This project is a navigation of my Vietnamese identity, aiming to help the Vietnamese diaspora find a sense of home in Aotearoa by celebrating our unique ways of living, eating, and sitting (close to the floor).
The final design is a handcrafted low dining table, made entirely out of solid macrocarpa without the use of bolts or screws. Each element references Vietnamese stories and tales I was told since a child. The inner red ring carved Cảnh Ngày Xuân by Nguyễn Du, the poem that my mother used to name my sister and me after. Coming from a family of literature teachers, this poem not only marks my journey but also pays homage to my mother’s and grandmother’s careers teaching it.
This piece is intended to honour the stories of those who came before us and to invite future generations to add their voices to the ongoing narrative of our diaspora.
The piece can be understood as a reimagining of traditional furniture within a contemporary context.
the making
