The Black Box Project:
The black box goes red
The sixth black box in Iggesund Paperboard’s challenge to designers – the Black Box Project – is red. Designer Jeff Nishinaka combined Greek mythology and Japanese tradition to create his own version of Pandora’s box.
In Greek mythology Pandora was created as the first woman. Nishinaka chose to make the box red because in Japan, the homeland of his ancestors, the colour red stands for womankind. Pandora’s curiosity led her to open the box and unleash the evils that plague mankind in the shape of legendary creatures.
“The main thing I wanted to achieve was the illusion of movement in these animals to give them a kind of life of their own,” Nishinaka says.
He describes himself a paper sculptor and works exclusively with paper-based materials. “I think paper in its purest form takes the subject to another level,” he says. “It always inspires me to see how white paper strips away any preconceived ideas of what something should look like.”
On 15 May his contribution to the Black Box Project will be opened at an exhibition in Milan. The exhibition will also display the previous boxes produced within the project.
Iggesund’s Black Box Project is not like a traditional advertising campaign in which the client expresses detailed wishes and closely supervises the outcome. The only stipulation is that the participating designers must work with Invercote and create something that reflects their own distinctiveness and Invercote’s possibilities.
“We’re looking for creative minds who really push the limits of what can be done with Invercote,” explains Carlo Einarsson, Director Market Communications at Iggesund Paperboard. “In a world where the choice of materials for a design project is unfortunately often a matter of habit, it’s important for us to showcase the extra possibilities Invercote offers designers to fully realise their creative ambitions.”
The Black Box Project has previously exhibited in Paris, London, Amsterdam, New York, Stockholm and Hamburg. Most recently the designer and illustrator Sebastian Onufszak contributed a film about life as a closed circle. The film was shown by a video player integrated into a black paperboard box. The other exhibitors are the Dutch firm of van Heertum Design, technical magicians who delight in combining printing techniques and use more than 30 inks and varnishes. Landor, Paris elegantly demonstrates how designers break through all boundaries established by their clients. Brunazzi & Associati from Turin have created a paperboard survival kit for pasta lovers. And New York-based Marc Benhamou presents his concept of beauty in a new interpretation of the Tarot’s 22 Major Arcana cards.
After Milan there are plans for the Black Box project to continue on to Moscow and Tokyo within the next year.
Caption:
The Black Box Project now moves to Milan with the work of Japanese-American paper sculptor Jeff Nishinaka. With his interpretation of Pandora’s box the design project’s black box has suddenly become red.