Development of quality of bas-reliefs made from various natural materials

Abstract

Based on the research on creation of bas-relief molds for production of bas-reliefs made from boiled pineapple leafs conducted by Rachadasak Pengcum, of which purpose was to help generate income for members of Pineapple Leaf Paper Community Enterprise, Ban Pasang Wiwat, Mueang District, Chiang Rai Province, it was found that the bas-reliefs need further improvements in terms of appearance and durability as well as the use of other natural raw materials to produce them. The researcher, therefore, has considered developing the previous research by applying other 3 valueless natural materials, which include rice straw, water hyacinth and banana stem skin, to make bas-reliefs for different beautiful surfaces of the products. Also, the quality of bas-reliefs has been comparatively investigated by surveying satisfactions of members of the Community Enterprise and visitors to the project towards the bas-reliefs made from rice straw, water hyacinth and banana stem skin. The total period of questionnaire distribution was 3 months. There are 59 respondents administering the questionnaires, most of whom (43 persons) are female which accounts for 72.88 per cent. The majority of the respondents (25 persons) obtained junior/senior secondary school diplomas or equivalent, accounting for 42.37 per cent. 16 respondents, or 27.12 percent, are 60 years of age. As for satisfactions towards the bas-reliefs made from rice straw, 89 times of “strongly agree” was selected, whereas 126 times of “pretty much agree”, 75 times of “fairly agree”, and 5 times of “disagree” were marked by the respondents. Concerning the bas-reliefs made from water hyacinth, 87 times of “strongly agree” was selected while 97 times of “pretty much agree”, 110 times of “fairly agree”, and 1 time of “disagree” were chosen. When asked about the bas-reliefs made from banana stem skin, the respondents selected 77 times of “strongly agree”, 99 times of “pretty much agree”, 110 times of “fairly agree”, and 8 times of “disagree”.