Thailand’s Textiles

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BANGKOK, THAILAND

We were in search of artists to prevent a disappearing craft from being lost. What we found is unexplainable. The Queen has a special program to teach the ancient arts and crafts to artisans so that the skill and knowledge may be passed to the next generation. While filming in a sanctuary north of Bangkok a Monk invited me and my camera inside an old building. The Monk said no white man had ever been inside, and that this building hasn’t been opened in fifty years. I started to video just before passing through the doorway, and continued to video everything. I didn’t want to miss a second. There was a thirty foot Goddess of Mercy statute painted in gold; Hundreds of old leather hides cut out to make show figures, hanging on dowels; It was captured on tape. Not so fast… After reviewing the video, from the moment the camera passed through the door to the second we walked out, all video was gone. It just wasn’t there. It was snow on the screen. No audio, Nothing. After lab examination, that spot on the tape could not be recorded over, but at the end of the tape, (past the snow) it recorded perfectly. Engineer’s examined the tape and concluded the emulsification appears normal, and recording is possible. But it does not play or record.