Unknown Relics
Unknown Relics is a project that began with my personal interest in blind boxes, collectible figures,and illustration which I’ve had since childhood. After experiencing and witnessing the overwhelming popularity of blind box culture through brands like Pop Mart, the project became a way to reflect on what makes blind boxes so appealing and popular. While blind boxes are strongly linked to consumer culture and mass production, they also represent artistic expression, storytelling and an appreciation for illustration.
The project began by exploring blind box culture, consumption, and illustrators who had previously collaborated with companies like Pop Mart. Inspired by medieval aesthetics and contemporary blind boxes, four distinct characters were developed which one was produced in full scale through various material tests.
Unknown Relics is a handmade blind box collection that reflects on how products are valued and how the message within illustration changes when it transitions to mass production. The project aims to preserve the process that occurs when something transitions from digital to analog to maintain and safeguard artisanal methods that are lost in mass production. This is achieved by creating a unique, craft-based object not intended for mass production. It proposes an alternative view of value where time, materials, and the artistic process take center stage.