Nhat Nguyen for CE Contest 2

"My work is pretty much influenced by my culture. The idea just came to me all of a sudden when I found some old toys. Stuff I remember as a child, I was fascinated only by watching the artists’ ways of doing their art. I always intended to keep them safe like they were treasures. The “Tò he” (or Tohe puppets) and the “Mẹt” masks (or traditional theater bamboo masks) were referred to by many. Ask any Vietnamese person because we all had an awesome childhood with them.

The reason why I chose them to be the materials for my design simply is that I love the art of my culture and I want to make others aware of their beauty and the passion that artists have put into them. More than that, it’s the art that creates the smiles of joy and happiness on the faces of children. The colors, shapes and lines are very simple as the materials are made 100% natural. " ~shared Nhat Nguyen about his chosen design shown above.

Nhat is also one of the 5 International Designers picked to do design-battle at the upcoming CE CONTEST 2 Final Battle - happening between March 29th to March 31st at the ground floor atrium of Siam Center here in Bangkok (alongside his team mate Jira Jiramakorn in 'Team B')! Here are some photos to illustrate the bamboo masks and the Tohe puppets (click on images to view original source)

"The concept “General” or a random hero has always had a place in every child’s imagination. They worship the hero, talk like the hero and act like a real hero to other kids. He has to be strong, has to be true; he wears colorful armors and carries a spear. He never knows fear, only knows his enemies are just cowards and defeats them. In other words, he is freaking “Awesome.” So here I am, living my life as a kid again." ~mentioned Nhat.