designed in collaboration with Ziyi Zhong at CSM
Gifting customs differ around the world yet pose the same challenge - what is a perfect gift and how to give it? The challenge becomes even more complex when given a project brief: design a meaningful gift under £2 for two randomly drawn classmates.
Operating in a tight budget and across two diverse cultures (Chinese and Polish), paper stood out both as a material strongly connected to gifting (wishing cards, wrapping paper and in many cultures cash) and a creative opportunity.
Though often going unnoticed, paper is a material of great variety and a spectrum of properties, mechanical and aesthetic. Material experimentation, prototyping and a productive dialogue throughout the making process led to developing a wishing object relating to the shared custom of burning paper with an inscribed wish to make it come to fruition.
The gift takes a form of a compact card containing incense paper. Designed to hold two intertwined wishes - one from the giver and recipient - the card can be propped up to become a simple incense burner. The object invites its owner to participate in a moment of reflection and human connection. The QR code leads to a simple instruction for both parties.
the envelope is laser cut and scored in a single operation
