Sydney-based design agency Toko creates monumental 4,716 page book for China International Design competition and exhibition
As part of China’s 2012, year of the Dragon celebrations, Sydney-based design agency Toko was invited by the China International Design Competition Committee to judge the first ever annual design competition in Beijing last September. This competition, hosted by PoloArts, AIGA and Beijing Design Week in conjunction with the Capital Museum of China, aims to promote communications, exchange and interaction between China and the World.
Besides judging, Toko, as part of an international group of judges including renowned designers Brian Collins (USA), Jianping He (Berlin/Beijing) and Kan Tai-Keung (Hong Kong), was invited to create an original design or artwork for the world-class Chinese Dragon Exhibition’ which opens on 23 February 2012 at the Capital Museum of China.
To grasp the story of the Chinese Dragon and spark the imagination required to create the artwork, Toko participated in ‘Dragon’ specific tours, workshops and discussions, and whilst still in China quickly came to the realisation that creating an original Dragon piece would be a daunting task.
The Chinese Zodiac, being an integral part of Chinese culture and society, both young and old, takes on mythical proportions, furthermore complicated by the accessibility of traditional and contemporary Dragon examples.
Toko decided to capture the sheer scale, complexity and history of the Chinese Dragon in a book. A monumental but foremost conceptual interpretation of the Dragon. The book celebrates every Dragon year since it’s supposed origins in 2697 BCE, based on the most widely ‘tolerated’ myth.
The 4,716 page book carries the title ‘Long Story Made in China’.
‘Long’ as in the rich culture, cultivated over thousands of years, and ‘Long’ as in the Chinese word for Dragon (Long story / Dragon story). The book (edition 5) should be seen as a paper sculpture and is a tribute to Chinese culture by western interpretation.
To succeed in creating this mammoth project, Toko sought a collaborative partner in Sydney’s Digitalpress. The team’s enthusiasm, passion and expertise made the project a reality from start to finish.