Chopin Residue Primary Function: Npav Suab Paj Nruag by Mariusz Szypura

Chopin Residue Primary Function: Npav Suab Paj Nruag by Mariusz Szypura is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Tooj in Tsim Ntim Khoom Competition Category.

ToojNtim Khoom· 2026

Chopin Residue Primary Function: Npav Suab Paj Nruag

by Mariusz Szypura

Client: Black Element Label

A' Design Award Tooj Winner in Ntim Khoom Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #179587

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Colors

The Design

About Chopin Residue Primary Function: Npav Suab Paj Nruag

Book Text: Cov duab kos uas tau nyob hauv daim ntawv ntim npav suab paj nruag yog sau cia ib tug series ntawm cov khoom loj uas tsim los ntawm cov xov pov tseg thaum ua txheej vinyl lathe cut, qhov physical negative ntawm cov kab nplos. Qhov tsim qauv saib daim ntawv ntim raws li ib qho ntxiv ntawm suab paj nruag, ua kom suab, khoom siv, thiab tus txheej txheem koom ua ke rau hauv ib yam khoom muaj nqi kov tau. Daim npav rov txhais cov hauj lwm ntawm Fryderyk Chopin nrog cov kws kos duab uas cuam tshuam nrog Portishead, Sonic Youth, Battles, Beck, David Bowie, thiab Tortoise.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Tooj

Chopin Residue Primary Function: Npav Suab Paj Nruag yog tus yeej ntawm A' Design Award Tooj, ib qho kev lees paub muaj meej mom heev uas muab rau cov qauv tsim tshwj xeeb uas txawv los ntawm kev tsim tshiab, kev txawj tsim thiab kev ntse. Cov neeg yeej Tooj yog cov khoom muaj txuj ci heev thiab tsim tshiab heev uas ua pov thawj txog kev paub ntau, kev xav thiab kev txawj ua ntawm cov kws tsim qauv. Chopin Residue Primary Function: Npav Suab Paj Nruag xav tias yuav yog ib qho khoom uas neeg hwm, qhuas thiab hlub, uas tshaj lij heev thiab tsim tshiab. Cov qauv tsim yeej A' Design Award Tooj no siv cov kev coj ua zoo tshaj plaws ntawm kev kos duab, kev tshawb fawb, kev tsim qauv thiab thev naus laus zis thiab zoo heev vim nws saib xyuas cov ntsiab lus. Chopin Residue Primary Function: Npav Suab Paj Nruag ua tau raws li cov kev xav tau zoo kawg, kov cov kev xav, ntxias cov kev xav thiab txhawb kev xav paub.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The cover of Chopin Residue is generated from the album’s core idea: residue as what remains after deconstruction. Created through the same lathe-cut process that produces the sound, the artwork uses vinyl waste as its visual material. Reinterpreting the music of Fryderyk Chopin with artists linked to projects such as Portishead, Sonic Youth, Battles, Beck, David Bowie, and Tortoise, the package becomes a physical extension of the composition, uniting sound, material, and process.
Dimensions & Packaging: Physical formats include: Vinyl LP sleeve approx. 315 x 315 x 5 mm; CD digipack approx. 142 x 125 x 10 mm; cassette case approx. 110 x 70 x 17 mm. All formats were designed as tactile objects, with dimensions following industry standards to emphasize material presence and consistency across editions.
Tags: residue concept, album packaging design, lathe-cut vinyl, material-driven design, experimental music artwork, process-based design, sound as material, physical music object
Production Technology: The design was developed through a process-based methodology, treating sound recording as a material practice. Vinyl shavings produced during the lathe-cut process were collected, preserved, and used to create physical artworks. These works were then photographed and translated into the album packaging. The production emphasized minimal intervention, tactile materials, and small-batch manufacturing, allowing process and material to define the visual language.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was translating an abstract musical concept into a physical object without illustration or decoration. Internally, this required rethinking historical album design and treating sound production as material practice. Externally, limitations included small-scale manufacturing, legal constraints of physical formats, and the unpredictability of lathe-cut processes. Balancing conceptual clarity with technical constraints required continuous testing and adaptation.
Research: Type of Research: practice-based artistic research.
Research Objectives: to translate musical deconstruction into physical form.
Methodology: sound recording treated as a material process.
Data & Tools: lathe-cut vinyl recording, material observation, photography.
Participants: the artist and collaborating musicians.
Results: vinyl residue became visual material.
Insights & Impact: the research links sound, object, and design, showing how production traces can shape meaning in music packaging and contemporary design.
Inspiration: The project was inspired by the idea of residue as a creative outcome - what remains after a process of reduction and transformation. The design emerged from research into lathe-cut vinyl as a physical recording method, treating sound production as material practice. The motivation was to translate an abstract musical concept into a tangible object, where recording, waste, and form become a unified design language.
Project Duration: The project was developed between 2023 and 2025. Music recording and vinyl cutting were carried out during this period, followed by the creation of the visual artworks and packaging design. The album and its physical editions were completed and released in November 2025, accompanied by exhibitions in NY and Osaka and presentations of the related artworks.
Operation Flow: The object is experienced by opening, holding, and listening. The package reveals the music while visually showing traces of how it was made. Images and materials guide the user from sound to its physical remains. Interaction is slow and tactile, encouraging attention and reflection. By connecting listening with touch and sight, the object creates a deeper, more memorable experience than a standard album cover.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Mariusz Szypura, 2025
Image Credits: Image #1: Photo by TAKT, Chopin Residue, 2025.
Image #2: Photo by TAKT, Chopin Residue, 2025.
Image #3: Photo by TAKT, Chopin Residue, 2025.
Image #4: Photo by TAKT, Chopin Residue, 2025.
Image #5: Photo by TAKT, Chopin Residue, 2025.

Video Credits: Concept, Direction, Music, and Visuals by Mariusz Szypura, 2025.