SUPPORTING LOONG BOONMEE
AND BAN PA AO BRASS VILLAGE
Over the past seven years, many of you have come to know Ban Pa Ao brass village through our lighting designs. The collaboration we built with master craftsman Loong Boonmee is not only central to our production — it is the founding story of PERN BAAN.
During our visit to the village earlier this month, we learned that Loong Boonmee has been seriously unwell. For nearly two months, he has not been able to work. He is currently undergoing medical testing, and while we are still waiting on his diagnosis, it is already clear that this is a fragile moment for both him and the broader Ban Pa Ao community.
Loong Boonmee is the sixth generation of his family to practice this craft. He is the person through whom everything in Ban Pa Ao flows. When he is not present in the workshop each day, the rhythm shifts — materials must still be purchased, molds prepared, and orders managed. Right now, his team is missing their leader.
Above: Loong Boonmee turning clay molds and pouring molten brass during one of our visits to Ban Pa Ao in 2023
For many years, we have thought carefully about how the Ban Pa Ao brass casting tradition will carry into the future. Part of the reason we have designed so many lamps in close collaboration with the village has been in service of that continuity — ensuring the craft remains active, visible, and economically viable.
Today, the youngest craftsmen still working in Ban Pa Ao are in their late forties. Few young people are choosing to enter the trade. While we did not expect this moment of transition to arrive so soon, it is clear that thoughtful effort will be required to help bridge the present into whatever the future holds for this community.
Our hope is that this limited release can offer one small but meaningful layer of support as Ban Pa Ao navigates this period of change.
