Sawadee
A group of 27 people from different disciplines of design including myself travelled to Thailand for a month to learn traditional Thai Handicrafts such as broom making, indigo dyeing and bamboo weaving. I was really impressed with Thai hospitality during my stay as they welcomed and trained us. Being a design student this was a really great experience as I went beyond digital media and learn’t new ways of delivering creative solutions. Inspired by traditional handicrafts, we were encouraged to design a contemporary product or an artwork. Inspired by my experiences and observations, I deconstructed traditional handicrafts to develop digital assets and created this collection. These posters are my rendition of the Thai culture and are inspired by the people and places I came across during my month long stay in Thailand.
Sai Sin
Sai Sin are cotton bracelets blessed in advance by Buddhist monks that are tied around the wrists of people. Sai Sin is present in a range of ceremonies in Thailand like weddings and funerals. The thread carries merit and protection. During our visit to workshops, the crafters blessed us by tying these threads around our wrists, on my journey back home, I noticed that my wrists were filled with these threads that I accumulated throughout my trip that inspired me to create this poster.
Sirikit
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit came to appreciate the hardships that local farmers had to face to support themselves, especially in the face of natural disasters. Her Majesty determined that weaving could provide a crucial secondary source of income for women and would also insure the survival of Thailand’s unique textile heritage. This poster was inspired by the ceaseless efforts by her majesty and the love of the people for her which helped to save and promote Thai village textile traditions and provided Thai weavers with training, encouragement, materials and a ready market. During my visit to Chiang Mai I found several plants and flowers that were named after the Queen.
Santi
Thailand’s reputation as the center of Buddhism is well renowned as in the Thai culture, it is considered a tradition for Thai men to become monks for a short period of time. Buddha statues in Thailand are extremely popular with locals and visitors. Gleaming in the sun, generally wearing an expression of blissful peace or contemplation on a vast face is what inspired me to create this poster.
Som Tam
Som Tam is the green spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya and is eaten throughout Southeast Asia. Being Vegan, I found it difficult to find food in Sakhon Nakhon. I was really impressed by Thai hospitality as the crafters made vegan papaya salad for me. Thai cooking is an important aspect of Thai Culture and hence was incorporated in this series.
Sawadee
Sawadee is a Thai greeting that consists of a slight bow with palms pressed together. This gesture is known as wai and is also present in Indian and Burmese culture. For a woman, it is appropriate to end sentences or greetings with “ka” and for men “krab”. It is a very warm gesture as the Thai were very welcoming when we greeted them with Sawadee. In this poster A in Sawadee was deconstructed to form a shape to visually represent the gesture of the palms pressing against each other. This also happens to be one of the most overused words in my December vocabulary.
One Three Two
During our trip we had to travel from Bangkok to Sakhon Nakhon by car. It took us a day to reach the village and come back. I love roadtrips as it gives us the opportunity to explore less trodden corners of a country. Community building is a very important aspect that was taught to us through the visit to the handicraft village and the journey. Weaving and pattern making are used to indicate the connection between these two destinations.
Ganesh
Thailand is a predominantly a Buddhist nation, statues and shrines to Hindu deities are a common sight in the kingdom. Thai buddhists routinely pay their respects to these Hindu deities the one mostly seen and recognised and is usually referred to in Thai as Phra Phikanet. Ganesh is also known for his love of the fine arts and is thought to encourage creativity so is popular with artistic people hence it is also incorporated into the logo of Thailand’s Department of Fine Arts. Being a Hindu myself, I was saw my culture from a different perspective. This poster celebrates the amalgamation of Indian and Thai Culture.
Tuk Tuk
Tuk Tuks are an adorable three wheeled vehicle that is an experience for many travellers in Thailand. These modes of transport exist in various parts of Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.
People and Places
During my month long visit to Thailand, I travelled to a lot of different places and met different people. It was a great experience they were warm and made us feel at home. I was overwhelmed with joy with their culture and hospitality.
The Exhibition
The posters were showcased at an exhibition curated by our lecturers at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore. I also used the digital assets that I used in my project to create these posters to promote the exhibition.
