Handgemacht in Laos - Rares aus Rattan (ARTE 360° Reportage)

Rattan has been used in Asia since time immemorial: for making furniture, basketry, wall coverings, and sports balls. The spiny rattan palm also thrives in the mountainous central region of Laos. It grows wild as a climbing vine in the jungle forests and is also cultivated in fields. The people in the surrounding villages have lived off rattan, a plant with diverse properties, for generations. A film by Martin Schacht © 2022, Licensed by MedienKontor / ARTE Subscribe to wocomoTRAVEL: https://goo.gl/tIk2Qc Follow us on Facebook:   / wocomo   Rattan has been used in many different ways in Asia since time immemorial: for making furniture, basketry, wall coverings, and sports balls. The spiny rattan palm also thrives in the central region of Laos. It grows wild as a climbing vine in the jungle forests and is also cultivated in fields. The people in the surrounding villages have lived off rattan, a plant with diverse properties, for generations. Since the 19th century, rattan has been an indispensable part of interior design in Europe, too. The sturdy yet lightweight so-called Viennese wickerwork, used for chair upholstery, is famous. From Victorian colonial furniture to Bauhaus, Art Deco, the Swinging Sixties, or the current boho trend – rattan is always there. Yet hardly anyone knows where rattan actually comes from. What we know as rattan are the shoots of a family of climbing palms that grow deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia and can grow up to 200 meters long. The shrinking of the primary forests that provide support for rattan plants is a key reason why rattan has become expensive and is now being reforested, for example, in Laos. Touly, a 24-year-old skilled craftswoman from a village in central Laos, embarks on a journey across the country on behalf of her village weaving group to establish contacts with producers, learn new techniques, and purchase a rattan peeling machine. This will allow the village to increase the productivity of its rattan production. She will be crafting a rattan Buddha bust in the ancient royal city of Luang Prabang. #laos #asia #rattan