Creativity beyond limits with unique materials
Ms. Chen Jia - Director of Yuyuan INC Culture, who has been associated with the "wonder of light" Yuyuan Garden for many years, is still overwhelmed by the work "Sacred Soul of Vietnam" by Hoi An Craft - First prize at the Ocean City International Lantern Competition.
According to her, instead of using familiar materials such as fabric, mica, and nylon, Hoi An Craft artisans have created paper made from water coconut trees, a specialty of Hoi An (Quang Nam).
A leading Chinese expert on lantern art believes that this new material is not only environmentally friendly but also gives made-in-Vietnam lanterns a “2 in 1” beauty that is hard to find in other products.
During the day, even without the lights on, this is still a complete work of art. At night, when lit up, it becomes a sculpture with delicate carvings, giving viewers two completely different experiences.
“We have been exposed to many creative methods in lantern art around the world, but this is the first time we have witnessed the creation of Vietnamese artisans. This is also what touched the hearts of the jury members,” Ms. Chen Jia explained why the judges gave the highest score to the work “Sacred Soul of Vietnam” by Hoi An Craft.
Artisan Vo Hoang - a member of the Hoi An Craft team - shared that the team spent 5 years researching to create a special type of paper from Cam Thanh water coconut trees (Hoi An). Made by hand, each sheet of paper is a work of art.
Instead of using paint or lead to create color, the artisan uses water pressure to create natural light and dark areas. Thanks to that, the lantern has its own beauty during the day, and when lit, it "transforms" into a brilliant, attractive work of art.
“Currently, in Hoi An, only Hoi An Craft produces this type of paper with a small output. Normally, one worker can produce 40 sheets of paper per day. With this water coconut paper, a skilled worker can only produce 5 sheets per day, which are also 5 paintings measuring 1.5 square meters” - artisan Vo Hoang revealed.
The first prize winning team member said the work will promote new materials, arouse cultural pride and introduce Vietnamese artisan skills to the world.
The first lantern festival was held in a city in the East of Hanoi.
Also coming from an Asian lantern powerhouse - Judge Seo Young Soo, President of the Jinju Arts and Culture Association (Korea) - was particularly impressed with the exhibition space - the destination city of Ocean City in the East of Hanoi.
Mr. Seo said that Korea has about 25 years of experience in organizing lantern festivals. However, the land of kimchi does not have any city like Ocean City - both a residential city and a festival city. Even in the world, there is hardly any festival city model like Ocean City.
According to Korean experts, local residents are the biggest beneficiaries of this model, living in a modern environment while enjoying the year-round festival atmosphere at a famous tourist destination.
“Cultural events such as lantern festivals not only help attract tourists, promote traditional culture, but also bring economic benefits to the area where they are held. This is also the foundation for building a lantern cultural industry,” Mr. Seo analyzed.
Ms. Chen Jia, an expert from Yuyuan INC, also highly appreciated Ocean City’s creativity. She said that the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Exhibition, an intangible cultural heritage of China, always requires a space that meets strict standards. This year, this “light wonder” was brought to Ocean City for the first time with the theme “Oriental Mystical Creatures.”
“Ocean City is an ideal venue for large-scale art and cultural exhibitions. In the future, it will be an international center for traditional oriental culture, a destination for enjoying art and admiring world-famous intangible cultural heritage, attracting a large number of international tourists,” Ms. Chen Jia believes.
