The Creation of Thai Headdresses from Chicken Bones

Abstract

The creation of Thai headdresses from chicken bones is the research inspired by the current state of food waste and the interest in Thai jewelry. The research objectives were 1) to study the shape of the leftover chicken bones from a consumption, 2) to create the Thai headdresses from chicken bones, 3) to evaluate the value in terms of cultural and design aspects, and 4) to inspire the reduction of food waste and the increase of the use of food waste effectively. The research procedure started with visiting areas around Naresuan University, followed by researching the restaurants that used chicken as a main cooking ingredient, surveying food waste from the consumption, and studying the structure of chicken bones in order to learn about names, structures, and shapes. In this study, the interview was employed in order to learn about Thai headdresses and jewelry. This aimed to draw a conclusion on the pattern used in the creation, preparing chicken bones, sorting, cleaning, and preparing parts of headdresses. Then, the careful and meticulous composition of the sketch was made in order to get the Thai headdresses from chicken bones as expected. The final step was the evaluation of the work on various aspects. The researcher used the interviews and the assessment as research tools with the volunteers who attended the exhibitions at Naresuan University and dissemination from various media, including television media, magazines, and online media from various news agencies. The results showed that the chicken bones which could be used to create the headdresses had 3 shapes, namely, 1) round shape, consisting of shoulder nape, humerus, leg bones, ulna, and femur, 2) flat shape, consisting of sternum and gluteal bones, and 3) wavy shape, consisting of cervical and buttocks bones. These shapes of bones were used to create 3 types of headdresses: crown, top tiara, and flame tiara. For the crown, there were 2 additional elements: “Thad” flower and “Uba”. For the top tiara, there were 4 additional elements: “Kanjeakjon (Jon Hu)”, “Thad” flower, “Uba”, and “Taikong”. For the flame tiara, there were 4 additional elements: Kanjeakjon (Jon Hu)”, “Thad” flower, “Uba”, and “Taikong”. This also included the creation of additional elements to enhance the image of the 3 types of headdresses to be clearer and more beautiful in 9 pieces, namely earrings, “Krong Sor” necklace, breast chain, belts, bracelets, rings, “Thad”flower, “Uba”, and brocade. For the cultural and design values, 852 volunteers involved in the assessment. They expressed their opinions towards the Thai headdresses from chicken bones. Overall, the cultural value was at the highest level (x̄=4.73, S.D.=0.59), and the design value was at the highest level (x̄=4.84, S.D.=0.40). The respondents expressed their satisfaction with the overall characteristics of the Thai headdresses in terms of their shapes and size at the highest level (x̄=4.75, S.D.=0.51 and 0.52), followed by the proportion at the highest level (x̄=4.73, S.D.=0.56). In addition, other additional accessories were also assessed. It was found that the satisfaction with the materials was at the highest level (x̄=4.76, S.D.=0.66). It was followed by shape, size and proportion at the highest level (x̄=4.72, S.D.=0.55, 0.51, and 0.54) respectively. Regarding the inspiration for the reduction of food waste and the increase of the use of food waste effectively, it was at the highest level (x̄=4.67, S.D.=0.71). Additionally, there were 150 comments and suggestions about the development of the further creations which could be categorized into 5 aspects: the beauty appreciation (109 comments, 72.67%), materials (13 comments, 8.67%), presentation (22 comments, 14.67%), environment (4 comments, 2.67%), and tradition (2 comments, 1.33%).