RECA Shovel Hero Gift
At the post-disaster site along the Mata’an River in Guangfu Township, Hualien, we witnessed not only a landscape reshaped by the typhoon, but the hands that stepped forward despite limited time and resources. Volunteers, civic groups, corporate partners, and government personnel worked together in mud and heat, revealing a uniquely Taiwanese gentleness and resilience.
Service Content
Product Design
Production & Execution
Execution time:
1 month
Hualien silt becomes part of the piece
The base of the gift is made from silt collected during post-disaster cleanup in Hualien. Processed and reformed, it becomes the core material language of the work. This is not merely symbolic, but a direct response to the site—disasters arrive suddenly, while recovery takes time, and the traces that are removed carry the weight of countless efforts. By transforming the silt into a stable, enduring base, we seek to preserve this shared experience as something that can be continually retold, not just remembered.
Making gratitude visible
This work speaks through restraint rather than declaration, reflecting the quiet, uncompensated efforts of those who stood on the front lines after the disaster. It carries not only gratitude, but also an action-driven belief in turning crisis into opportunity through sustainable goodwill.
The shovel anchors the design as a symbol of both opening paths and recovery, representing those who protect the environment and complete the “last mile.” The contrast between vibrant orange–gray tones and the raw, mud-based foundation conveys resilience in the face of adversity.
The transparent front packaging allows the work to be seen without opening, extending its intention into the form itself. A calm gray lining echoes the base, while the handcrafted structure and binding embed respect for the “Shovel Heroes” into every detail.
“Transforming the hardest moments into the deepest gratitude.”
Through design, this gift responds to the land’s scars. More than a record of a time spent standing side by side, it symbolizes how, after a crisis, sustainability and goodwill can reshape a resilient vision of home.