T H A I G R A M
Brass craftsmanship was one of the ancient Thai art heritage that not only reflected the artists creative force but also cultural reflections of its use in Thai society and culture. Although It had a symbolic importance, there was a sign that they were in danger of going extinct owing to the pressures of modern development which overlooked the importance of these national treasures to Thai culture and Buddhism. Therefore, we were looking at the ways we could encourage the return of this Thai heritage into a new form of modern product that everybody can relate to.
As for the image of brass in Thai culture that links to Buddhism, we tried to fade away from the design like bell or pedestal which is commonly known for being souvenirs and trinkets. However, we captured a tinge of mood and elements of historical and religious background and modernised it to be an everyday product that was no longer for only sacred decor.
After undertaking research on the modern lifestyle of young generations as well as the process of reinterpreting traditional Thai line to simple but identified graphic, we decided to design a desk organiser set which not only served function as a storage, but also served as a stress relief toy for relaxing mind. Therefore, the form of “Tangram”- a dissection puzzle consisting of flat shapes that can be put together to form different geometric shapes - was used to create a mini playground on a working table. Subsequently, the final design was a combination of the storage and the puzzle game with a beautiful touch of linkage details to the Thai culture.
Thaigram consists of 8 pieces which are suitable for organising different types of items. Users can select any pieces they like and form them in various ways to match the space for decorations or for playing like a puzzle.
We collaborated with a small local manufacturer of brass product in Thailand. We had learned several techniques from them and reinterpreted in a way that created original and creative design but still remained cultural heritage.
