The Magic Traveling Whisky Box / object - installation design

Studio: Liminal Studio. Design developed in collaboration with Scott Van Tuil

Role: Project Architect / Designer

Illustration by Jose Garcia Cesar

Client: Australian Government / Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Photography: Peter Whyte

Location: designed and manufactured in Hobart. The object went on a tour around Europe

Year: 2019

Special thanks to: Sullivans Cove Distillery, Lark Distillery, Mackey Whisky, Old Kempton Distillery, Killara Distillery and Launceston Whisky

The Magic Box, a project I contributed to while I was at LIMINAL, has received national and international recognition and awards.

The brief was to design a box to sit atop a bar table and display Tasmanian whisky. But after some research, the request felt too conventional for the craftsmanship and love that goes into making Tasmanian whisky.

The idea began with a desire to dissolve the barrier between speaker and listener, seller and buyer. What if everyone could gather around a magical object filled with whisky? Like the Spanish abanico (fan), which unfolds to cool the air, or O Tempo do Movimento by Mary Vieira, a sculpture that invites endless reconfiguration, the Magic Box brings the excitement of discovery to the ritual of sharing whisky.

Its charred exterior conceals and protects the warmth of Tasmanian Oak inside. As the 'barrel' pivots open like petals, the whisky is revealed, inviting interaction, conversation, and delight.

Each presentation tray features a graphic representation of the Tasmanian Nothofagus gunnii leaf, illustrated by García César. The charred exterior finish references the traditional practice of firing barrels to cleanse and preserve them—here, it provides a durable protective layer for the Magic Box as it travels.

The Magic Box, a project I contributed to while I was at LIMINAL, has received national and international recognition and awards. For more information, click here.