Having worked as an art conservator for 30 years, Kwanjit Lertsiri knows that chemicals used in the industry since the 1950s are harmful and can damage murals.
To her, using traditional techniques, like tamarind seed glue, is less harmful and causes less damage, however, people today have no interest in using it because it takes a long time to produce due to numerous steps in the production process.
"I work in the conservation of mural art and have noticed that tamarind seed glue is not used as much as before. I discovered the reason for this is because it is difficult to prepare and some conservators do not believe it is of good quality. I decided to study the properties and structure of tamarind seed glue to find out why painters in the past used it," said Kwanjit.
"Recently, an international journal published that chemicals involved in mural restoration are health hazards, but we still use them. Additionally, chemical damage has been seen in Thai murals created using tempera paint that displays soft-coloured tones. When chemical glue is used in art restoration, most paintings give off a glossy and plasticky look, which leads to a loss of identity of Thai paintings. More importantly, the chemicals we use are dangerous to workers who are exposed in a closed building. Many of my co-workers have died prematurely."
Canvas frames primed by marl and tamarind seed glue.
From left, tamarind seeds, kernels, marls and xyloglucan.
Hunsa Khamlion, director of the Division of Museum and Art Gallery at the Office of Art & Culture (OAC), inadvertently saw the innovative tamarind seed glue that Kwanjit developed and was impressed with how it was packaged in a tube for convenient use. Thus, she decided to support and expand research on tamarind seed glue.
To promote tamarind seed glue and learn more about its properties, Kwanjit came up with the idea of canvas frames primed by marl and tamarind seed glue instead of gesso. The OAC collaborated with Kwanjit to send these frames to 24 professional artists and 12 art students for testing. To find which materials are compatible with the frames, the OAC selected 36 artists who use different materials, such as crayon, charcoal, watercolour and acrylic.
The results of the experiment are showcased at the exhibition "Wisdom Through Canvas: The Art Of Marl And Tamarind Seed Glue", organised by the OAC.
"We asked the artists to not add other primers because we wanted to test marl and tamarind seed glue. However, they were free to use any technique they liked. I believe that professional artists can handle frames primed by marl and tamarind seed glue. Art students may not have as much experience as veteran artists, but they can solve problems in their own way," said Hunsa.
Kwanjit added: "I am glad that OAC organised this exhibition. If traditional tamarind seed glue had not been promoted, it would have gradually disappeared. I hope to receive feedback from artists about its positive and negative aspects to improve the glue further. My goal is to preserve tamarind seed glue. If it can be use in contemporary works, it will be a breakthrough."
One corner of the exhibition provides information about how to produce tamarind seed glue. There is also a video screening of the traditional formula and displays of the production equipment such as a mortar, pestle, pot, stove and a cowrie shell used to smooth the canvas after priming marl and glue. Additionally, there are tamarind seeds, kernels, marls, xyloglucan and tamarind powder. However, the most interesting item is gluten-free tamarind seed glue in tubes.
Gluten-free tamarind seed glue in tubes.
Strom No.1 by Anurot Chanphosri.
Kwanjit revealed that she got the idea of gluten-free glue when she was in a training workshop abroad. During the training, she learned that Japanese conservators extracted gluten from wheat starch which created a strong, flexible and archival-quality adhesive. Kwanjit adopted the idea to extract gluten from tamarind seed. She also noticed that moisture and bacteria cause tamarind seed glue to have a short life. To get rid of moisture, she simmered the glue until it became very thick. The current version of gluten-free tamarind seed glue increases stickiness, has better adhesion and a longer shelf life than in the past (from a few days to two months).
Before Kwanjit developed gluten-free tamarind seed glue in a tube, she tried to prepare ingredients in a way that would be easy to use. She would crush kernels into powder so that she could produce adhesives quickly. However, it still took a whole day to simmer the kernel powder in water. When gluten-free tamarind powder is available, people still need to be able to use it conveniently. Hence, Kwanjit eventually manufactured the tamarind seed glue in a tube.
The exhibition displays paintings by 36 artists. The results of the experiment are displayed on a board and they show that canvas frames primed by marl and tamarind seed glue are possible alternatives to frames primed by gesso. The results are divided into three levels: good, moderate and poor. Crayon, charcoal, acrylic and tempera are all rated good, while oil colour is moderate and watercolour poor.
"From our perspective, watercolour did not work well on canvas frames primed by marl and tamarind seed glue. Due to the marl, the frame absorbed the watercolour preventing it from spreading which made it difficult for blending. As the OAC works with art, we knew that the frame would not work with watercolour, but we wanted to give it a try. This also means Kwanjit must find a way to solve this issue," said Hunsa.
Plian Phan, a crayon painting by Somyot Kumsang.
Anurot Chanphosri created the artwork Strom No.1 with a unique technique known as Jara-Batik, a fusion of Jara Bai Lan (a traditional palm-leaf inscription technique) and batik. Art collectors are interested in Anurot's artwork, but they are worried that wax in it will not adhere with calico and fall out.
To finish Strom No.1, Anurot blended tempera paint with tamarind seed glue and applied it to the artwork.
"This is a new discovery and one that I had been searching for. Calico absorbed the glue and tempera causing the cracks and tempera to fuse together. The wax falls out less than in the previous artworks because the tamarind glue holds the wax firmly in place," said Anurot.
Somyot Kumsang, also an artist, who uses crayon to create paintings on paper, was also impressed with the experimental frame.
"When I received the first frame, I felt it was too stiff. I told OAC and Kwanjit and later received the second frame with fibre and wire spring added. Working with crayon requires a flexible frame so that the painting can display light and shadow. It felt right at the first swipe on the second frame. The frame could show all visual weight. While the black colour of crayon on paper is not rich, the experimental frame can depict a rich black. I felt that I had found a quality paper and wanted to see the frame develop further."
All artworks in the exhibition will be stored in the same area for two years and Kwanjit and the OAC will see the results of the experiment. Kwanjit hopes people will learn more about tamarind seed glue and try it.
"I hope that the frames primed by marl and tamarind seed glue will be an alternative for people in the art industry, so if there is any damage, it will be easier to repair," said Hunsa.
"Wisdom Through Canvas: The Art Of Marl And Tamarind Seed Glue" runs at the Exhibition Hall, Art and Culture Building, Chulalongkorn University, until August 29. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/chulamuseum.
