JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Thai rice farmer makes art with plantings that depict cats

Thai rice farmer makes art with plantings that depict cats

Monday, December 18, 2023, 17:41 GMT+7
Thai rice farmer makes art with plantings that depict cats
A lively cat image created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a thai farmer and artist, is seen in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, December 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters

BAN KHON SUNG, Thailand -- A sleeping cat hugs a fish in a picture seen from the air, picked out in sprouting rainbow seedlings in a rice field in Thailand to illustrate a traditional proverb about abundance.

Farmer Tanyapong Jaikham and a team of workers planted the seedlings at various spots in the field in the northern province of Chiang Rai to depict cartoon cats, hoping to lure tourists and cat lovers.

"We're expecting tens of thousands to come and see the art in the rice fields," he said.

A lively cat image created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a thai farmer and artist, is seen in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, December 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A lively cat image created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a thai farmer and artist, is seen in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, December 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters

The process relies on GPS coordinates to position the seedlings as designated in an initial artist's sketch, he said, with the plants changing tint as they grow.

"It's crucial to position them accurately, and the rice will gradually change shades over time," he added, until in the final harvest stage, the rice straw yields the portrait of Cooper, the cat on which it was modelled.

A lively cat image created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a thai farmer and artist, is seen in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, December 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A lively cat image created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a thai farmer and artist, is seen in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, December 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Viewing towers are being built in the surrounding area to give visitors a glimpse of the artwork, which is based on a Thai saying, "There is fish in the water and rice in the fields."

The world's second largest exporter of the grain after India, Thailand aims to ship 8.5 million metric tons this year.

A lively cat image created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a thai farmer and artist, is seen in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, December 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A lively cat image created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a thai farmer and artist, is seen in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, December 16, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Young people wanting to learn more about the interaction of art and technology could also benefit from visiting the site, Tanyapong said.

"Previously, rice was mainly considered for consumption," he said. "This approach allows us to develop tourism and agriculture simultaneously."

Reuters

More

Read more

;

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Latest news