Two-Dimensional Secret Box

puzzle box

Mar 25

Unconventionally Dimensionally

I hope the boxes and booze creations I present each week are full of life. I try to paint a picture of them as they appear in real life, with backgrounds, stories, and details. I make an effort to infuse them with tangible edges, colors, flavors and feeling. I’d hate to think they came across as two-dimensional … or would I?

Two-dimensional Secret Box by Hiroshi Iwahara

One of the Japanese Karakuri Creation Group artists who has delighted in pushing the boundaries of what is possible is Hiroshi Iwahara. He created the “Two-dimensional Secret Box” for an exhibition with the theme “Two”. Not satisfied to merely select a pair, or a double of some sort, such as with Kakuda’s “

Two Traps

” for that same exhibit, Iwahara delved into dimensional space. How could a three-dimensional object reflect a two-dimensional one? Or in fact how could a two-dimensional object be represented in three? He notes that a truly two-dimensional object would have no inner space, which would defeat the purpose of a puzzle box. Yet a classic three-dimensional puzzle box is clearly not two-dimensional. He expertly plays with this concept and captures it just right, in this brilliant box. He has transformed the classic yosegi covered Japanese puzzle box onto this flattened surface to create a two-dimensional / three-dimensional hybrid. The result is elegant, surprising and fun, and well worth spending some of the fourth dimension.

Beautiful yosegi box ... er, hexagon

I’ve paired this dimension defying delight with the “Take Two” by Tyson Buhler from Death and Company. The drink is a variation on the classic daiquiri, which I have extolled time and again. This one combines a nicely aged rum with lime juice, cane syrup, a touch of absinthe, and “Bergerac Mix”, which deserves some explaining. Bergerac Mix began life with a novelty name dreamed up by another Death and Company team member, Brad Farran. He wanted to create a cocktail called “Cynaro De Bergerac” which used the artichoke based Italian amaro, Cynar, and a rich red wine from France’s Bergerac region. To these two ingredients he added Black Strap rum and Demerara syrup, which became known as “Bergerac Mix”.

Take Two by Tyson Buhler

The Cynaro De Bergerac cocktail which uses this mix is delicious and full of flair – you might even say it has “panache”. The mix was too tasty to be limited to one specialty cocktail, so Buhler included it in his daiquiri drink for a second take. The resulting Take Two is full of richly satisfying layered flavors which absolutely pop in three-dimensions. Here’s to surprising depths, interdimensional secrets, new perspectives and double-takes. Cheers!