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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-18/sleeping-cat-art-takes-over-thai-rice-farm/103243472>
'A sleeping cat hugs a fish in a picture seen from the air, picked out in
sprouting rainbow seedlings in a rice field in Thailand to illustrate a
traditional proverb about abundance.
Farmer Tanyapong Jaikham and a team of workers planted the seedlings at various
spots in the field in the northern province of Chiang Rai to depict cartoon
cats, hoping to lure tourists and cat lovers.
"We're expecting tens of thousands to come and see the art in the rice fields,"
he said.
The process relies on GPS coordinates to position the seedlings as designated
in an initial artist's sketch, he said, with the plants changing tint as they
grow.
He worked with an artist who is also the owner of Cooper, to create a sketch of
the sleeping cat. Then, he and around 200 helpers using a drone and GPS, "drew"
the cat sleeping and holding a fish on the paddy field.
The next step was to plant Rainbow rice seedlings. These were grown from seeds
from Kasetsart University as part of a pilot project to scope out the
possibilities for the rice.
The planting was done by hand in the traditional way to make sure each section
had the correct rice colour and harvest is expected 145 days after the
planting.
"What we're trying to challenge is the integration of innovation with what we
already have," he said.
"Previously, rice was mainly considered as something for consumption. But now,
the significance of other crops, like flowers or coloured vegetables, can also
be applied (to rice).
"This approach allows us to develop tourism and agriculture simultaneously. "
Mr Tanyapong says he was inspired by Japan's Tambo art, or rice paddy art,
which is known for its detailed designs created in rice fields using rice with
different leaf colours.'
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*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
