Spotlight

Crystal ballet

By Suwitcha Chaiyong, Photos courtesy of Thitikant Yumuang

Thai teen designs a beauty

In the world of crystal design, thinking outside the box is the key to making your ideas stand out. Thitikant Yumuang (Bo) recently came up with an idea that was unique enough to win her third prize in the Create Your Style with Crystallised Swarovski Elements competition.

For the contest, arranged by Swarovski, 18-year-old Bo created a piece called Lovely Tutu � a beautiful, abstract figurine of a ballet dancer.

�I wanted to design something that expresses the way I am,� Bo said. �I�ve studied ballet since I was 4 years old.�

Bo discovered an interesting connection between ballet dancing and her love of crystal.

�When a spotlight reflects off a ballet dress, it sparkles just like crystal,� she said.

MAKING IT REAL

Create Your Style was a national competition, and Bo didn�t expect her sketch to make it into the top 20 finalists.

�In the US, there are different competitions for students and professional designers, but here it was open to everyone,� she said. �I participated out of interest, and I didn�t expect to be a finalist.�

When her sketch made it into the top 20, Bo had to create a piece from her design. The rule was that 80 percent of the material used had to be crystal.

�When I came up with my design, I didn�t really think about how hard it might be to make,� Bo said. �It was difficult to make, but I finally did it.�

TOUGH TUTU

For Bo, the hardest part of making Lovely Tutu was searching for a good base.

�I needed a base that would balance the whole piece,� she said. �I finally found a store that makes acrylic trophy bases.�

Bo then had a tough time decorating the base to make it look like ballet shoes.

�I used a computer to design the base to make it fit in with the ballet theme,� she said. �It was very frustrating. I listened to music so that I could relax enough to finish it.�

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT

Bo�s hard work paid off when she received the third prize. Her design will now be shown internationally along with the work of other Swarovski winners.

In Thailand, her design was shown with winning pieces from the United States. Bo was very impressed with the American designs.

�The US designs were magnificent,� she said. �One was a beautiful crystal chess set.�

Even though she was blown away by the other designs, Bo believes that Thai designers can compete on the world stage.

�Thai designs can match international ideas,� she said. �I�m glad that my piece will be seen overseas so that people will get to know more about designs from Thailand.�

GOOD EXPERIENCE

• Did you know •

The Swarovski crystal company was founded in Austria in 1895.

Bo thinks that students should express their ideas by participating in competitions.

�Contests allow you to work on your ideas,� she said. �It gives you first hand experience and teaches you how to manage your time.�

	tutu (n): a ballet dancer�s skirt, made from many layers of material abstract (adj): not representing things in a realistic way, but expressing the artist�s ideas about them figurine (n): a small statue of a person or animal used as an ornament participate (v): to take part in an activity or contest base (n): the lowest part of something, especially the part or surface on which it rests or stands acrylic (n): a type of plastic or fabric produced by chemical processes magnificent (adj): extremely attractive and impressive; deserving praise blow away (phrasal v): to impress somebody a lot match (v): to be as good, interesting, successful etc. as something or somebody else IDIOMS think outside the box: to think about things in an original way to come up with unexpected or unusual ideas first hand: by experiencing, seeing, etc. something yourself rather than being told about it by somebody else