Photo courtesy of Hermès
Water Hyacinth was first introduced in 1901 by the Thai royalty to Siam, now known as Thailand, from Indonesia due to its strange beauty. It was put in a jar and displayed as a decoration before the plant was accidentally dropped into a canal by flooding. Since then, it multiplied and spread rapidly across the whole nation.
Photo courtesy of Hermès
Photo courtesy of Hermès
The Thais make beautiful weaved hats, baskets, bags, toys and even furniture from Water Hyacinth by combining their artisan skill and creativity.
The artisans clean, spread and dry the Water Hyacinth under direct sunlight after harvest. Depending on the various purposes and designs, some artisans would press and flatten the dry Water Hyacinth like rolling dough with a pasta machine at the beginning. Some artisans would form the dry Water Hyacinth into long braids, hand-woven directly onto a mould or frame to create large baskets, bags etc., in different shapes and patterns.
The artist Terawat Teankaprasith won the second prize (in joint place) in an international scarf design competition LE GRAND PRIX DU CARRÉ HERMÈS hosted by Hermès in 2019. The artist’s winning design “Masan & Masan” was issued in the Fall/Winter 2021 Hermès silk scarf collection. Terawat Teankaprasith also shared his Masan & Masan Carré with the Masan art series on Instagram. (Terawat Teankaprasith Instagram @oterawat)
As stated in the Hermès catalogue: “In Thailand, where they flourish, water hyacinths are collected, then dried in the sun before being woven. They are used for basketry to create various objects such as baskets, hats, sandals and animal-shaped toys. The Masan, which means “woven horse” in Thai, is one of them. The designer Terawat Teankaprasith, who was one of the six winners of the Grand Prix du Carré Hermès launched in 2019, took inspiration from this ancestral expertise to create a striking and majestic piece.”
The artist depicted two large woven horses facing each other in the carré using the Water Hyacinths' soft, flexible, and strong texture. Both horses are drawn with excellent point symmetry but with their individual characteristics and unique charm. Two pairs of miniature horses with braided tails were set at the diagonal corners. Between the two well-arched necklines of the two large horses, the word HERMÈS was weaved in the process using the stake and strand technique. With this technique, love, friendship and success can also be weaved to form.
In the colourway Grège/Potiron/Bois de Rose, Grège means Grey and Beige. The Grège and denim blue neutralised the rustic pumpkin orange and muted rosewood. The scarf looks like two different scarves with different folds due to the patterns and colour arrangement.
The Water Hyacinths woven crafts techniques have been transferred from generation to generation in Thailand. The craftsmanship represents the Thai people’s culture and tradition. The woven crafts make innovative use of natural materials and contribute efforts in protecting the natural environment. Through the international scarf design competition, LE GRAND PRIX DU CARRÉ HERMÈS, the artist Terawat Teankaprasith promotes the heritage of Thailand to the world with the design Masan & Masan.
CloudWei.C
Le Jardin de Cloud
Hermès Scarf Masan & Masan
Special thanks to the designer of the Hermès Scarf Masan & Masan for leaving a comment on my IG account.Terawat Teankaprasith (Instagram account: oterawat), designer of the Hermès Scarf Masan & Masan.
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