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White smoke
billows from the cauldron and a yellow-green flame erupts from the molten
bronze an artisan ladles into the mould.
The heat from the furnace
combined with the hot, northern Thailand sun blazing from above drenches
the craftsman in perspiration, but he is unconcerned, concentrating only
on his work.
Six and a half centuries
have passed since Thailand's second most sacred Buddha image known as the
Chinnaret Buddha was cast in bronze but the method being used in this foundry
to create smaller copies is unchanged from that used to cast the original. |
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Hidden behind
an unimposing green door, in a quiet back street of Phitsanulok, 400 km
to the north of Bangkok, the foundry has been producing bronze images by
the traditional method for over 30 years.
Small and using few modern
tools, the foundry is cluttered with plaster moulds waiting to be fired
in the kiln and half-finished red and grey castings assembled in long rows
wait their turn for the lengthy and painstaking finishing process.
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Toward the back of the foundry
dust billows out from the base of a 4 metre high faceless torso sculpted
from sand and clay as an artist rasps away buckets of dried sand to achieve
the form he wants.
Apart from being
a little smaller the finished image will be identical to the original Chinnaret
Buddha which draws crowds by the hundreds everyday at a temple not far
from the foundry. In an open fronted workshop,
the shelves of one wall stacked with wax images of Buddha, a small drum
of oozing, brown wax simmers on a fire of glowing red coals set on the
earthen floor. Artisans inside work for
hours to sculpt, mould and polish the handcrafted Buddhas that are revered
throughout Thailand.
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This story looks at the work of this small family-run foundry and the artisans who refuse to give up the processes that have been used for centuries to cast images of the sacred Buddha.
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A wide range of original photographic essays are available for publication and are generally accompanied by a minimum of between 60-80 high quality images shot in high resolution 35mm digital format.
Editors may suggest specific story concepts related to the current schedule of the photographer with no obligation as to the eventual purchase of the material produced.
Barrie Brown Photography
Email: barrie@barriebrown.com
Copyright B. Brown 1999-. All images and text shown here are the exclusive property of Barrie Brown and may not be used, stored, reproduced or redistributed without the express written permission of Barrie Brown or his assigns. |
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