Wau - a Malay Craft

Radiate_Truth

At first I wasn't sure what they were...
Wow!!! There beautiful ornate KITES, correct???

obmar

Yes, those are traditional Kites...

Not far from my house is a park.
when it does not rain, the park is filled with kite lovers.

Yes, the love flying Kites...

abeit not the traditonal ones.

obmar

Here's a write on the Park/

http://www.hot-screensaver.com/2007/08/10/taman-metropolitan-kepong/

Radiate_Truth

People don't appreciate the simpler things in life any more.

Our kites are not as ornate but colorful non the less...

The traditional Box Kite is a favorite of mine...

obmar

Wau (pronounce as ‘wow’) can appear in all shapes and size but the most popular and famous kite is the moon kite (Wau Bulan) and cat kite (Wau Kucing) in the east coast. Kite making requires patience and tremendous skill. Bamboo will be cut and make into the frame or skeleton of the kite. The best time to cut the bamboo is in November or December and this will be kept for 10 months before it is split and soaked in water followed by heated to straighten and toughen. On the other hand, designs are traced on a tinted and shiny glazed paper and then carefully cut out and pasted on paper which is glued to the bamboo skeleton.

The designs are normally flowers with vines which signifies women (flower) and man (vine), eg. if the flowers are in bud form, it symbolizes a young woman etc.

In some older designs, flowers were drawn from the side and back to represent the shy and reserved personality of female in those days whereas for the vines, the more meandering the vines, the more twists and turns in a man’s life. There are also wau's that are made using the batik technique or painted by batik artists and the designs are always more creative and less formalized by tradition.Terengganu Craft / Handicraft Product - Kite / Wau Making.

It is never an easy job to fly a Wau kite into the sky. A traditional Wau can be as big as 3.5m in height and 2.5 m wing span and usually needs the help of a group of person to bring it to the sky. To choose a good kite, you should look at the harmonious colours matched and the flowers as well as the vines drawn which represent the inner state of the kite maker.

In a windy day, a Wau can fly up to 450m into the sky.

Radiate_Truth

I couldn't see myself flying something so beautiful as that. Taking the chance of it crashing, breaking, accidently destroying it...

They don't have these types of kites in our country. Someone could make a fortune selling them in the states. Not as kites but as art. Make wonderful decorations for a wall or ceiling in anyone's home, esp a child's playroom or bedroom...

obmar

But it is difficult to trade art pieces.

WAU BULAN KITE
Called a Moon Kite, it is richly decorated with colourful patterns of flowers and leaves. It has a bamboo frame a tissue covering on which brightly coloured paper is cut and stuck on to make these kite so beautiful to look at.

Wau Bulans, Wau Kuching and other similar kites are constructed to fly in a figure of eight path so as to make the normally attached hummer give a constant noise.

obmar

obmar

Radiate_Truth

They are gorgeous!!!

Can they be purchased on thru the internet already put together???

obmar

Yes, they could be as make decorative displays...
I dont know if anyone sells it on the net yet.

Radiate_Truth

The Inquisitor

I titally agree with RT.

It might not be a billion-dollar industry, but it would be a fairly unknown one and could be worth a lot for the entrepreneur who jumps in first.

In all seriousness, I would start with Ebay and see what kind of reaction you get from others. If you start getting an enormous response in six months or less, you should look at having a distribution center in the area(s) where most hits originate from.

Radiate_Truth

obmar

How about these, will this sell?

obmar

obmar

[list=][/list]

obmar

Or some Batik

obmar

Radiate_Truth

obmar

There's many more that you have not seen, rachel.

Radiate_Truth

I was reading this article the other day. You can read the whole thing at the source if you like. What interested me is the title and the following. With all the beauty you have posted all over your forum, for sure I can see where there is NO truth in this...

obmar

Why?

here is a simple art just recording the 99 beautiful names of God.

obmar

Why?

here is a simple art just recording the 99 beautiful names of God.

[img]http://2.srv.fotopages.com/2/3154190/asmaul-husna-remarkable-work-of-art-by-arwah-pak-yai.jpg[/img

http://2.srv.fotopages.com/2/3154...work-of-art-by-arwah-pak-yai.jpg]

Wau - a Malay Craft

The Making of