2018-2019

• MEDIUM Jewellery & accessories
• TECHNIQUE Handmade pleating and knitting
• MATERIAL Indigo dyed silk

Since 2015, “Baan Pa Toom-Pa Tai” Museum is founded on the purpose to preserve the local wisdom in the traditional Thai textiles and the historical story between the Thai  royal family and members of The SUPPORT Foundation. The museum is located at “Baan Nong Khae” village in Sakon Nakhon, one of the provinces in Northeastern Thailand.

Nowadays, “Baan Pa Toom-Pa Tai” Museum has not only been an educational and preservative centre for traditional silk weaving but also the only creator of “Indigo dyed silk” in Thailand.

“Baan Nong Khae” villagers have a strong intention in sustainable living. Every remnant of Mat Mii yarn was re-woven into a new piece of fabric. This procedure has invented the new pattern of textiles, informally called “Fractal Pattern Silk”. This technique has reflected the Eastern philosophy that highlights the aesthetic of the imperfection.

I have studied this handwoven silk in detail of its colour, pattern, and composition. The traditional patterns in Thai textiles normally contain symmetry or geometry motifs and were set in a repetitive design. Nevertheless, the final result usually came out incomplete because the entire process was handcrafted.

To add more value to this material is to transform a sheet of fabric into a 3-dimensional beneficial product. In rural areas, especially Northeastern Thailand, people commonly weave basketry in particularly cylinder known as “Kra Tip” to use in everyday life.

This research has respected the traditional craft of Thailand and aimed to re-create it into a contemporary lifestyle. Since “Baan Nong Khae” community has worked on sustainability, they revived the leftover materials, added more value, and turned it into a brand new product. Not only to bring more customers to the museum but also to create a lifestyle of sustainability by their hands.

This study is sponsored by the research funding of faculty of Decorative Arts, Silpakorn University