Copying is an Art

By: Suzanne Stoffels
Submitted: 2008-06-09 11:16:35
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“Asians have long valued education and literacy and have lived in societies led by a scholar class” (Paul Thomas Welty, 1984).

A main part of the education in Asia, throughout the history, has been copying of scripts, repeating lessons. It still is. Most students do not learn to be proactive or creative. Obeying and respecting the tutor is more important than anything, and standing out is not acceptable. As a result, people with skills as problem solving or decision making are hard to find. But on the other hand the country is full with great employees that are obedient and do not question things.

Where these cultural issues are best noticed, is in the fact that copying is a skill in Thailand. Or better said: copying is an art. There has never been invented anything of real importance in Thailand. There is speculation that rice cultivation was "invented" in Thailand, although it is impossible to be 100% sure of such a claim. Most likely, even that was a copy… The tuk-tuk was invented in Thailand, but that is only a motorized rickshaw, one part copied from India and the other part western.

However, the copying skills are exploited without limit. Anywhere in Thailand, you can buy cheap DVD’s, CD’s, games, brand name clothes, bags, musical instruments, watches, etc. And most amazing, some of the copies are better than the original. Because they do not pay any ridiculous high royalties, they can actually spend a little more on quality of goods. Live’s jeans last for years. A Yahama guitar has excellent sound, and even a two-dollar Relox watch has been working and waterproof for over five years. No guarantees of course.

All very nice, but not really of any interest to the rest of the world that is more focused on products with planned obsolescence than creating quality goods. Also, there is no way to get the copied products to the few individuals that would be interested, because of all these regulations. You simply can’t export these items.

What is of interest is the extreme high quality of reproduction in arts. Reproducing famous paintings of dead artists isn’t illegal, but still quite costly, because it takes many hours, or days, to make. In Thailand, however, costs of living are still low, compared to Western countries. Combine this with the generations of training in copying, and you will get art of high quality for low prices.

Very popular still, is drawing of portraits. Everybody still loves portraits. And the more we turn to digital cameras, the fewer pictures actually get printed, and the more we appreciate the handwork of a portrait drawn with charcoal. Charcoal portraits are ideal as gifts too. The subject does not need to sit for the portrait, because it can be drawn from a photo. A portrait is a perfect gift if it is drawn well to satisfy the receiver, but also priced low enough to satisfy the giver. This is where Thai copying skills becomes an art.

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