Michal SMANDEK Samrit Residency, Thailand 02.07-15.07.2025
Participation in the residency offered me a unique and, from a European perspective, truly exotic opportunity to contribute to the creation of a wax sculpture for the Buddhist Candle Festival Hia Tien Phansa. Together with a team of Thai artists, I co-created a monumental sculptural installation which, built on a moving platform, left the workshop space of Wat Mai Pratu Chai temple to travel through the streets of Phimai during the festival, and later reached the center of Korat. The residency allowed me to become part of this Buddhist celebration, its rituals, and the community that created this collective work—reminiscent of the cooperative labor of bees in a hive.
Wax candles during Hia Tien Phansa symbolize the light of the Buddha’s teachings, continue the devotional tradition of wax carving (particularly in Ubon Ratchathani Province), and recall the practical offering of candles to monks for the Vassa retreat. At the same time, they embody the faith of the community, its creativity, and the act of merit-making through elaborate sculptural forms and ceremonial processions.
Participation in the residency offered me a unique and, from a European perspective, truly exotic opportunity to contribute to the creation of a wax sculpture for the Buddhist Candle Festival Hia Tien Phansa. Together with a team of Thai artists, I co-created a monumental sculptural installation which, built on a moving platform, left the workshop space of Wat Mai Pratu Chai temple to travel through the streets of Phimai during the festival, and later reached the center of Korat. The residency allowed me to become part of this Buddhist celebration, its rituals, and the community that created this collective work—reminiscent of the cooperative labor of bees in a hive.
Wax candles during Hia Tien Phansa symbolize the light of the Buddha’s teachings, continue the devotional tradition of wax carving (particularly in Ubon Ratchathani Province), and recall the practical offering of candles to monks for the Vassa retreat. At the same time, they embody the faith of the community, its creativity, and the act of merit-making through elaborate sculptural forms and ceremonial processions.
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