fa ban by sue gyoung kim from korea

Taking and giving…flower in flower

‘Fa-Ban’ is translated into new spectrum of packaging design for the Korean traditional dish ‘Bi-Bim-Bab’. Its translation lies not only in the domain of recycle but also in the scope of ‘re-birth’ which adds more quality and essence to the function of user as a producer of life.

Bi-Bim-Bab is served with diverse and yet distinctive food materials with balanced nutrition and visual comfort in colors. When taken out, generally used plastic box package with vinyl wrap always generate dillema for users for its volumic discomfort and difficulty in disposing process. Disposable package causes various environmental problems in the name of pollution. On top of it, left overs from the meal create even more problematic situation for the environment with multi-facetted areas.

Humans take advantages from nature in any forms of production and the design of ‘Fa-Ban’ has been initiated by this vary factual ground that there might be something that can be returned or restores back into nature.

‘Fa-Ban’ is a homonym for three different terms 花盤(flower+dish), 和盤(harmony+dish), and 化盤(metamorphosis+dish). Each term conveys and carries the essential meaning for the following steps.
First, ‘Fa-Ban’ denotes ‘flower in a bowl’. With its various and manifold in its color and configuration, beauty and delicacy are thoroughly enjoyed.
Second, ‘Fa-Ban’ symbolizes ‘a bowl of harmony’. Cooked rice and seasoned vegetables are to be mixed and intermingled with each other into one coherent bowl of dish. This act of symphonizing parts into one body of totality is enjoyable.
Third, ‘Fa-Ban’ stands for ‘a bowl of change’. Place ‘Fa-Ban’ onto the soil of flower pot at home or outside by some wild plants. Food left over turns into nutrients for plant.

Some highlights of this project:
- Colors in materials are to be avoided or kept minimized. Bio-degradable PLA coated paper is used for main material for packaging.
- After usage, volumic mass gets minimized(easier to recycle).
- When some of food is left over at home or outside, secondary usage of it enters into the process and becomes nutritious fertilizer for plants. It is utmost environment friendly food left over recycling system without any involvement of electricity or chemical add-ups.
- Act of consuming this product changes into act of fertilizing plants in nature. Furthermore, throughout the process of giving birth to new life forms, a subtle balance between production and consumption in the domain of ecological system gets shaped and synthesized.