Jingwen Zhang
Love Core
This project is based on the 'Ladder of Love' theory from Plato's Symposium as a starting point to convey that love is internal rather than external, and the idea of true love is the attachment of the soul. As a publication based on the commonality of love, it aims to make connections between diverse groups of people in a disconnected modern era. Through a collection of love stories presented in a pop-up book, the work explores the abstract concept of love through an enjoyable, interactive experience.
The project began with the idea of conveying the core meaning of 'love' to both a Chinese and New Zealand audience. Through the medium of the book, love stories in the Chinese context are introduced to a New Zealand readership, enabling people from diverse cultural and social backgrounds to empathise and reflect on the shared concept of love.
In Plato's Symposium, I came across the 'Ladder of Love'. The diagram explore the relevant qualities of love, portrayed in the form of praising Eros. The central idea of the Ladder is that love and inner beauty is more important than superficial outer beauty. The aim of this publication is to explore this abstract concept by curating a collection of love stories: a collation of different experiences of being in love, the personalities of lovers and the appealing aspects of their souls. Through the work I discovered that true love is not a hormonal love at first sight, but a collision of souls and thoughts.
In the age of technology, the physical book brings a sense of surprise and enjoyment to the reader. My investigation into love and our deeper selves is reflected in creating a printed, pop-up book. Through the interaction of the pop-ups, the reader discovers that Love Core is not only a book, but a tool for people to relax and enjoy thinking about love.
