In many ways, the heritage brass casting village of Ban Pa Ao in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, is where PERN BAAN transitioned from a concept to reality. In early 2020 our founder Robert Sukrachand invited his friend and studio neighbor Pat Kim to accompany him on a trip to Ban Pa Ao. Over 4 days, the pair forged a close bond with the master craftsman Boonmee Lomwong and his small team of brass artisans.
There are no master molds for mass production. Instead, individual forms are sculpted out of a mix of cow dung and termite clay; once dry, the clay sculpture is turned by hand on a lathe.
A homemade blend of beeswax and tree resin, extruded through bamboo, covers the clay. After several more layers of clay are added - and weeks of drying in the sun - the molds are baked upside down in a wood-fired burn out oven. After the wax has melted out, molten brass is poured into the clay molds.
A homemade blend of beeswax and tree resin, extruded through bamboo, covers the clay. After several more layers of clay are added - and weeks of drying in the sun - the molds are baked upside down in a wood-fired burn out oven. After the wax has melted out, molten brass is poured into the clay molds.
The results are beautifully imperfect castings that exhibit the unique marks of the Ban Pa Ao casting process.
Over 3 years of work together and the development of many projects, we can say with confidence that Loong Boonmee and the Ban Pa Ao team have become like family to us. Moreover, our initial exchange confirmed the hunch that PERN BAAN’s founder Robert Sukrachand had long believed in: that hand work and the exchange of craft knowledge could be an alternate means for connecting people who do not share a spoken language.
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