ARTS 8

WEEK 5: INTRODUCING THE ARTS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

LEARNING COMPETENCIES:
1. analyze elements and principles of art in the production of arts and crafts inspired by the cultures of
Southeast Asia (A8EL-Ib-1)
2. identify characteristics of arts and crafts in specific countries in Southeast Asia (A8EL-Ia-2)
3. reflect on and derive the mood, idea, or message from selected artifacts and art objects (A8PL-Ih-1)
4. appreciate the artifacts and art objects in terms of their utilization and their distinct use of art
elements and principles (A8PL-Ih-2)
5. trace the external (foreign) and internal (indigenous) influences that are reflected in the design of an
artwork and in the making of a craft or artifact (A8PL-Ih-4)

ARTS of SOUTHEAST ASIA

A. ATTIRE, FABRICS and TAPESTRIES

Thailand Of all the textiles that are made in Thailand, silk is far and away
the most well-known. Thai silk is produced by weavers primarily in
Khorat. Thai silk is made from cocoons of silkworms (caterpillars
not worms) and is hand woven. Each fabric is unique and cannot be
duplicated through commercial means.

Thai silk dress

Cambodia Silk weaving dates to as early as the first century, and textiles were
used in trade during Angkorian times.

Two main types of Cambodian weaving:

1. ikat technique - weavers tie-dye portions of weft yarn to create
diverse patterns
2. uneven twill technique - often results in the color of one thread
dominating on one side of the fabric, while two other threads
determine the color on the reverse side
sampot
Natural dyes are traditionally used.

Various silk products include sarong, sampot, hol, phamuong,

furnishings, and pidan (pictorial tapestries).

Cotton textiles have also played a significant role in Cambodian

culture. Krama is a Cambodian traditional scarf made of cotton or
krama silk. People wrap krama around their heads or necks and sometimes
use this versatile scarf as pillow covers, hammocks for babies, and
even tools to help people climb up trees.
Laos Weaving has traditionally been Lao women’s work performed at
home.

Lao women wear a sin (sinh or pha sin) — a kind of calf length
sarong or tube skirt made with colorful, hand woven materials in
multicolored designs. It is usually made of silk, cotton or a
combination of fibers. Motifs reflect the ethnic culture of a
sihn community or region, or the occasion for which it is intended.
Vietnam Silk was used as a medium to showcase Vietnamese beauty through
art.

Ao Dai, a traditional Vietnamese long dress is made from silk. It is

globally well-recognized, acclaimed for its luxuriously elegant
ao dai appearance as well as its softness and lightness.
Indonesia, Batik is an ancient art that has been practiced for 2,000 years in
Malaysia, Southeast Asia. The process uses dye-resistant wax to create
Singapore, elaborate patterns and designs. The term batik is most likely
Brunei derived from the Javanese word ambatik, which describes a cloth
with little dots.

The main tool used in batik making is the canting (tjanting), where
liquid wax is loaded. It has a spout for making dot forms on the
handpainted and
blockprinted cloth. In the mid-19th century the cap (tjap), a copper stamp was
batiks developed that reduced the amount of time to make a batik cloth.

Batik represents one of Java, Indonesia's most venerated traditions

and is one of the world's most respected textile arts.

In Malaysia, artists from the states of Kelantan and Terengganu use

brush to apply the wax-resist pattern. Designs depict leaves and
simpur
flowers in accordance to the Islamic ban on animal images.

Batik has made a significant contribution to Singapore’s arts scene,

with traditional and contemporary interpretations of the medium by
local artists.

Brunei's batik designs include their native flowers - the simpur and
cengkeh.
flight attendants
For Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia,
batik is part of their uniform, and important to their corporate
identity.
B. CRAFTS and ACCESSORIES, EVERYDAY OBJECTS
Thailand Thai craftsmen often make sky lanterns (khom loi) from oiled rice paper on
a bamboo frame. It is a small hot air balloon with an opening at the bottom
where a small fire is suspended. The Lanna people of northern Thailand use
sky lanterns or “floating lanterns” year-round, for celebrations and other
special occasions. One very important festival in which sky lanterns are used
is the Yi Peng festival.
Cambodia Indigenous people (highlanders) represent 1.4 percent of the total
population in Cambodia, and the majority of them are living in remote rural
areas. Handicrafts are part of their traditional culture and their livelihood
as they produce textiles, baskets, jars, pottery and other tools for their
daily usage. Many indigenous groups have established small enterprises and
produce traditional products to generate income.
Laos Paper has been made by hand for over 700 years using the bark of the local sa (mulberry
tree).

Traditionally, sa paper was used for calligraphy and for making festive temple decorations,
umbrellas, fans and kites. In former times, it was also used as a filter in the manufacture of
lacquerware.

In recent years the art of sa paper handicraft has been revived, particularly in Luang
Prabang, Northern Laos where it is now used to create lampshades, writing paper, greetings
cards and bookmarks.
Vietnam Silk painting is one of the most popular forms of art in Vietnam, favored for the mystical
atmosphere that can be achieved with the medium. French influence was absorbed into
Vietnamese art. The liberal and modern use of color differentiates Vietnamese silk paintings
from their Chinese, Japanese and Korean counterparts. Vietnamese silk paintings typically
showcase the countryside, landscapes, pagodas, historical events, or scenes of daily life.

Indonesia The most popular form of wayang (puppet theater) is the Wayang Kulit, a
shadow play known in Java and Bali. The term “wayang”, derived from the
word bayang literally means "shadow" or "imagination"; it also connotes
"spirit". The word “kulit” means "skin", as the material from which the
puppet is made is from buffalo skin. The flat puppet has moveable joints.
Malaysia Malaysia has a uniquely designed kite known as wau. It is called “wau”,
because the shape of its wings is similar to an Arabic letter pronounced
"wow". One legend says that farmers used kites as scarecrows in the fields.
The sound made by the kites is said to lull children to sleep, so farmers can
work with little interruption. Today, the art is nearing extinction but events
like International Kite Festival at Pasir Gudang, Johor, held annually helps
preserve their treasured heritage “wau”.
Brunei Men's headgear in Brunei Darussalam can be categorized into three:
dastar, songkok/kopiah, and tangkolok/serban

Dastar existed in Brunei Darussalam since time unrecorded. Songkok and

serban were introduced by Arab traders. After a period of time, songkok
replaced the dastar as part of the Malay's national dress.
C. SCULPTURES (GODS/RITUALS)
Cambodia Khmer sculptures were carved from stone with great craftsmanship and many of them
represent the Hindu deities as well as Hindu mythical monsters. In later centuries, the
Buddha statues appeared and enshrined in many temples. The most astounding Buddha
statues are found in Angkor Thom (Bayon).

Angkor Thom

Some sculptures depict important events while some reveal the everyday life of the Khmer
people as seen on the relief carvings of Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat
Thailand Wat Pho, is one of the six temples in Thailand that are of the highest grade of first class
royal temples. Wat Pho serves as home to the massive reclining Buddha image.

The statue is 15 meters tall and 46 meters long. Its feet are 5 meters long and decorated in
laksana (Buddhist Sanskrit symbols & characters) of the Buddha.

Wat Pho Reclining Buddha

Laos Sculpture is undoubtedly the most impressive of the traditional art of Laos.
Subjects of sculpture were exclusively religious.

The Phra Bang, regarded as the protector of the Lao kingdom, is an image
of the Buddha, created in the Mon-Khmer style and cast in a mixture of
brass, gold, silver, zinc and copper. It is believed to possess strong
protective powers. The image is 83 centimeters tall, weighs 52 kilograms,
and portrays the Buddha standing with arms raised forward at the elbows,
palms facing forward. Tradition maintains that the relics of the Buddha are
contained in the image.
Vietnam Vietnam has no prehistoric sculptures, only expressions or manifestations. For example, a 10
000-year-old carving of human faces and a wild animal found in Dong Noi Grotto. Small
ceramic and stone carvings have also been uncovered at archaeological digs.
 The Dong Son culture is famous for its kettle drums, small carvings fastened to objects of
worship, and home utensils, which have handles sculpted in the shape of men, elephants,
toads, and tortoises.

In the highlands of south-west Vietnam, mourning houses to honor the dead of the Gia Rai
and Ba Na ethnic groups are symbolized by statues placed in front of the graves (couples
embracing, pregnant women, people in mourning, elephants, and birds).

Indonesia Pre-Hindu-Buddhist and pre-Islamic sculptures by the indigenous Indonesian tribes: Asmat’s
wooden sculpture, Dayak’s wooden mask and sculpture, ancestral wooden statue of Toraja,
totem-like sculpture of Batak and Nias tribe

Stone and bronze sculptures that flourished in Java and Bali were incorporated into temples.
The most outstanding example of this classical Hindu–Buddhist sculpture in Indonesia is found
in the largest Buddhist temple in the world, the temple of Borobudur in central Java. The
entire structure resembles a stupa. It has 504 statues of the Buddha and 2,672 relief panels
depicting the life of the Buddha.

Borobodur Temple

Balinese wooden sculpture and carvings are popular souvenir items for tourists. On the other
hand, Jepara is famous for its elaborately carved wooden furnitures, folding screens, and
pelaminan gebyok (wedding throne with carved background).
Malaysia Malaysian woodcarving was never an industry, but an art. Traditional
woodcarvers believe that they need to be a perfect match with their wood.
Relief wood carvings frequently adorn the doors, walls and windows of
traditional Malay houses. Popular motifs of such relief carvings are the
various kinds of Malaysian flowers and plants.

The best Malay woodcarving is from Terengganu and Kelantan. The craft is
divided into ukiran halus (fine carving) and ukiran kasar (rough carving).
Ukiran Halus involves the carving of relief patterns, hilts of keris (short
Malay dagger), bed heads and cupboard tops. Ukiran Kasar refers to the
carvings on larger objects like furniture, pillars, windows, room portions
and eaves of roofs. Cengal is the preferred wood for building houses and
boats. Being expensive, other woods such as balau or perah might be used
for the rafters, or floorboards of a house or for the prow of a boat. Some
types of wood are avoided, for they are believed to be the home of evil
spirits or they contain a poisonous sap.
Singapore The Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple is Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple, founded in 1827. It is
dedicated to Mariamman, a goddess worshipped for protection against diseases. The temple
has been gazetted a National Monument. This temple features a gopuram that rises above
the main entrance, richly embellished with six tiers of plaster sculptures of Hindu deities,
figures and ornamental decorations.

Sri Mariamman Temple

The Merlion is the official mascot (national icon) of Singapore. Its name combines “mer”,
meaning the sea and “lion”. The fish body represents Singapore’s origin as a fishing village,
and the lion head represents Singapore’s original name-Singapura-meaning “lion city”. The
Merlion was first used in Singapore as the logo for the tourism board.

Merlion
Brunei Sculpture in Brunei takes on a more utilitarian role than an aesthetic one. Excellent
craftsmen use bronze and silver to create adornments and functional items such as bowls,
tools and the like. The Brunei Arts and Handicraft Training Center was established in 1975
to revive and promote the nation’s dying tradition of crafts. In addition to training youths in
the art of sculpting, the center also helps facilitate the sale of their crafts.

Brunei Arts and Handicraft Training Center

There are several artists who can make sculptures like any other and examples of their
creations can be seen at the ASEAN Squares. The square has on display the work of a
sculptor from each of the original six ASEAN member countries (Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines). The sculptures symbolize ASEAN solidarity
and the aspirations of its member countries, which is love, peace, freedom and mutual
respect.
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Re g i o n III – Ce n t r a l Lu z o n
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF BALANGA CITY

Name: School: Gr. & Section:

ACTIVITY: Answer the following questions:

1. What Philippine artwork/s has/have similar characteristics with the artworks discussed in this unit?
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2. Is Philippine art as marketable as those of our Southeast Asian neighbors?

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Based from the lesson, how would you compare the sculptures in Southeast Asia? What characteristics
are different or common?
Merlion Sri Marriamman Temple Borobodur Temple The World of ASEAN
Phra Bang Angkor Wat Wat Pho
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WEEK 6 to 8 LESSON: ART PROJECT

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES:

1. create crafts that can be locally assembled with local materials, guided by local traditional techniques
(A8PR-Ic-e-1)
2. incorporate the design, form, and spirit of Southeast Asian artifacts and objects in one’s creation
(A8PL-Ih-3)
3. derive elements from traditions/history of a community for one’s artwork (A8PR-If-2)
4. show the relationship of the development of crafts in specific countries in Southeast Asia, according
to functionality, traditional specialized expertise and availability of resources (A8PR-If-3)
5. show the commonalities and differences of the culture of the Southeast Asian countries in relation to
Philippine culture (A8PR-Ih-4)

Select one (1) artwork from the list below. Make the selected artwork using recycled materials only.
A. Tie-Dye Shirt
B. Puppet
C. Merlion Statue Model
Answer this self-assessment after finishing your artwork.

Self-Assessment
• Did you have fun creating the artworks?
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• What were the difficulties you encountered?

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• What did you benefit from the activity?

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• Do you think these types of artworks can be used for business opportunities?
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A. Tie-Dye Shirt
Tie-dye is one of the many resist methods of dyeing fabrics and textiles.

You will need:

• white cotton shirt • rubber bands
• a bowl or a basin / spray bottle • dye
Here are the steps:
1. Lay down your shirt. 4. Dip your shirt into the dye mixture and leave it for 30
minutes to 1 hour.

2. Use rubber bands to secure certain parts of your 5. Remove the rubber bands. Rinse your shirt and let it
shirt. dry completely.

3. Fill a basin or a bowl with water and dissolve your dye 6. Hang to dry.
in. (If you’re going to use multiple colors on your shirt,
it’s better to use a spray bottle.)

RUBRIC
Very Good Good Average Needs Improvement
Criteria
(10 points) (6 points) (4 points) (2 points)
Followed directions very Followed directions well. Followed some directions, Did not follow directions
Following Directions
well. but not all. very well at all.
Used materials exactly Used materials well. Used materials partially Did not use materials
Use of Materials
according to directions. according to directions. according to instructions.
Showed much creativity in Showed creativity in use Showed only some Did not show any creativity
Creativity use of materials and of materials. creativity in use of in use of materials and
colors. materials and colors. colors.
Showed excellent Showed good awareness Showed some awareness Did not show awareness on
Use of Colors awareness on the correct on the correct use of on the correct use of the correct use colors.
use of colors. colors. colors.
Rating
 *In case, a dye is not available, you can create CRAYON BATIK as an alternative
activity. You can watch online just go to this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycXPg2RtG_E

CRAYON BATIK
https://www.auntannie.com/SurfaceDesign/CrayonBatik/
In this project, you will learn how to imitate on paper the fabric decorating
technique called batik. The process uses crayons (broken ones are fine) to draw
and color a design on white paper, that is then wadded and painted with black to
make the cracks that are typical to batiks.

Here's what you need:

• white computer paper or construction paper • sponge
• crayons • plastic lid or plate
• black poster paint or acrylic paint • paper towels and newspapers
• pencil and ruler • iron and ironing board
• compass, or small plate to trace around

OPTIONAL: foam brush, black construction or craft paper, colored paper for matting
Read all of the steps before starting.

Step 1: Project Preparation

Gather the materials needed. Cut the white paper into 6" squares. Lay out the newspapers to cover your work area.
Prepare a place to iron the batiks. Cut the sponge into suitable size pieces (smaller pieces for applying paint and
the larger piece for wiping excess paint away).
Tip: The sponge will be easier to cut if it is damp.

Step 2: Draw Design

Using a pencil, draw a circle that nearly fills the paper. Use a compass to draw the circle or trace around a plate or
lid. Use the pencil and ruler to divide the circle into smaller spaces. Do this any way you like but keep the spaces
no smaller than about 1" to ½" square. Make your drawing abstract or draw a picture.
Tip: Images printed from your computer can also be turned into crayon batiks. Draw an image on your computer
using simple shapes and lines or simple clip-art. Be sure the picture is just lines, like a coloring book picture.

Step 3: Color with Crayons

Color the picture with crayons. Make each color solid with no paper showing through. When all the colors are
completely solid, go over the pencil lines with a thick line of black crayon.

Step 4: Apply Paint

Wad the paper into a tight ball. This makes the batik-like cracks. Carefully flatten out the paper and place it on
newspaper. Thin black paint or other dark color of paint. Use the sponge to apply the paint all over your drawing.
Do not let it dry! Wipe the excess paint away with a damp sponge.

Step 5: Iron
You will need an adult to do this step. It requires the use of an iron.
Place the drawing between two paper towels on an ironing board. Iron to flatten and dry your drawing.

Step 6: Finish Up
You can use your completed crayon batik in several ways:
• To admire it as a picture, mount it on a piece of construction paper or put it in a frame.
• To make a card, cut and fold colored paper or cardstock to the size you want. Use glue or double-sided
tape to attach the crayon batik to the card front.
• Glue the picture to the front of a binder or notebook. You may want to cover it with a piece of clear
contact paper for protection.
• Crayon batiked paper also makes nice booklet covers. Fold a full-size sheet of paper in half. Place folded
sheets of paper inside. Staple or sew along the fold to bind the booklet. Glue your finished batik on the
front.
B. Shadow Puppets
The traditional shadow puppets from Indonesia have articulated limbs. You will now learn how to make
puppets with moving parts.

You will need:

• printable puppet templates • 1 mm wire
• miniature brads (fasteners) • (optional) 1/8-hole puncher
• cardboard / illustration board

Steps:
1. Print and paste the templates on a cardboard. Cut with scissors.
2. Punch holes at the points of articulation. If you do not have a hole punch, scissor tips should work
sufficiently well.
3. String the puppets using a wire.

RUBRIC
CATEGORY Excellent (10) Good (6) Fair (4) Poor (2)
Following Student the Student followed Student followed The student did not
Directions directions correctly. most of the some of the follow instructions.
directions. directions.
Creativity and Student output is Student output is Student output is Student output is
Workmanship very creative and good and tidy. fair and has few dull with lots of
tidy. errors. errors
Pattern Pattern of Southeast Pattern of Southeast Pattern of Southeast There is no visible
Asian culture is well- Asian culture is Asian culture is pattern of Southeast
defined and used visible but not somewhat visible but
from beginning to clearly defined. not continuous.
end.
C. Merlion Paper Model
Paper sculpture can be defined as an artwork that is created by combining or shaping
different types of paper. Creating a paper sculpture is a very complicated and difficult
process, you need to ensure the stability and permanence of the artwork. Paper, as a soft
material for sculptures, requires special approach and it needs a lot of patience and great
precision.

You will need:

cardboard / illustration board, scissors / cutter, glue

The Procedure:
1. Print and paste the templates (find in the next 2. Fold along the dashed lines.
pages) on a cardboard/ illustration board. Cut
along the line with scissors/cutter.

3. Paste the parts together.

RUBRIC
CATEGORY Excellent (10) Good (6) Fair (4) Poor (2)
Following Student the directions Student followed most Student followed some The student did not
Directions correctly. of the directions. of the directions. follow instructions.
Creativity and Student output is very Student output is good Student output is fair Student output is dull
Workmanship creative and tidy. and tidy. and has few errors. with lots of errors
Pattern Pattern of Southeast Pattern of Southeast Pattern of Southeast There is no visible
Asian culture is well- Asian culture is visible Asian culture is pattern of Southeast
defined and used from but not clearly somewhat visible but
beginning to end. defined. not continuous.
 1R

2R

3R

4R

5R

7R
08
10

09
1L

2L

3L

4L

5L

7L