Tourists coming to Hoi An ancient town, whether buying or not, are impressed by the bamboo root stall, featuring Buddha and God statues made from bamboo roots. The smiling Buddha statues seem to be inviting visitors to the small stall. The artisans have created many beautiful and sophisticated images from bamboo roots, making tourists, especially foreign tourists, buy this unique product as a gift for their loved ones.
We invite you to join author Duong Cong Son in Hoi An to experience the unique craft of carving statues from bamboo roots, through the talented hands and creative minds of the artisans here, through the photo series "Sculpture Carving". The photo series was submitted by the author to the Photo and Video Contest Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications.
Unlike carving statues from wood with specific wood blanks available; carving statues from bamboo roots requires more creativity. Because each bamboo root has many shapes, with roots that follow, long or short depending on the style.
To complete a hand-carved bamboo statue is a complicated and elaborate process. The sculptor must find old bamboo roots in many places. In loamy and clay soil, the bamboo roots are sturdy and have short roots, while in sandy soil, the bamboo roots are long and have many thorns. After being dug up, the bamboo roots are separated and shaped, soaked in mud for 9 months, then scooped up, cleaned and dried in the sun for about 10 days to make the bamboo roots harder and free of termites.
The craftsman who carves statues from bamboo roots needs to have an eye to imagine shapes suitable for each root. No two roots are the same, so the number of bamboo root statues is always diverse in shape and size.
Unique, impressive products, retaining many of the most natural and soulful features of the original... At the root of the bamboo, that is the detail he used to carve the beards on the statue's face.
From rough, dry bamboo roots, sculptors in Hoi An City, Quang Nam, have "magically" transformed them into unique, impressive products that attract tourists from near and far.
On average, he completes each bamboo root in 2 hours (depending on the difficulty), but there are also elaborate products that take him more than 1 month to complete.
Every day, tourists and customers from many places still come to admire and ask to buy this unique statue. Souvenirs made from bamboo roots and stems by local artisans follow tourists to many places in the country and abroad.
Vietnam.vn
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