This project required that I design a package for the emotion of desire. I explored the concept based on how we are fed the concept of desire through the fairytales we are told as children.
The concept of desire is first introduced to us when we are children, particularly in the stories we read or that are read to us.
I decided to use elements from three such stories to portray the idea of desire: namely, the Frog Prince, Cinderella’s pumpkin and the Ugly Duckling. Through my research, I found that desire denotes a need for transformation or change; a change in who, what or where someone is in their lives. The frog turns into a prince, Cinderella turns into a princess and the ugly duckling into a swan. Clearly, the thread of desire connects all these transformations, thus revealing a common theme in children’s stories.
The package is made in the shape of a pyramid, symbolising upward movement as desire is aspirational. Each facet of the pyramid has an element that is about to undergo some kind of transformation.
Each facet of the pyramid opens to reveal a pop-up transformation: the frog into the prince, the pumpkin into a carriage and the ugly duckling into a swan.
The whole package is then lifted and underneath is revealed a lotus on a reflective surface. This is meant to symbolise enlightenment, the ultimate transformation.
