The Best of Cambodia & Laos

visited places such as Savannakhet, the
opposite is true and there is a real sense of
decay. It’s a very elegant decay, but there is
a real worry that the old French buildings
will fall down if they are not knocked
down first.
It is a subjective view, but when it
comes to Lao architecture the real challenge
is the buildings created during the
Soviet era, when the words “bombastic”
and “concrete” became the order of the
day. Thankfully, buildings of that sort are
no longer being built and in areas of conservation
there is a real effort to make
new construction fit in with the existing
structures.
PAINTING & SCULPTURE
There is no real strong tradition of painting
and sculpture apart from that concerned
with religion. Impressive religious
art and architecture are created in a singular
Lao style, particularly the “standing” or
“praying for rain” Buddha, upright with
hands pointing straight down at the earth.
The bas-reliefs, murals, and wooden inlay
on many temples are breathtaking. As
with architecture, styles are very close to
that of Northern Thailand, echoing such
temples as Wat Phumin in Nan or Wat
Lampang Luang in Lampang.
FABRIC & JEWELRY
Laos is renowned for its silk and fabrics.
Markets in both Vientiane and Luang
Prabang abound in silk, brocade, and cotton.
Intricate and beautiful designs are
produced by village women on simple
wooden framed hand- and foot-operated
looms. Silk thread is still hand-spun and
dyed too in the outer villages, but due to
the lack of availability of enough raw silk,
Chinese and Japanese thread is being used
increasingly. The fabrics are woven from
hand-grown spun and dyed cotton or silk
thread. Quality varies and not all the
hand-woven items seen in the markets are
pure silk. There are various different
regional styles. There is also a lot of seriously
satisfying chunky silver jewelry,
much of which originates from hill tribes.
MUSIC
Music and dance are integral to the Lao
character, and you’ll get a taste of them
during your stay. Folk or khaen music is
played with a reed mouth organ, often
accompanied by a boxed string instrument.
Don’t miss a Baci ceremony, in
which a circle of celebrants chant and sing
to honor or bless an event.
Classical music is another art form
where the Lao share almost identical cultural
roots with the Thais. The Lao orchestra
is defined by two forms, one large and
the other small, or Sep Nyai and Sep Noi.
The Sep Nyai is ceremonial and consists of
two sets of gongs (kong vong), a xylophone
(lanat), an oboe (pei or salai), two
kettle-drums, and cymbals (xing). The Sep
Noi is more relaxed and popular in feel
and includes two bowed string instruments,
the So U and the So I. These instruments,
probably Indian in origin, have a
long fret board and a small sound box
made from bamboo and coconut. Both
instruments have two strings and are
played with a bow.
Lao pop music is the same as in the
northeastern Isan provinces of Thailand. It
is bluesy, often melancholic, and the
rhythms are relentless, pushing along
haunting melodies often in minor keys. As
with American blues, the stories told are of
everyday life, hardship, and love lost. The
very distinctive sound that a lot of this
music has is as a result of an instrument
called the Khaen (or Khene in French). If
you encounter a folk band, they will often
be performing something called morlam.
As with Thailand and Cambodia the singers,
often one man and one woman, will
be doing a routine of call and response and
improvising a banter that can be irreverent
or even bawdy. Even if you don’t understand
the language, it’s great fun to watch.
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LAOS IN DEPTH 9
ART & ARCHITECTURE