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With a gift for dexterity, passion for arts and a meticulous as well as diligent nature, The has made so many clam or snail shells into artworks.
Having been a hair stylist on Phu Quoc Island since 1994, The made a significant turning point in his life when he decided to spend his life making shells into fine arts products as home decorations or gifts. In 1996, he moved to Tan Loc Ward in Can Tho City’s Thot Not District to run his own fine arts firm.
The’s products are diverse in size and type, from ships, night lamps, flutes and jewelry to key rings as well as replicas of animals. Products look small and simple, but it is a complex process to turn neglected shells into pieces of arts.
Firstly, the shells are soaked in water and cleaned up with a chemical substance to deodorize. Then they are sharpened by a machine and polished by abrasive paper. Then, of course, comes The’s magic.
In 2006, The won a prize at Golden-V craft competition with a stunning work of nine flowers, of which each flower is a snail carved with the image of a dragon. Under nine flowers are familiar images of canals and orchards of the Mekong Delta.
Works of The not only express his talent and passion but also honor the values of the craft in the delta. So, the next time you are in Can Tho, you should stop by at The’s house in Thot Not District to admire his fine art products which are small but contain a deep love for art and tremendous talent of one unique human being.
Designer donates ao dai collection to museum
Designer Nhat Dung donated his collection of ao dai (traditional long dress) to the Southern Women's Museum on Wednesday in HCM City.
The collection, entitled The Thousand-Year-Old Sacred Dragon, was made for Ha Noi's millennium celebration in 2010 and includes a 13.6m velvet ao dai meticulously embroidered with dragon patterns from the Ly Dynasty in the 9th century.
He also donated two other ao dai made for the Miss Ethnic Viet Nam pageant and the Sea and Islands Festival in 2010. The entire collection of ao dai will be exhibited at the museum between now and Viet Nam Women's Day on October 20.-
Ninh Binh promotes art of blind minstrel singing
A performance of xam (strolling blind minstrel singing) was held on Wednesday in the northern province of Ninh Binh as part of the Traditional Xam Preservation and Promotion Project. The project was launched last year with the participation of veteran artists from around the country who dedicated themselves to collecting the old tunes and teaching them to younger singers.
Xam was a traditional folk culture familiar to many generations of Vietnamese, said Ninh Binh People's Committee vice chairman Tran Huu Binh. "The art is in risk of decline as the artists are getting old and a new generation hasn't been trained," Binh said.-
TV extravaganza to boost traffic safety awareness
A programme of song, dance and comedy will be broadcast live from the Au Co Theatre in Ha Noi on Viet Nam Television's VTV 3 on March 11 to bring attention to the Goverment's Traffic Safety Year 2012 community awareness campaign.
Entitled Traffic Safety for Me, for You and for All, the programme is being co-sponsored by the Transportation newspaper and produced by veteran director Le Hung with the participation of artists from the Youth Theatre.
Cannes winner to be screened for free in Hanoi
Cannes’s Golden Palm winner “The Tree of Life” by American director Terrence Malick will be screened for free in Hanoi at the event titled “Thematic talk about director Terrence Malick” next week.
The event, held by the Hanoi-based Center for Assistance and Development of Movie, will include a movie screening together with a talk, hosted by local director Phan Dang Di, on Terrence Malick’s life, career and his work.
Born in 1943 in Texas, Terrence Malick is also a screenwriter and producer. In his career spanning over four decades, Malick has directed five feature films.
Though his movies do not succeed at the box office, they have been well received by the industry’s experts. Malick was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Director for “The Thin Red Line” and “The Tree of Life” as well as Best Adapted Screenplay for “The Thin Red Line.”
He also won the Golden Bear at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival for “The Thin Red Line” and the Palme d'Or at the 64th Cannes Film Festival for “The Tree of Life” last year.
Starred by Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain, “The Tree of life” tells the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, of a family in Texas in 1950s through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father.
In January 2012, the film received three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography.
Phan Dang Di, director of Vietnamese award-wining movie “Bi, Don’t be afraid” was nominated for Best Writer at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong for the movie “Adrift” directed by Bui Thac Chuyen in 2010.
The event will take place in the afternoon of March 4 at the center at 22A Hai Ba Trung Street.
Japanese artist’s ‘Human Opera’ on show in HCMC
“Human Opera: Meiro Koizumi”, a solo exhibition by Japanese artist Meiro Koizumi, will run through March 23 at San Art in Ho Chi Minh City.
According to a press release from the organizer, Koizumi imbues his thoughts and experiences into his practice, building and developing them into art works of global stature.
The exhibition, which opened February 28, includes two Koizumi videos: "Human Opera XXX" and "My Voice Would Reach You”.
According to San Art's website, the works are emblematic of Koizumi’s art, where the human spirit and the mental dilemmas involved in dealing with the complex contradictions of urban life are divulged and reflected.
His remarkable art has been shown in major museums around the world.
Sàn Art is located on 3 Mê Linh Street, Binh Thanh District.
Workshop on Vietnam’s archaeology held in Hanoi
An international workshop on archaeology opened in Hanoi on February 29 as a preparation for an upcoming display of Vietnam’s precious archaeological items in Germany.
During the three-day workshop, domestic and foreign historians, researchers and archaeologists are expected to deliver 20 reports, presenting an overview on Vietnam’s history with a focus on the country’s cultures such as Dong Son, Sa Huynh, Oc Eo and Champa and latest studies on the Thang Long-Dai Viet culture through antiques of the Thang Long royal citadel.
The event is being jointly held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the German Goethe Institute in Hanoi, and Vietnamese and German partners.
The event is a chance for both sides, particularly Vietnamese and German partners involving in the upcoming display of Vietnam’s archaeological items in Germany, to share and discuss information.
The items will be on display in three states in Germany in 2014 and 2015, making contributions to promoting the Southeast Asian country’s culture.
The exhibition is expected to draw German people’s attention to the Vietnamese culture and encourage them to visit Vietnam as an increasing number of Germans choose Vietnam as their destination for tourism and economic investment.
Hanoi’s Artisan titles conferred on 19 individuals
Nineteen individuals have been presented with Hanoi’s Artisan titles, according to Decision No. 286/ QD-UBND issued by the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee.
Awardees included six artisans from the Bat Trang pottery village in Gia Lam district; four from the Chuyen My pearl inlay village in Phu Xuyen district, three from the Thang Loi embroidery village in Thuong Tin district, two from Phu Nghia bamboo and rattan village in Chuong My district, two from the Kieu Ky gold-inlay village in Gia Lam district, one from the Dinh Cong silver manipulation ward in Hoang Mai district and one working in artistic sewing in Hai Ba Trung district.
The artisans were presented with certificates of merit, medals, and orders that read ‘Hanoi’s Artisan’ and VND 5 million each.
The presentation of ‘Hanoi’s Artisan’ titles honours and acknowledges the craftsmen’s contributions to preserving and promoting traditional crafts of the capital city. So far, more than 130 individuals have won the accolade.
Hue Festival 2012 shows to be performed at hospitals
Music acts performing at this year’s Hue Festival will also play at two hospitals in Thua Thien Hue Province.
The Hue Festival Centre has received approval from Hue Central Hospital and Hue Medicine and Pharmacy University Hospital to host the events.
The idea to bring these shows to the hospital stems from earlier successes, when acts for the festival toured the countryside in 2008 and 2010.
According to the festival organisers, the visits will cheer up patients and broaden the accessibility of the cultural values of such an event.
The Hue Festival will take place from April 7-15 to mark National Tourism Year in the North-Central Midlands region.
To date, 36 art troupes from 26 countries and territories have registered to participate.
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