Thai floral artistry | Bangkok Post: learning

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Thai floral artist Sakul Intakul provides step-by-step instructions on how to make a "floral curtain" in today's Bangkok Post.

Today's article below is a short extract from the article which discusses what the floral curtain looks like and how it is made. See the full article here.

Click button to listen to Floral Curtain and rightclick to download

A Floral curtain by Sakul Intakul

...I spent many days learning how to make various kinds of Balinese offerings. To my astonishment I found that the young yellowish green coconut fronds can be made into offering containers of endless shapes and forms by cutting the coconut fronds with a knife and securing the pieces together with very fine bamboo strips that serve as pins.

Inspired by this securing method, I create today's "floral curtain", using leaves of the jackfruit tree, orange orchids and Thai bamboo pins. First, I make the pattern of the curtain by using a marker on a piece of paper. I then cut the stem of the leaves so that they remain flat when pinned together. I set several leaves following the outline of the pattern I made. 

I secured them together with Thai bamboo pins until the leaves fill the pattern. To add interest to the design, I intentionally left several holes in the leaf curtain. I cut the flowers from its inflorescence. Then I place the stems of the flower in between the leaves with space and rhythm in mind.

(Source: Bangkok Post: Ideas & Innovation, Floral curtain, 1/10/2010, Sakul Intakul, link)

floral - made of flowers, or dealing with flowers
curtain - a long piece of cloth that hangs down or covers a window
instructions - คำแนะนำการใช้, ข้อแนะนำการใช้, ข้อปฏิบัติ
X looks like Y - to the eyes X is the same as Y (when you look at both of them)
Bali (noun) - an island in Indonesia (See Wikipedia)
Balinese (adjective)
offering - in religion some object given as a gift to God or to show repsect for something or someone (See Wikipedia on Buddhist offerings)
astonish (verb) - to surprise someone very much
astonishment (noun) - when a person is very surprised
To my astonishment,.... - I was very surprised because...
frond - a large long leaf divided into many sections (See Wikipedia)
shape - the way something looks from the outside: sqaure, circle, oval, etc ลักษณะ รูปร่าง
form - roughly the same as "shape"
endless shapes and forms - many shapes and forms (no limit, limitless)
spent many days... - used many days...
container - a think used to keep or store things inside (examples: box, bottle, bowl)
securing - keeping something in a fixed place or position (example: securing the suitcase on the roof of the car for the ride so it will not fall off)
fine - narrow and thin

jackfruit - large fruit with a sticky inside that grows on trees in tropical places like Thailand (See Wikipedia) ขนุน
orchids - a variety of plant with many different species, perhaps as many as 25,000 ดอกกล้วยไม้
pattern - a set or arrangement of lines, curves and shapes seen with the eyes
stem - the long part below a flower that holds the flower and leaves up
outline - the outside edge of something

interest - when people want to know more or want to join in an activity
intentionally - deliberately; done purposely อย่างตั้งใจ
inflorescence - "a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified" (See Wikipedia)
rhythm - a regular repeated series of sounds or movements ท่วงทำนอง  [here a repeated pattern]
Y in mind - thinking about Y

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