The First Bát Tràng Museum by national artist vũ thắng
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The First Bát Tràng Museum by
national artist vũ thắng
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THE PINNACLE OF VIBRANCY

In dedication to the ‘Sidewalk Culture’ that makes the persons they are today, Visual Artist Phương Vũ,  along with his crew at Antiantiart and famous rapper Suboi has come together to create THE PINNACLE OF VIBRANCY – the newest photo series of Heritage Fashion Magazine’s Summer and Autumn issue.

Rồng Phố, together with other iconic artworks from Bát Tràng Museum Atelier was honored to be featured in this special culture story.

Words (Phuong Vu Interview & Editor for Bát Tràng Museum Journal)  VU CHI LAM
English Translation (for Bát Tràng Museum Journal) TONG MANH
Production House ANTIANTIART
Creative Director & Photographer PHUONG VU (Antiantiart)
Editorial Director (Heritage Fashion) NAM THI
Art Director DINH DINH (Antiantiart)
Stylist DIEN70S
Makeup YENJIIVU 
Project Manager AN KHANG (Antiantiart)
Producer GIOVI PHUNG (Antiantiart), TIEN DUONG (Antiantiart)

Rồng Phố, together with other iconic artworks from Bát Tràng Museum Atelier was honored to be featured in this special photo series dedicated to “sidewalk culture”.

 *A series of artworks created through a collaboration between Bát Tràng Museum Atelier and Designer Diệu Anh, “Rồng Phố” (Dragon of the Urbanites) includes five pieces of Bát Tràng ceramics, each combining the sacred imagery of the Asian dragon with the deeply resonant familiarity of everyday street objects—namely monoblocs, sidewalk stools, brick blocks, water pipes, and car tires—thus harmonizing the ancient traditions of Vietnam with the nation’s contemporary culture.

In Vietnam, “sidewalk culture” is a unique element that makes most life activities take place on the streets. In the open space of urban areas, contemporary values have the opportunity to intersect with traditional elements, thereby creating the aesthetic personality of Vietnam. Especially in Hanoi, with its simultaneous romance and hustle, the creative landscape here reaches a depth and intensity, and street art becomes an extraordinarily unique world.

This photo series aims to express the beauty of that world in the meeting of contemporary and traditional, rough and lyrical, vibrant and street personality in Hanoi, full of innovation and impression.

“Sidewalk culture” to Phương Vũ, the Creative Director of this editorial photoshoot, is Hanoi itself, where he was born and raised, with its grand Statue of Lenin, its busy Đông Tác Market and its age-old Nhà tập thể –  Community houses. In other words, “sidewalk culture” is where he spent his younger years, being part of the noisiness, crampedness and repetitive architecture of the city.

‘We want to base our arts on the most ordinary of things surrounding us. Better yet, we want to make art out of them, simple as that.’

Boombox hair
This mesmerizing wig, along with some other staging instruments, was especially time-consuming to make. In order to create these set pieces, the props team had to dedicate an entire week of painstakingly long evening part-time shifts – ‘The boombox is the world’s symbol for hip hop, and we simply wanted to localize and Asianize that symbol, bringing it closer to the people and making it the face of our community ’
Grillz and Nailart
In the world of hip hop, grillz and nail embellishment are two of the most iconic fashion statements. The details and patterns on Antiantiart’s idea, designed by MKT GRILLZ and SWAGGY NAILBOX, in particular, drew inspiration from the intricate traditional ceramics of Bát Tràng.
Traffic jams
“I lived and grew up with the heavy traffic of this city. There is just something romantic about how the many headlights shine at one another, as if they were blending into each other.”
Statue of Lenin
‘By this monument you can hear all kinds of music, all playing at a time. It is utter chaos, but it also happens to be practically where the cradle of sidewalk culture lies. The charm of this specific corner of the city is made extra vibrant by the hiphop community. Each member themself adds to the liveliness of this dynamic ecosphere here.’
Statue of Lenin
‘This is where brothers are made, and also where most of those working in the capital’s creative field are known to hail from.’
The most taxing shot of them all
Capturing this scene of traffic in its most natural lighting was no easy task as it can only be done at a perfect but fleeting moment, which is either in  the early morning or late afternoon. Unfortunately, however, the morning shooting was not at all viable as there was a summer shower which completely soaked the crew during the shooting, including 1 crane, 1 motor tricycle, 30 motorbikes, 30 background actors and 20 members of the production team. The Creative Director, in particular, was positively frightened of both the height he was standing at on the crane and the possibility of getting his camera wet. A new plan was then quickly hatched; to look for a new suitable setting and not waste a single minute of the late afternoon.
Đông Tác Market
‘I found myself here almost every day, looking at the shabby hand-me-downs, learning a thing or two about fashion, building my personal style identity, selling my own clothes and even designing my own fashion merch based on these second-hand goods. This was where and how I matured. I could see something special about these items. They are abandoned, yet the values they bring seemingly shape the identities of many people, and they bring hip hop enthusiasts closer together, connecting this community of talented and successful individuals through their shared values.’
 Nhà tập thể
‘I love the repetitiveness and consistency in the architecture of public apartment complexes as well as how cramped they tend to be, simple as that.’
 Culture Story THE PINNACLE OF VIBRANCY
HERITAGE FASHION Magazine July-August/2024
Line Producer DINH NGOC ANH, TAM LE (Antiantiart)
Lighting DANG THINH (Antiantiart), DZUNG TRAN (Antiantiart)
Art Team DANG ANH (Antiantiart), HOANG NAM, THE CHIEN, SAG DAY
Makeup Assistant TIENGENUY
Stylist Assistant DAT TRUNG
Fashion LA LUNE, FANCÌ, EMVANKHONGDOITHAY, SON SMALL, ELENA NGN, PHAM THANH TAM, TRAN XIA
Accessories HANOIA, BETTY VINTAGE, AAH, FASHION4FREEDOM
Nailart SWAGGY NAILBOX
Grillz MKT GRILLZ
Props Master  DANG ANH(Antiantiart), DINH DINH (Antiantiart), YENJIIVU, TIENGENUY, SAG DAY
Edited DZUNG TRAN (Antiantiart), POKI (Antiantiart), QUOC DUONG
Production Assistants TIEN DAT, TUAN, TRANG PHAM
Location Manager TIEN DUONG (Antiantiart)
Suboi Management Team M.A.U COLLECTIVE
Extras TEAM TRANG DUNG, VAN DO & TEAM AEROBIC HLV VAN DO (HANOI)
Location BAT TRANG MUSEUM, LENIN PARK, PORT OF HA NOI, DONG TAC MARKET, STUDIO ABCD