Rice Straw hanging mobile by RMUTT, an innovative piece of art for an innovative community

Rice Straw hanging mobile by RMUTT, an innovative piece of art for an innovative community

Another masterpiece of handicraft invention, “Thai traditional rice hay hanging mobile”, crafted by students in the faculty of Home Economics, Department of Creative Craft Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi was offered to help and promote local community innovation commercialization.  

Ajarn Vichit Sonhom, a lecturer working for the Department of Creative Craft Technology, Faculty of Home Economics said that the traditional floral mobile has been existing in Thailand’s tradition for a very long time. Interestingly, this handicraft work can be produced by using Thai flowers with exquisite smell to create different types of hanging mobiles including pendants, chandeliers, and lanterns and thus, these ornamental pieces could be used for decorating doors, windows, house and buildings as well as helping soothing with their fragrances. As part of the Innovative Craft Technology department’s curriculum, “Thai traditional hanging mobile” subject is provided for students in order to help them integrate their classroom knowledge with a handicrafts product, “rice straw paper”, produced by the senior citizens of Bann Krasaeng community located in Sarm Kok district, Pathum Thani province. Needless to say, this acquired integrative knowledge between Thai traditional hanging mobile belonged to the academic institution and the local community’s product can cooperatively be applied to create a new crafty Thai piece of art made from straw paper.       

A fourth year student of RMUTT, Miss Kulachaya Kensumsamran revealed, “This hanging mobile was inspired by the color of topaz making it a good match with straw paper. The mobile itself was made by applying an interesting net design so called , “a floral net” which is created by using Thai sewing technique with needle and thread to create a net pattern like “Lai Karn Si dok” with “Kanok”. In details, this particular net design can be made by turning straw paper into flower pedals and lined them in patterns before attaching them with prepared “U-ba” garland. Concerning the “U-ba”, to make it look beautiful and eye-catching, several types of sub-patterns are applied including smaller “U-ba” attaching with ‘Sri Da’ plant creating a hexagonal star shaped structure. At the top part of this special design hanging mobile, “U-ba Kaek” pattern together with basket shape wreath made from “Dok Rak” flower chain are attached at the end of “Poo U-ba” wreath. Moreover, to decorate this particular “Poo U-ba” floral wreath, smaller “U-ba” will be used to help decorate each angle of “Poo U-ba” using “Kanok” pattern and tied it with traditional “U-ba” garland attached with star ornaments. “Straw paper could well be used for making artificial flower pedals because the paper itself is soft, light in weight just like real ones and these special features could make this handicraft as beautiful and delicate as the one makes from fresh flower pedals.           

While another 4th year RMUTT student, Ms. Wasinnee Kaetchai reveals that her “Rongkawan” hanging mobile was inspired by the golden color and the shape of special Thai traditional painted ceramic porcelain ware called “Benjarong”. This Thai cultural heritage, “Benjarong” ware is considered to possess a figurative description and actual decoration that can have various colors including gold. Gold color in Thailand viewpoint reflects its wellness and warmth feeling of the people and thus, this color will be used to help create this hanging mobile. Concerning production process of this art piece, artificial pedals made from straw paper are lined up in circle that is identical to the circular shape of “Ban Yen” flower. The piece is, then, decorated by bracket shaped Bougainvillea flowers in order to make it look delicate. Another special crafty technique to create look like real white “Champaka” floral garland is applied by using white “Champaka” straw paper flower pedals chaining them in two layers, additionally. And so, having used leftover straw paper to produce special and creative art pieces is beneficial to environment as well. 

Ajarn Vichit also added that these students are capable of applying what they have seen in nature and their culture including their Thai art patterns and interesting places with what they have learnt inside their classrooms particularly in the “Thai hanging mobile” lesson. Integrating classroom based knowledge with the outside one as well as understanding the moving forward change of digital technology and Thailand’s unique traditional and contemporary arts are likely to conform to Thailand’s 4.0 government policy. Hopefully, classroom teaching and Thai traditional culture integration could lead to successful career in the field of creative   craft of home economics that would benefit current students, alumni, and the public.    

  This Thai traditional hanging mobile is an artistic invention or creation that is produced to help decorate buildings and places as in the form of garland made up of small artificial flowers. The flowers themselves are attached to one another using different sewing techniques including netting patterns. Needless to say, this artistic invention incorporating with Thai traditional community knowledge could create value to straw paper that benefits the community commercially and innovatively.