The rice paddies in northern Thailand have had a rather unique addition in recent weeks – a massive art display of sleeping cats.

Three enormous kittens, snuggling up with fish and snoozing, have popped up thanks to the hard work of a rice farmer.

Tanyapong Kaikham, a full-time factory worker and part-time farmer, has tackled a pet project that turns flooded fields into art.

Since October, he’s been spending his weekends in his hometown of Ban Khon Sung, in Chiang Rai, Thailand, and implementing his agricultural experiment using Rainbow rice.

Rainbow rice utilises various rice cultivars that have leaves ranging from dark purple to yellow.

Working alongside an artist, they created a sketch of a sleeping cat and enlisted 200 helpers to use a drone and help ‘draw’ the cat on the paddy field.

The planting was done by hand to make sure each section had the correct rice colour and harvest is expected 145 days after the planting.

Tanyapong said: ‘What we’re trying to challenge is the integration of innovation with what we already have. Previously, rice was mainly considered as something for consumption.

‘But now, the significance of other crops, like flowers or colored vegetables, can also be applied (to rice).

‘This approach allows us to develop tourism and agriculture simultaneously.’

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 colors.

He said he hopes that by marrying it with art and science, it might help promote tourism and farming in his hometown – an hour’s drive from the Thai-Lao border.

With the planting done and rice growing steadily, his creation is currently being showcased at a local art festival to promote tourism.

Tanyapong is now building a viewing tower for visitors ahead of December 30 -when the artwork will be opened to the public.

He added: ‘We’re expecting around tens of thousands (of visitors) to come and see the art in the rice fields.’

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Sarah Hooper

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