Did you know that these lacquer bowls take 100 days to make?
They are a true labour of love. And boy are they beautiful. Here's their story.
The Makers
Meet Kyaw Kyaw and Pu Pu
They're the youngest generation in a family who have been making lacquer for years. Everybody is involved: aunts, uncles, granny, grandpa, cousins...
Where they live
They live in Old Bagan, where lacquer has historically been made for years. This is their family house. Weirdly, the lacquer sap actually comes from Shan State, but the craft has always been done here.
The Process
Stage One - Prepping the Bamboo
The skeleton of the bowls is made from bamboo, so first lengths of bamboo are stripped into thin ribbons.
Stage Two - Making the Frame
The bamboo is fed into a spiral and tightly wound to make the structure for the bowl.
Stage Three - The Clay Layer
The bamboo is covered in a layer of clay to make a smooth surface for the lacquer to sit on.
Stage Four - The Lacquer Layers
A layer of lacquer is applied using a finger. It then dries for a week. Then a second layer goes on, which dries for another week. Then a third, fourth, fifth... up to fourteen layers! That's fourteen weeks...
Stage Five - The Eggshell Layer
Duck egg shell is laid onto the lacquer piece by piece, crushed into place using a finger, and fixed down with glue.
The Final Product
The most exquisite bowls, in two different finishes and two sizes. They are true works of art. Put them on a console table with pine cones in them, or mount them on the wall.
