But a surprising number of people give Aubert the thumbs up. It wouldn't offend me in the least. Yet while families can in theory do as they choose once a graveyard plot has been paid for, there are some rules. One of Aubert's favorites does away with a permanent memorial altogether and sends the deceased's ashes up into the heavens tied to dozens of colored helium balloons. The balloons lift off when blocks of ice or large candles they are tied down to melt, freeing them to fly away.
Balloons make a change from scattering ashes at sea or in a garden.
A decorated cardboard coffin also comes out far cheaper than a traditional wooden one. Inspired by Egyptian and Mayan tombs and spurred on after seeing a contemporary Dutch tomb covered with whiskey bottles, Aubert founded the International Association for Funereal Architecture and Furniture to promote his ideas. A politician's family might choose a laurel wreath design, he said, while a farmer's family recently chose a series of carved upright logs depicting the farmer and his cattle. A brass staircase reaching up to heaven has broader appeal and an odd-looking brass egg with tibia for arms and ducks' feet is, strangely, also a popular choice. First tested in a tiny village graveyard in eastern France, Aubert's pieces have been displayed in Paris' Pere Lachaise cemetery, resting place of rock idol Jim Morrison and Irish playwright and novelist Oscar Wilde.