Central Vietnam Dong Son Drum - Small

The ancient Dong Son drums of Vietnam depicted scenes of daily life and war, animals, birds and boats. They were used as musical instruments as well as cult items and were cast out of bronze between 600 BC – 300 AD. They symbolized wealth and prosperity and were treasured items in local villages. Using landmarks, everyday patterns, other influences from living here and travelling up and down the country I have designed my own personal drum faces to represent each region of Vietnam.

Central Vietnam

The second in the three-part project and the largest land mass to discover. From the north central coast to the central highlands and the south central coast there was a huge amount of history to learn about. I decided to focus down and to look at the Cham culture in particular and the different artistic styles to influence the region.

In the outside ring, in a similar fashion to the North Vietnam drum there’s a chronological, visual narrative to follow. Relief carvings that represent the early My Son era that lead into images of domestic development and Dong Duong style, caricature sculptures. In the bottom half of the outer ring the styles develop further into the later My Son era, with Thap Mam style elephants and makaras and finally more recent images of modern day.

Towards the inner circles notable landscapes and sites make up the geometric shapes with a different selection of iconic transport to match up with other parts of the triptych.

Limited edition signed and numbered archival print printed on acid free Canson conservational paper using imported archival inks. 

40 x 40cm paper size