Draw the soul of the past with a nostalgic heart

Every little detail is carefully crafted by Tai because each project is not only a model but also a "brainchild", a place where memories are revived.

In the midst of modern life that is gradually erasing old traces, not chasing after new and vibrant things, the young man Nguyen Duy Tai, born in 1993, went back to the past, quietly searching for fragmented memories to create a beautiful corner of the countryside. Not studying fine arts, nor being an architect or construction worker, but with passion and ingenuity, Tai has created nearly 300 miniature models of the countryside space. Sharing his fate with the profession, Tai said: My childhood is associated with the tiled house that my grandparents worked hard to build in 1973. It is not only a place to shelter from the rain and sun but also preserves the memories of generations, each brick is soaked with sweat, effort and dedication of my grandparents. My grandfather passed away early, with the desire to preserve the house - an indelible part of my memory, I learned how to make a miniature house model online, and worked hard to complete the model of my grandparents' house as a gift for my grandmother on her birthday. Sharing on social media platforms, my model received the attention and sympathy of many people. This is the source of encouragement and inspiration that helps me create works with a strong nostalgic imprint.

Making a miniature model is not difficult, but to touch people's hearts requires the maker to be meticulous, especially to observe, carefully calculate, and balance the appropriate proportions between the details to recreate the most realistic image. The painting part for the project also requires the craftsman's ingenuity to create the effect of moss, peeling, and "breathe life" into the model. Tai carefully crafted every little detail because each project is not only a model but also a "brainchild", a place where memories are revived. Depending on the scale and complexity of the model, the completion time varies, from a few days to 1-2 months, and the value also ranges from several million to tens of millions of dong. The main materials used in each model are cement, terracotta, wood, plastic... To make the models more vivid, Tai uses accessories such as trees, human statues, objects, pets... Not only stopping at making models, Tai also takes advantage of the power of social networks, taking photos, recording videos to share the process, each stage to the finished work, attracting hundreds of thousands of followers. Customers who come to Tai are not only middle-aged and elderly people with the desire to connect between the present and the past, but also enthusiastic young people, finding in them the familiar image of their homeland, of their childhood. Tai's works have "gone abroad" to children far away from home to comfort and soothe their homesickness.

A miniature landscape model by Nguyen Duy Tai.

Every person born in the village has a hometown, a childhood associated with the image of banyan trees, water wharves, communal houses, and moss-covered tiled houses stained with time. Surely each of us will feel a stinging in the nose when seeing the image of the whole family gathered on a bamboo bed on the porch of a three-room tiled house or a ripe rice field bustling with harvesters, rice carriers, children playing around the haystacks, and buffaloes leisurely grazing... Not only living and satisfying his passion for the profession, Tai also creates jobs and a stable income for 5 workers. But what makes him most proud and confident is not the income but helping customers preserve a part of their hometown memories through each old house model. “I came to the profession of making miniature landscapes not only to keep my own memories but also to preserve the traditional values, the rustic beauty, and the rich identity of Vietnamese architecture to spread and remind young people, those who are growing up in modern life, to know, love and appreciate the old values more.” - Tai confided.

Liu Ngan

Source: https://baohungyen.vn/ve-hon-qua-khu-bang-trai-tim-hoai-niem-3187022.html