Vietnamese Culture in Lanterns
The lanterns from the Magic of Color (MOC) project create a warm and vibrant atmosphere, bringing to life the traditional culture through the use of Do paper and bamboo, featuring folk art patterns from the Hang Trong and Dong Ho folk paintings.
Nguyen Thi Huu, the founder of the MOC project, said that it all began with organizing experiences for people to print folk paintings. Later, the group had the idea to apply these folk paintings to various products, bringing them closer to everyday life. MOC chose ceramics, office supplies, bags, and more to feature folk paintings.
However, the lanterns became the most beloved product because the paintings truly stand out when illuminated. To create a lantern, the first step is to conceptualize the design and then construct the frame. The lantern designs are inspired by symbols of Vietnamese folk culture, such as images of Vietnamese bronze drums or the One Pillar Pagoda. Additionally, MOC can customize lanterns according to a customer's request.
Once the lantern design is complete, the MOC team members create the lanterns by painting on Do paper and affixing it around the frame. When selecting images for their lanterns, MOC always focuses on choosing images from various Vietnamese folk painting styles, such as Dong Ho folk paintings depicting daily life, blessings, and rituals, or Hang Trong folk paintings illustrating activities like lion dances, dragon processions, and traditional children's games like "blindfolded goat-catching" and "tug of war". These paintings are executed by members of the group, most of whom are university students majoring in fine arts.
"In today's modern living spaces, one might think that folk paintings are not suitable. Therefore, our group's desire is to make this form of art more compatible with modern living spaces, gradually integrating folk painting images into our daily lives,” said Huu. What sets MOC's lanterns apart is their practicality compared to traditional lanterns used for the Mid-Autumn Festival. MOC's lanterns can be used as decorative lighting in various living spaces, such as resorts and restaurants./.
