On a cosy evening on Friday 11.11.2022, the Creativity Challenge talk on project Than “Thở” (lit. “Breathing” Coal) by the pair of architect Nguyễn Hà and material artist Trần Thảo Miên was a success, with many stories that were never revealed in the media.
Beginning the discussion, the pair recounted their three-month journey, which was a challenge in itself both in terms of time and creativity. Initially, the two were working on a long-term project that restores Vietnam’s antique toys from the 19th and 20th centuries, which are kept in a museum in France. However, while working together, the two discovered very interesting materials from the past. This became the inspiration for them to start experimenting.
Artist Trần Thảo Miên then shared her viewpoint as a material researcher. Modern Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns are made from cellophane. Yet during her research process at museums, she observed that Mid-Autumn Festival lanterns were made from oil-treated paper. Although the information about the material was unclear, she believed that people back then probably used the same oil as the one in conical hat making. The pair then experimented with various different materials and types of paper. During that process, the one that stood out was Nghe An Province’s “giấy dó một bóc” (a type of traditional dó paper), as it is relatively thin, and the arrangement of the fibres makes it very oil-absorbing and then turns transparent. The pair was very excited about this newly discovered material. At first, they did not want to get to work right away but preferred to spend more time on research. But the Creativity Challenge Playground happened to provide an opportunity for Hà and Miên to embark on the experimentation process. That was also when the coal was officially integrated into this project.
Regarding coal, the “protagonist” of project Than “Thở”, architect Nguyễn Hà could not hide her enthusiasm for the allure, charisma and uniqueness of this material. Coal represents mystery, darkness and life that have existed for millions of years. That was why she wanted to try to express the opposite quality of darkness, which is light. The name Than “Thở” – “Breathing” Coal – an interesting wordplay she came up with – was also the process of experimenting with coal – a tough, eternal material alongside paper – a soft impermanent material, and whether this combination carries breath. On her experience of participating in Vietnam Festival of Creativity & Design, she said that the organising committee closely followed the progress, which created the motivation for the team to archive almost their entire experiment.
Attending the talk, participants were not only able to enjoy a video documenting the realisation of project Than “Thở”, but also had the chance for a direct conversation with the two speakers. Architect Nguyễn Hà surprised the audience because the idea of the installation was so… impromptu yet extremely effective. Many event attendees said they did not expect that this was not the original idea, but it was her spontaneity and creativity when the project needed a darker space than the area with the exhibition’s lighting system. The pair also together answered questions about the concept of light transmission, the selection and study of materials, or shared the story of cross-disciplinary collaboration with two completely different personalities, expertise and styles./
