Buzz
A photograph of a wooden bridge in Vietnam has become one of the best-selling decorative products of the Swedish furniture company.
The Wooden Bridge in Sapa inadvertently gains global recognition.
If you've ever stepped into an Ikea store anywhere in the world, you're likely to see a misty photograph of a bridge. This masterpiece was created by American photographer Skip Nall during his trip to Sapa in 2006.
Sharing about his iconic photograph, Nall recounted receiving a phone call in 2009 from a company inquiring about purchasing the copyright for a printing sample. At that time, Nall was relocating to the Philippines, and all his data, files... were on a cargo ship at sea. He informed the company that he would call back once he settled into his new home.
Eventually, Nall's computer and personal data made it to his place in the Philippines. However, he was too caught up with settling into his new environment and forgot about the aforementioned phone call.
Six months later, on a night bus journey in the capital city of Manila, Nall's phone rang again – on the other end was someone from the company that had previously contacted him.
'They were very enthusiastic about the copyright issue, willing to pay $1,000 upfront to use it. I wondered, what on earth is going on?' Nall shared. He agreed to the proposal, signed the contract, and began transferring the data to them.
Nearly 8 months later, his photograph was on display in all Ikea stores. In the first week of its launch, the artwork garnered much attention.
'I received countless emails expressing how much they love the photo, how stunning it looks when hung on their walls, and some even asked where I took it,' Nall reminisced.
Victoria, an American, shared: 'At the Florida store, three of us (including me) stood there, admiring this photo. We had lively discussions about it. It's truly a captivating piece.'
Blogger Kristi noted: 'My son saw this photo in the store and immediately liked it. Unfortunately, it's too big for his room (he's ready to hang it on the ceiling). Recently, he's taken an interest in photography, and I hope one day he can tell a story like yours.'
The American photographer feels fortunate and excited to receive positive feedback from art enthusiasts. He revealed that he took it in Sapa, the northern mountainous region of Vietnam.
Currently, the wooden bridge that once made Nall famous is a popular attraction for many tourists to explore and capture impressive photos for themselves. Recently, Sarah Tran, a Vietnamese travel blogger known as the 'cloud princess,' and her boyfriend also visited this bridge.
'A friend of mine living in Germany was so impressed with that photo that he bought the largest size to hang in his room. We could stare at it for hours while chatting and admiring the haunting beauty of the artwork. Every time I step into an Ikea store anywhere in the world, I see its print and feel dizzy as if it were the first time,' Sarah poured her heart out.
According to Tiểu Bảo/Vnexpress
***
Reference: Travel guide Mytour
MytourSeptember 6, 2018
