ALL
wooden plate
ICH Elements 5
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Regong arts
Regong Arts mainly refer to Buddhism formative arts such as Thangka, mural, barbola, sculpture on which Tibetan and Tu folk handicraftsmen depend to pass on their making knowledge and manual technical skills. The content of Regong Arts consists of Tibetan Buddhism, mythical stories, epics and traditional knowledge. And the main painting materials include painting cloth, painting brush, dyestuff, prepared Chinese ink, red soil, silk and glue. Thangka, mural, barbola, and sculpture are widely used in Tibetan Buddhism temples and farmers’ or herdsmen’s houses. Every handicraftsman has his own fixed place to make material objects. Regong Arts have originated in 13th century and stemmed mainly from Tibetan Mantang school. After they were introduced into Regong area, Regong Arts have formed an important distinctive school of Tibetan Buddhism arts. Regong Arts have various forms with unique features. 1. Thangka, the pronunciation of its Tibetan counterpart, refers to religious scroll paintings which are used to worship Buddha, myths and figures who invented some useful technology after being mounted with colourful satin. The main technological process of making Thangka is as follows: first, the fine white cloth or coarse linen should be stretched on a wooden embroidery frame; secondly, base powder and thin glue sheet are used at the bottom and polished; thirdly, according to the content, the painter draws an outline with charcoal pencils made by himself about religious figures, birds and beasts and flowers and trees, etc.; fourthly, the painter puts the glue into various natural minerals and animals or plants dyes, and then he uses these painting materials to draw the picture with the special painting brush; finally, the finished picture is mounted carefully. Thangka is famous for its sophisticated workmanship, contents and bright colors in the world. 2. Barbola is a kind of Thangka made from silk fabric. Its main forms are Barbola Thangka, Barbola veiling, Barbola column ornaments etc. It is made from silk and brocade where pictures, figures, animals and plants are accurately cutting and sewn. Its techniques and effects take place in two forms: soft relief which combines folk embroidery and filled relief; and pasted and patched soft fabric which are cut to make different forms. Barbola has the strong stereoscopic image. 3. Regong sculpture comprises clay sculpture in addition to wooden sculpture, stone inscription, brick sculpture etc. Clay sculpture takes place in two forms: multi-colour and single-colour. Its process includes selection and finalization, clay processing, keel structuring, filling in, outline shaping, partial adjustment and inlaying gold lines or colour painting etc. Rafters, vaults, sunk panels, column ornaments, and tubular lections in temples and door curtains, credences, tea tables and lection cabinets in farmers’ or herdsmen’s houses are all sophisticated wooden sculptures. Stone inscription is that lections are imprinted on the slates or figures of Buddha are made in an intaglio plate. In addition, there is relief used in the stack of lection stones. After being created, Regong Arts are passed on generations by generations. Regong Arts are manual skills grasped by some villagers. Based on the special art forms, they combine traditional knowledge with history memory and come the Arts down. The art forms are widely recognized by dwellers in Tibetan communities and traditional craftsmen in China. At present, 520 folk artists engage in the artistic creation of Regong Arts. Passing on the Arts mainly takes place between fathers and children, or between masters and apprentices. Inheritors can be monks or folk artists. When learning Thangka, Barbola or sculpture, the painters must strictly follow the Buddhism painting book Lection of Measurement, starting from line-drawing, figure shaping, colour matching, pattern design and sizing. Regong Arts are featured with the unification of Tibetan Buddhism and traditional culture. Its influence can be found in surrounding provinces such as Tibet, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan, Sichuan, and even South-eastern Asian countries.
China 2009 -
Usage of Phob and To-rey: Traditional plates and cups
In the past, plates and cups were not provided for any visitors in Bhutan. Everywhere people must travel with their own plates and cups as this is part of traditional etiquette. Usually, people bring at least two Phob (traditional wooden cups) and a To-rey (a piece of cloth) instead of a plate. The size of the To-rey must be kha-gang, which means slightly more than half a meter and slightly less than a meter, which is equivalent to a two-foot square. This size and quality of the To-rey applies to every person, regardless of status. The Phob wrapped in the To-rey is carried everywhere in the Hem-chung (Gho-pocket or hanging bag) of our Gho and Kira (traditional Bhutanese clothing). The cups come in a variety of shapes and varieties and are made of different types of grains. There are cups with silver and gold layers on the rim and inside the cups, or plain wooden cups that signify the different status of the people depending on the quality of the cup used. There are certain cups that may only be used by monks and lamas (Buddhist spiritual leaders). This is usually the La-phob (monk's cup), which does not have exquisite decorations like the Phob of common people. However, the La-phob has historically used different colors to denote different monastic titles. On formal occasions, when we sit with our legs crossed or in meditation posture, the To-rey must be able to cover the surface of our leg. It was not until the turn of the 20th century that people began to keep extra plates and cups for guests, as there had been no development until then and the country and its citizens were economically backward. This happened only when people began to import tableware into the country from abroad. Until then, people used phob (wooden cups), Dha-pa (wooden plates) and Bang-chung (hand-woven bamboo plates). Each household member owned a Dhapa or Bang-chung, at least two Phobs, and a To-rey, which served as a shawl and a cleaning cloth for the plates and cups. The plates and cups were wiped with the To-rey, which was cleaned after a few days, as there was no tradition of washing the utensils.
Bhutan -
Muk Khmok Robam (Dance lacquer Mask)
"Lacquer" is a material composed of resin from (Kreol Tree), the last resin, water resin, and ash palm leave. That is why we sometimes hear the composition called "Mareak lacquer". Lacquer has been used since ancient times, as there are sculptures and inscriptions describing the use of this lacquer. For example, temple inscriptions. Kork Poti (K, 814), the inscription in Kampong Thom (K. 444), and the inscription of Prasat Chi Kreng (K. 168). Apart from being used for painting luxury and auspicious objects such as “Tork” wooden or golden plate used for holding valuable objects, “Tang Rong” wedding boxes, betel nut and leave boxes, and other everyday items, lacquers are also used to decorate crowns and masks for royal ballet and Lakhon Khol. That is why to this day, although the decoration on the mask of the dance is not made of lacquer, it is still called "mask lacquer". In general, the lacquer masks that are produced often have a giant mask, monkey masks, Ey sei masks, Ream masks, Preah Leak masks, or other animal masks, all of which are used in classical and Khol dance. According to the traditional method, in order to get the mask for the dancer, the clay is first kneaded into the desired shape, then applied glue on paper one layer at a time until another layer is thick enough. Next, left it to dry before removing the sample. However, this type of lacquer can only be used once or twice because the clay mold is easily damaged. After 1960, Mr. On Sok, a professor of "Khmok-Smach" at the School of Fine Arts, came up with the idea of making a mold from cement that can be used for a longer period than the one made of clay. When the mask sample is dried, you need to start gluing paper on it, but before gluing you need to soak the mask with water first to make it easier to peel off. Then use a piece of parchment paper to cover the mask and crumble another paper to glue on it with 10 layers but if the mask is small, it will be glued only 6 layers. The glue known as (Bay Marn is made by cooking rice flour with water). Let the mask dry before peeling, gluing, and sewing. When the mask is completely dried, start drawing ornament details of the mask such as Kbang, crown, ears or called (Jhon Trojeak) all of which are made by the lacquer. To make it you will need to boil Mareak resin, last resin, water resin and ash palm leave together then pour it into Kbach mold and let it cool before using it to glue on the mask. Then apply a layer of tan paint before applying gold foil on the lacquer. In the past, the molds were carved on marble, but later wax was added and cemented instead. The next step is to paint the mask according to the characters and then use a small brush to cut the strands into eyebrows, mustache, ears, and neck. Lastly, holes are pierced in the eyes and nostrils for the performer to see and breathe. Nowadays, traditional mask lacquer making is very rare as raw materials are becoming more and more difficult to find, and lacquer masks are sold at high prices, making it difficult for artists to buy and use them. Therefore, most of the dances that artists wear today are paper ornaments instead of lacquer.
Cambodia -
Aghash Oyu – wood carving
Wood carving is widespread in Kazakhstan as a traditional craft. The yurt’s frame is entirely made of wood, including the shanyrakh (cylindrical top part), uykh (poles that are embedded in the shanyrakh and fixed to keregeh, or greedwall) and sykhyrlauikh (doors). The internal furniture is made of wood as well. including abdireh or sandykh (chests), tosekaghash or keruet (bed), besyk (cradle), assadal (buffet), kebezheh (kitchen cabinet) and dastarkhan (low table). Kitchenware is partly made of wood, including kubyi (butter making jar), tegeneh (cups for kumis, fermented mare’s milk), ozhau (ladle), tostaghan (bowls), saptiyayak (water dippers), astau (bastau, a large plate for boiled meat) and tabakh (plate). As well, special wooden stands (zhukh ayakh) are carved for protection against humidity. Wood carving is also used for production of musical instruments, souvenirs and horse-saddles (yer). Wood carving is widespread in Kazakhstan as a traditional craft. The yurt’s frame is entirely made of wood, including the shanyrakh (cylindrical top part), uykh (poles that are embedded in the shanyrakh and fixed to keregeh, or greedwall) and sykhyrlauikh (doors). The internal furniture is made of wood as well. including abdireh or sandykh (chests), tosekaghash or keruet (bed), besyk (cradle), assadal (buffet), kebezheh (kitchen cabinet) and dastarkhan (low table). Kitchenware is partly made of wood, including kubyi (butter making jar), tegeneh (cups for kumis, fermented mare’s milk), ozhau (ladle), tostaghan (bowls), saptiyayak (water dippers), astau (bastau, a large plate for boiled meat) and tabakh (plate). As well, special wooden stands (zhukh ayakh) are carved for protection against humidity. Wood carving is also used for production of musical instruments, souvenirs and horse-saddles (yer). In forest-rich Eastern and Northern Kazakhstan, hardwood trees are used for carving, including red birch, maple, black or red alder, ash, nut tree, and oak. In Southern Kazakhstan, trees like elm, nut tree, pear, acacia, elaeagnus (djygyda), plane tree (chinara) are used for carving. As well, tree roots and knots are used. In South-East of Kazakhstan, elm, apple, nut tree, and buckthorn are usually used by woodcarvers. Table and chair legs, and some yurt parts are usually carved from pine, aspen or poplar. Other hardwood used for carving includes mulberry tree, and in softwood, juniper. Every wood carved product is decorated with ornament. Pattern and design of wood carved objects are also based on the balance of foreground and background, vertical symmetry, importance of central piece and border pattern. Traditional woodcarving includes several techniques and cuts, such as contour, relief and three-sided hollow carving. Relief carving is used for decorating chests, cabinets, doors, beds and kitchenware. Painted relief carving is used for decorating yurt doors and buildings of worship. Three-sided hollow craving is used for making geometric patterns. Cutout is mostly used for floral ornaments. To make dishes water resistant, they are soaked with boiled animal fat. Carved objects can be combined with paintings. Usually the background is unpainted, while the foreground is painted red, blue, green and yellow. Objects can also be decorated with inlaid bones, silver and other metals. Metallic details can be decorated with precious and semi-precious stones.
Kazakhstan -
CHANGOLI, fatirmaska
Traditional food of Tajiks prepared from bread fatir with butter in the wooden plate. Some people use with that mellon or sour cream.
Tajikistan