Cultural/Context information for the jury

With a cultural perspective, we keyed in on the homonym of “paper” and “hair”, which in the Japanese language are both pronounced “kami”. We expressed through the creative that depending on the ideas and usages human beings come up with, the material object of paper can take on diverse values and infinite possibilities. We did so using the theme of “life”, a fundamental and essential concept. True to the brand name “Curious”, the advertising captivated the curiosity of many and succeeded in creating buzz with its mysteriously beautiful footage and print ad graphics filled with a sense of life. Keying in on the cultural aspect of “kami” as homonym for “paper” and “hair” in Japanese, heightened the impact the ad had on the audience’s impression.

Translation. Provide a full English translation of any text.

Heiwa Paper is a representative paper manufacturer brand of Japan and they wanted to raise awareness for their brand of paper called “Curious” that has been sold in Japan since 2002. The characteristic of “Curious” paper is its shiny metallic luster. We cut the paper into very thin 1-millimeter width strands, to look as though it was the dark black hair of a Japanese woman, and portrayed how Curious shines and dances beautifully to convey the “life” that dwells in paper, a material object. We leveraged the homonym between “paper” and “hair” which in Japanese are both pronounced “kami”. Within a symbolically black space, using light and shadow as well as wind, we shot how “Curious” paper cut into thin 1-millimeter strands changed its appearance, taking on a life of its own, as if it were a woman’s black hair. We also composed original music to go with it.