The Blackbox Project
In 2011, Iggesund, a Swedish paperboard manufacturer, invited three agencies to create a personal work using its paperboard. The only rule: it had to fit inside a provided Blackbox.
We turned the documentation into a second Blackbox.
the process
Our shared rule was simple: no prior research, one hour to develop a concept, then shooting immediately.
We travelled to Paris, Tilburg and Turin in a compact van with a deliberately limited camera setup. At each stop, the agency introduced its work. The individual form of each film followed what we encountered there.
One element was planned in advance: the journey to each agency became the visual frame. From the first city sign onwards, a GoPro mounted to the van captured the remaining drive. Accelerated footage, shifts into real time or slow motion, tracked titles and an original score by Lars Korb — incorporating sounds made with paper — connect the films without making them formally alike. Each title treatment was complemented by a small geometric pattern derived from the respective agency’s work.
The films premiered alongside the three Blackboxes at Tate Modern in London. Iggesund saw both the objects and the films there for the first time.
the films
The Blackbox Project: Virtually Real
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Landor — Paris: A graphic and highly composed response to Landor Paris’ work, built around portraiture, divided frames and the relationship between physical material and image.
The Blackbox Project: VH Art Gallery
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Van Heertum — Tilburg: A closer, process-led film that follows the construction and detail of Van Heertum’s paper-based work.
The Blackbox Project: Food Lovers
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Brunazzi&Associati — Turin: A more atmospheric, narrative response centered on food, conversation and the playful interpretation of the brief.
the credits
Concept Development: Michael Mauler and Jan Schöttler
Direction: Jan Schöttler
DOP: Frank Meyer
Visual Design: Michael Mauler
Editing: Tobi Beer
Audio: Lars Korb and Markus Krause