Fairytale images interpreted by product design: the iconographic uniqueness of the capsules «Firebird», «Threads of Time», and «The Secret of Buyan Island» (TD «Culture of the House»)

This study examines the interpretation of fairytale imagery in product design. The empirical data comes from the capsule collections of the “Culture of the Home” Trading House, a collaboration with the Construction Alliance Holding Company. The study aimed to identify methods for working with folklore and ethnographic material, as well as visual prototypes — murals and fairytale illustrations. This was accomplished through an iconographic analysis of three capsules — “Firebird”, “Threads of Time”, and “The Secret of Buyan Island”. Through this analysis, we determined the rationale for incorporating fairytale themes and their connection to the Trading House's concept. The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of art history, cultural studies, and cultural anthropology. Along with the iconographic method, we used comparative comparison to establish parallels between various cultural phenomena — fairy tales, murals, and designer capsule collections. The novelty of this study lies in its understanding of traditional values in their fairytale-like presentation through the forms of product design. The developed approach to understanding designer products can serve as a methodological basis for expanding existing capsule collections and as a foundation for the development of similar collections. The study's main findings relate to the interpretation of fairytale images in a new cultural space. In this case, fairytale images act as bearers of traditional values, and the fairytale itself serves as a marker of national culture. Through fairytale images, product design conveys traditional values into contemporary culture, implementing a mechanism for national self-identification — the recognition of “one's own” and “other”. Characteristically, the design inherits predominantly positive fairytale images focused on creation, love, overcoming difficulties, justice, and happiness. Moreover, the design utilizes various methods of transmission, both directly illustrating the text and symbolically reproducing it. However, in all cases, stylization is used alongside the creation of a systemic environment.