Abstract:
This study aims to find the creative solution to to recycle the waste left by the process of making Thai handicrafts. As the response to fast consumption trend in recent years defined by series of product launches to catch up with seem-to-ever-change customer need fueled by influencers in social media, companies produce excessively just to satisfy customers only for a while, resulting in short-lived goods that end up as massive waste. My focus get to waste from Thai handicraft production which we would refer as Watsadu Thai (Thai material). Thai handicrafts are the pride of Thai people since they reflect the generations of local wisdom and culture through material selection, craft production and Thai patterns. Thus, they are substantially sought after by Thai and the rest of the world. In a year, a large number of the handicrafts are produced in response to huge demand. Unfortunately, tons of waste are created from the handicraft production. To tackle this, we went to the local handicraft community in Bangkok and worked with them to design creative products from the leftover from the handicraft making. I studied the leftover on its physical properties as well as the community where it came from. Based on the up-cycling concept, we experimented with the material to bring out the hidden aesthetic values without using industrial technology but emphasis on the local wisdom of the handicraft community. As a result, we would find a way to give it a new form, a new function and new aesthetics leaving no traces to its past. I ultimately believed that the my study would help the local handicraft communities as a whole by giving them the framework to recycle the leftover from handicraft making into creative and unique products reflecting the stories and wisdom of the local craft mans of the communities.