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