Storybox collection
The journey of Storybox started with Nadège’s photograph collection from the time she first came to live in Asia – that is 28 years worth of photos! The photos have been taken in all corners of Asia, where she has travelled extensively to mountains, valleys, cities and monuments.
Nadège has also been collecting samples of offering paper for a long time. The offering paper is used by Buddhist and Taoist believers as part of their prayer rituals in temples and for ancestor worship. They often have specific textures, colours and a kitsch-ness to its design. The duo worked on how they could incorporate the offering paper into the storyboxes.
A box of stories
The Storybox is an invitation to see behind the metal folding-door printed on the packaging and discover the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam. Open the lid and the contrast with the beautiful kitsch style of the offering paper is revealed. While the metal folding-door is a classic in Asia, it is not yet a familiar part of the usual Asian iconography. With Punk Dragon it becomes a pop culture element. In Asian culture, superstition and “luck” play important roles. To connect with this Punk Dragon follows the concept of fortune cookies: each Storybox lid contains 1 of 5 offering paper patterns, which is kept secret until you open it.
As a catalyst, to start a dialoog with the viewer, each Storybox title starts with “I come from….” (cf “Where I am from” poetry by George Ella Lyons).
Each Storybox has its soul and is unique in its slight imperfections. Its tangibility makes it easy for people to connect with, even children. Due to this connection you are able to reveal the emotional bound between the object and the humans who created it (Punk Dragon team, people in the pictures, crafters, etc)
This is the reason why each Storybox is a “box of stories”. Whichever way one approaches and interacts with it, each Storybox can unveil one’s own personal and emotional story through a specific aspect, such as the object itself or its title.
Explore the Vietnam collection
Standard size of Storybox is 14x21cm (portrait) and 21x14cm (landscape).
Click on one of the 48 stories below to see the details:
Made in Vietnam
Every aspect and development step was thoroughly thought by the creative duo :
- CONCEPT based on Punk Dragon philosophy: mixing traditional everyday with modern high-tech
- DESIGN with careful choice of materials that can appeal to various human senses: offering paper, raw timber, Do paper, neutral pH and non-chemical glue and high quality silk photo paper
- CRAFTING based on skills of local crafters and hand-cut pictures
- CONSTRUCTION of the object with 3D effect and the possibility to unhang it
- EXCLUSIVE PICTURES from all regions of Vietnam
- TRANSLATION from English to Vietnamese on a poetic tone to fit with the Vietnamese cultural identity
The final product is complex and unique – as an equation of all the processes – in all its details, textures and emotions, and reveals the very image of modern Asia.