Turning Within: My Mythical Beast Display Box

Everyone carries a mythical beast waiting to be discovered within.

Developed through the National Palace Museum’s Art Companionship Program with Dun Pin High School, this educational product transforms museum collections into a journey of self-discovery and relational dialogue. Through artifact interpretation, mythical beast creation, and storytelling, justice-involved youth recognize their strengths and consider how to use them responsibly to protect and positively impact others.

The design centers on the themes of mythical beasts, protection, and superpowers. Students select a museum artifact that represents them, create a personal character, and design a mythical beast embodying their strengths. Combining sculpture, artifact collage, and personal narratives, the box becomes a portable miniature exhibition of identity, relationships, and aspiration.

When opened, it reveals the student’s creative statement and a rotating mechanism inspired by a Revolving Vase in the Museum’s collection. The wheel sequentially presents the artifact, personal character, and mythical power representing the creator. A concealed drawer, inspired by compartmentalized treasure boxes in the collection, invites families, social workers, probation officers, and visitors to leave messages. Back at school, students reopen the drawer, read the messages, and reflect on the experience.

This exchange transforms the box from an individual artwork into a relational object. It offers students a symbolic, less confrontational way to express strengths, vulnerabilities, hopes, and care for others. At the museum presentation, families encounter the youth not through past behavior or institutional labels, but as creators, curators, and storytellers—opening possibilities for recognition, renewed conversation, and stronger family relationships.

By enabling justice-involved youth to speak in their own voices and be seen through their knowledge, creativity, and capacity for care, the project challenges deficit-based perceptions. It demonstrates how product design and cultural heritage can strengthen support networks and generate positive social impact.

Photographs were post-processed to remove identifiable information and sensitive site details.