel's book Library of Dust. 

From  BLDGBLOG written by Geoff Manaugh:

I first learned about Library of Dust when I interviewed Maisel back in 2006 for Archinect. In 1913, Maisel explained, an Oregon state psychiatric institution began to cremate the remains of its unclaimed patients. Their ashes were then stored inside individual copper canisters and moved into a small room, where they were stacked onto pine shelves.

After doing some research into the story, Maisel got in touch with the hospital administrators – the same hospital, it turns out, where they once filmed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest – and he was granted access to the room in which the canisters were stored.

Over time, however, the canisters have begun to react chemically with the human ashes held inside them; this has thus created mold-like mineral outgrowths on the exterior surfaces of these otherwise gleaming cylinders.

Please read the entire essay by Geoff Manaugh.

Since reading about the subject matter I still have mixed emotions.  The copper canisters with organic crystal forms in turquoise, green, blue and white are beautiful.   But no one should become an unclaimed patient.  Never.