When the light begins from a piece of paper
The opportunity to work for Mr. Pham Xuan Ngoc started in 2022, when he had the opportunity to come into contact with Yen Thai village Do paper. This is one of the cradles of traditional Vietnamese paper making. Especially when meeting painter Vu Thai Binh, who has been attached to this material for more than 30 years.
From the early days of vocational training, Mr. Ngoc was inspired not only by technique but also by the spirit of a material with the soul of the nation. Teacher Binh is the one who showed me the spiritual beauty of Do paper, where the light passes through, there is also soul, both rustic and profound - Mr. Ngoc shared. It was from those seemingly ordinary paper sheets that he saw the potential to create a special handmade light, both approachable and of artistic value.
For him, choosing Do paper is not only choosing a different material but choosing a cultural approach because Do paper symbolizes the endurance, sophistication and simplicity of Vietnamese people. Do paper is made entirely by hand from the shell of a Do tree, has a rare hardness, lightness and transition ability. When the light passes, the paper is issued a warm, gentle and very real yellow color, completely different from the cold light of industrial lights.
During the creative process, Mr. Ngoc collaborated with artist Nguyen Duy Hung - who has been involved in bamboo rattan and rattan weaving for many years to create lights with bamboo frames. Bamboo shoots are always treated against termites and then gently bent, both firm and spacious.
On that frame, each page of Do paper is recycled, tightened and appended by hand. For each work, this stage requires meticulousness and accuracy down to every detail, because just a small mistake can cause the paper to wrinkle or tear. He called it "a moment of breathing with the material", when the craftsman's hand must be both skillful and able to listen to the moisture and tension of the paper.
"Although Do paper is durable, it is very sensitive to the environment, so just a little deviation can ruin all the effort. But it is also that difficulty that makes me love it even more" - Mr. Ngoc confided.
What is special about the soul of Do paper lamps is the decorative paintings painted directly by artist Vu Thai Binh on paper with watercolor. The images of lotus flowers, homeland scenery, fields, buffaloes, communal houses... appear rustically and delicately, creating a harmony between folk art and contemporary breath. When light penetrates the paper, those drawings become vivid as if telling the story of Vietnamese culture in the language of light and emotions. Mr. Ngoc said that every time he looks at a complete light, he sees a very unique light that is warm, calm and soulful - the light that he believes can only be found in things with Vietnamese breath.
Spreading Vietnamese handicraft products
Not stopping at making, Pham Xuan Ngoc considers each Do paper lamp a story to tell. He wants to bring this craft out of the scope of the craft village, closer to young people so that they can not only look but also touch, understand, and be loved.
He organizes experiential workshops on making Do paper lamps, where participants can draw, stretch paper, apply frames and feel the step by step to create a complete manual product. I want young people to touch Do paper, feel the smell of bamboo and fiber, to understand that Vietnamese culture is not far away, it is right in their hands - Mr. Ngoc said.
Although it cannot compete in price with industrial lighting products, Do paper lamps still maintain their own position thanks to the aesthetic value and emotions it brings. Each lantern is a unique version, not a second because each drawing line, each paper line carries the personal mark and the soul of the craftsman.
Mr. Ngoc is also cherishing the plan to bring this handicraft product to the international market as a way to tell the story of Vietnamese people through the gentle and sophisticated light of Do paper. He hopes that when someone in the distance turns on a Do paper lamp, they will feel the warmth of Vietnam. That light becomes a bridge between the past and the present, between tradition and modernity, between the hands of Vietnamese people and the hearts of beauty lovers.
