Tales of the traveling crypt

While going around the Manila Now furniture expo at the SMX Convention Center, I was amazed at the creativity and artistry of the Filipino craftsman, as seen by the eyes of people from all over the world. I was particularly wowed by the collection of Prizmic and Brill, a fully foldable furniture showcase that exudes an old world colonial and functional feel. This is the work of a genius, I thought to myself.

 I first met Matthew Brill, who told me that Filipinos are the best craftsmen in the world. I couldn’t agree more as I stared in awe at his wonderfully crafty pieces of luggage and housewares which, by the way, are available in his Greenbelt showroom. A few minutes later, I met the other half of Prizmic and Brill. ” You have to meet  Mario,” vouched my long-lost friend Viviene. And so I met Vinko Mario Prizmic — the Prizmic in Prizmic and Brill. Nope, he didn’t talk about furniture or trends on the home front. He talked about his books, the latest one of which is all about orgasms, and raves about his YouTube video interview with Xaviera Hollander, the infamous Penthouse magazine columnist who has been around the block, having had much-publicized steamy affairs with everyone from JFK to Alfred Hitchcock to Alain Delon — but that’s an entirely different story meant for some other season.

 Mario showed me his hardbound book, and flipped to the last page. In a giant font, it said, “F*ck destiny, so you can have many more f*cking destinies.” And then he proceeded to invite me to view his funeral. I looked at him and, despite his long silver mane, this guy looked like he was in the pink of health. Why, aside from going around the world to source new morsels for the soul, Mario also organizes the Le Petit Festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia — an annual celebration of unknown talents from all over the world who deserve to be recognized. Later on I would learn that his invitation to his funeral was his own way of inviting us to live life more fully. You see, while we travel with our luggage, Mario Prizmic lugs around his coffin everywhere he goes, staging his own funeral while he’s very much alive. Does he do it just for kicks, to get a laugh and observe people’s reactions regarding this matter that strikes a chord of fear in everyone? Or is this a kind of profound performance art? 

Mario provides me an answer while “touring” his funeral somewhere in the Swiss Alps not so far away from St. Moritz and explains to me why he is not afraid to have a communion with the saints, even if he is not yet about to enter the gates of either heaven or hell. “The most radical energy in the universe — some call it death — is so lonely that I feel it needs some friendship, so I am going to try to become its friend.” And so a friendship with a coffin started to blossom and travel the world. It even has a name — “Something Better,” as Mario lovingly calls his BFF  coffin. 

Let’s Get Metaphysical

 “I know that all of us has to die. I am not going to try to avoid it, but if we become friends, I may be liberated from a long and terrible death. My death will become gentle and fast... a friendly one.” He says this with a smile; he knows death is his friend and will visit any one of us any day he wishes.

 If some of us spend time pondering life while driving, others while strolling around the park or in the mall, Mario gets metaphysical thoughts when he is inside “Something Better.”

 For the record, “Something Better” has traveled to Bruxelles in front of the church of Holy Trinity and onwards to Crans Montana and even as far as Switzerland. One time during his travels (travails?) with “Something Better” it started to snow like crazy. He ran out of gas and had to call the police to help him out. Imagine the faces of officers when they saw the coffin on the top of his car.

 Mario lovingly relates the tale of how he found “Something Better.” Once there was a Scottish-German guy who liked to have everything in his life all planned out. From his wife to how many kids and other parts of his life — everything was mapped out well.  One time while he was in a French supermarket, he found it strange that there was a coffin for sale, and he bought it, even if he had no plans to die, and he defended his purchase because he knew the time would eventually come.

Life After Death

 And so time passed by and the coffin just lay there waiting... and waiting. With old age sometimes comes illness and so the coffin was about to find its use. He then started to plan everything as his nature dictated. The doctors gave him one year to live, and so he made sure everything was ready — the best day for the funeral, which flowers should be on his grave and all other details to prepare for his death. And he was so proud because he had already bought his coffin a long time ago in France.  And then he changed his mind. He decided to be cremated.

 And so he called his daughter and told her, “My coffin deserves something better than to go in a cold grave. Your younger son told me we should offer it for sale on eBay!” 

Mario concludes his story of life after death: “Et voila — that is how we met. Me and ‘Something Better,’ the coffin which will travel so long with me — having a different purpose than his cousins,” referring to the other, er, coffins out there.

Mario recalls his latest funeral: ”This funeral was very tiny, just within the closest family… My sister, her daughter and her husband. But it was very special. Every funeral is.”

For Mario, one must die every now and then to experience new life.