Video: Toilet soap sculptures. Soap carving as a traditional art of Thai villages
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
In the provinces Chiang Rai, which in the north of Thailand, is growing and developing a very curious, very fragrant and very ancient art called Soap carving … Residents of local villages are famous throughout Thailand for their art of carving flowers of incredible beauty from a bar of ordinary soap, as well as other figurines, either at will or at the request of the buyer. Hunters for oriental souvenirs do not miss the opportunity to bring home a soap flower from their trip, and at the same time see with their own eyes how the seller carves this flower for him right there, behind the counter. They say that every Soap carving master has his own recipe for making soap sculptures, his own technique, the secret of which has been passed down from generation to generation. And you can't argue with that, because it has always been so - the beauty of the product largely depends on the dexterity, skill and experience of the master. Well, as soon as the soap hobby for many has become the main source of income, God himself commanded to improve the technique and improve the skill.
Both men and women are engaged in the art of carving on lumpy toilet soap in Chiang Rai, and even young Thais are mastering this creative craft to help their parents, and in the future to open their own shop of scented souvenirs. Those who have been to the Chiang Rai market claim that no two identical flowers can be found there, and that each master carves sculptures differently, somehow forming leaves and petals in his own way. It is amazing to watch the process of turning an ordinary rectangular block into an intricate figure. The thinnest petals literally shine through in the sun. And if not for the beautifully decorated boxes made of coconut or mango wood, tourists would hardly have been able to bring them safe and sound.
The most famous place where talented Soap carving craftsmen gather is the Chiang Rai Night Market. There the flowers are more pretentious, and the boxes are more exquisite, and the performance - the demonstrative carving of sculptures in the presence of buyers - is more spectacular. However, you can see how soap sculptures are born in this video:
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