A gift for You

This project comes after reading the French philosopher Roland Barthes’ book “The Empire of Signs”. It focuses on the interpretation of signs and symbolism of the  Japanese culture.

One chapter that particularly struck me is the one entitled “The packages,” where in essence Barthes describes how the Japanese pay a lot of attention to the aesthetic presentation of objects, especially with regard to packages, which are seen as a means of conveying a certain cultural and social message: the choice of shape, colors, type of paper, and type of folding give meaning to the packages, and it is later the recipient who will pick up on the signs and interpret these certain aesthetic choices.

After learning the true meaning of gift wrapping, I’ve decided to personally experiment and create personalized packaging for some of my friends, as a demonstration of my sincere attention to their interests, my commitment to noticing their preferences and tastes with the purpose of making them happy and aware of how much I realize that they are unique and distinct human beings, and how I have noticed and want to celebrate what represents them most. The “packages” I made are meant to represent my friends’ personalities in a conceptual way, starting with the shape and ending with the colors, photos, and folds. It was very important for me to include determining details in each of them. Inside,I included a series of photos taken by me of some of the details of those directly involved so that somehow we could catch a glimpse of the vibes they  me when I am with them.