It might be a snapshot of daily life in the Andes—maybe a mercado, in which tiny figurines clamber over fruit and meat, or a celebration in which thousands of revelers dance in costume, their faces molded in exuberant joy, bitsy cans of Pilsen beer littering the ground. Some depict religious interpretations of afterlife, while others are a record of moments in Peruvian history. The figures in the interior are usually made from ground alabaster and lime mixed with potato starch or cactus gum. They are then painstakingly painted by hand with aniline colors, a process which can take several months or even years. Hour by hour, day by day, retableros—that is, retablos makers—breath life into the scenes they want to share…
Craft spotlight: Mahjong set in Hong Kong
Mahjong is a popular social strategy game which originated in Southern China in the 19th centuryMillions play. To this day, mahjong enthusiasts gather in streets, parks, or parlors across Asia. Today, however, the art that fueled the game for centuries has become harder to locate. Modern mahjong tiles are made by machine, with their designs being stamped using plastic molds. Younger generations play the game on their devices, which has rendered the practice of making tiles—originally using materials like wood or ivory—by hand nearly obsolete. The craft is named an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hong Kong It was a common practice a decade back to cut and polish the tiles, then carve and color mahjong symbols and characters onto the surface. One set of 144 tiles may take up to ten working days to make, and cost as much as 10 times what the machine-made replicas do.
In Hong Kong, a handful of artisans like Cheung Shun King are keeping the craft alive–for now. King is the sole owner of Biu Kee MahjongIt is one of the few hand-carved mahjong stores in the city. In a small shop in the Jordan neighborhood of the working class, King spends his days carving intricate designs into the tiles. King has worked in the industry for 60 years, but admits to not knowing how to play. He says that on his one day off per year, he doesn’t have the time to play. —Yulia Denisyuk
