since ancient times people have come up with ways to safe keep their most precious possessions. centuries ago in greece and rome, egypt and even china, containers with intricate mechanisms were devised all with one purpose: safeguard their content. safes and vaults are still used nowadays and are now more intricate and complex than ever, even though the basic concept is still unchanged. CTRLZAK’s research on the subject took the object’s concept a step further questioning the actual role and aesthetics of a safe, resulting in a transparent object called ‘precious’.
‘precious’ is a storage cabinet in transparent extra light crystal with a shutting mechanism and base in brushed-finished brass. as a real safe it protects its contents but at the same time it intentionally reveals it. protection of valuables is an important issue, but what is valuable and what is not is something that is decided by the people who place the objects inside a safe. the ‘precious’ project puts in evidence the contents for everyone to see creating containers that are as valuable as the objects ‘hidden’ within them. it is up to the owner to decide what he wants to hide in plain sight.
from designboom