For centuries, humans have easily described what imagination can do, rather than what it is.
Open Sesame is a journey of curious discovery. By collecting how imagination exists in the lives of different people, both universal and personal patterns may be deconstructed into a love letter. Six months of research, ideation, and building were expert evaluated over the course of 10+ rounds.
Martha Graham once said, "a dancer dies twice—once when they stop dancing, and this first death is more painful."
This project began as an exploration of grief, revolving around a coming of age story and childhood imagination. With an interest in an intimate medium, the original proposal was to tell a story with tactile fashion.
The scope evolved into a universal exploration of imagination's role within human lives. The medium changed into intimate viewing boxes inspired by small trinket boxes and kaleidoscopes.
The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum was chosen as a hypothetical experience gallery. The cozy, antique space historically houses sensorial exhibitions curated by passionate designers like Ellen Lupton.
Balancing between expressive art and communicative design, these story canisters translate individual energies into layers of typography, lights, optical lenses, and mixed-materials.
"How can one choreograph a space that engages the imaginations of others?" Information is presented as perspective, rather than invention. The space is warm without too much subjectivity or bareness.
