Currently exhibited at Fremantle Arts Center in Perth, Australia as a part of Indian Ocean Craft Triennial 2021 (IOTA)
The artwork is a series of wall hangings created with the concept of the value of decay. Decomposition is normally associated with a negative feeling, that of sorrow. In contrast, these artworks present decay as positive, being a part of the circle of life, incarnation and the start of a new stage. The works show the combination of natural materials with the visual composition adopted from worn-down mural painting.
The innovative use of material for this series is from jewel beetle wings. The jewel beetles are native to Thailand. They thrive in woodland where vegetation is plentiful. The jewel beetles have a relatively short live as mature insects after developing underground for a year or more. The dead insects are collected for their outer, hard, and iridescent wings (elytra). The jewel beetle wings have been used in embroidery for hundreds of years in Thailand and India. The colour of the jewel beetle wings do not fade because the colour is not a result of pigment but the nanoscale structure that reflects different visible wavelengths. The colour of the dead insect is a core material used in this project.
Other dimensions of the artwork proposed are the development and appropriation of the materials and techniques from textiles used in religious contexts, namely, manuscript wrapping weaving and the hanging banner weaving.
Manuscript wrapping involves a variety of materials that are used to protect the fragile traditional Thai manuscripts that are conventionally made of leaves of the palm-family plant. The wrappings may be made of different materials such as fabrics and other pliable materials i.e. woven bamboo. In previous times, devoted Buddhists often offered precious fabrics and other pliable materials to temples to be used as manuscript wrappings. It was believed that this was a great offering and a part of making good karma which would be beneficial for their present and afterlife.
Tung or ‘hanging banner’ is another type of textile for religious offerings. The hanging banners are used as decoration in the temples, both indoors and outdoors. They are used to signify the location is a site of important ceremonies or festivals as well as showing the skills and devotion of the makers. The hanging banners may be made of a variety of materials, both solid and pliable, including hardwood, metals, fabrics, paper, yarns and bamboo.
Fa Wuthigrai Siriphon 