Hangyaw

brainwaxx

ก , tam chokevikraikij

After a year of not being able to come back to Thailand, I was able to visit home briefly over winter break.

a truth and sort of realness that affirmed my identity.

Being able to reconnect with religion and spirituality and feeling the freedom to fully explore it as an adult,

Working with these references, I wanted to combine them and create something material, and something representory

I was able to experience an authenticity that isn’t often found in New York’s minimal Thai presence,

Going home and seeing my friends, my parents and my grandmother gave me a reminder of another part of me which I felt I had lost.

and learning more about my heritage stoked a sort of flame in me, one that didn’t fizzle out when I returned. I felt so very homesick, but there was a strange sort of pride that accompanied that feeling.

My dreams as of recent have been to make fur
niture that is representory and impcatful. Something in a space that represents the person living there, and I wanted to start with myself.

Crafted from Poplar, Mulberry Paper and Steel Wire, Hangyaw is a love letter to heritage. Pride manifests itself within carved details reminiscent of traditional Thai Design, whilst change and homesickness present themselves in the use of modern materiality and technique.

Reference 1:

My first experience with a long-tail boat was when I was about 6 years old. On a family trip in Krabi, my parents and I boarded one of these teak watercrafts and sat, as the ocean breee made it’s way through my hair. The ride on these is always rocky. The teal sea covered every corner of my peripheral vision, while the limestone cliffs that define Krabi
staggered themselves like giants overlooking us.

These boats have every since been present in my life. When I went to school by the river, a bastardized longtail boat would carry us from the pier to the train station, where I would then go forth to wherever.

Throughout my 21 years of life, these boats have not once changed. The same commanding bow commanded structure and safety, whilst also being fluid enough to embody movement and grace.

The boat, to me, represents perseverance and faith, and community. No matter how rough the water is, the teak hull will envelop you and ensure safety, no matter the cracks or dents. Traditionally, the Mae Yanang, the goddess of voyage, protects the ship through ceremonial cloths and garlands tied around the bow of the boat. This ancient tradition started by
fishermen is still present to this day. These boats are also hubs of communities. One of my favorite dishes, Kway Teow Rhua (boat noodle), was created on these boats in wet markets. There is also a massive racing scene for these boats as people put truck engines in them.

Reference 2:

This handkercheif was made in the early 20th century, and I came into possession of it at an antique fair in Bangkok.

The deity pictured is Hanuman, who fosters bravery and strength within the holder.

This specific one was used in the second world war as a protector of a soldier, and further stories of these runes being written on Thai soldiers fighting the japanese rising after being shot due to the protective elements of these runes are stories often told in Buddhist circles.

The same runes are often present on Muay Thai fighters, who use the same protection and luck in matches.

The language behind yantra is Pali, which is inmperative within the Thai sect of Theravada Buddhism. Yantra itself is a derived from
ancient khmer representations of Pali.

These forms and texts are the backbone of
buddhism in Thailand. My own struggles with spirituality have brought me to become proud of this reference, and the wider spectrum of buddhism within my identity.

I am now able to see yantra, buddhist text and spirituality as a positive and beautiful part of my identity, and therefore wanted to incorporate the formal qualities of these drawings and words in my lamp as a representation of pride and growth.

Reference 3:

These typography samples were collected in the 1960s and onwards, and show how thai typography has
developed into homogeneity. These block prints were present at shops, movie theaters,
restaurants, bars and throughout neighborhoods.

Dating back to my parent’s time, they were more familiar with the organic, sinuous forms present within the thai language. The development of which turned into the amplification of different lines, creating pointed and unique shapes that are in ways similar to sanskrit yantra and ancient khmer texts.

The forms seen in the ‘โ’ or (o) sound
inspired the form of hangyaw heavily, as it visually has a grounding presence, with harsh yet fluid lines.

I wanted to turn this part of thai history and typography into something material, and therefore chose the context of a luminaire to represent the regression of grassroots arts in southeast asia.