Hun Lek Khorat (หุ่นเหล็กโคราช)

Thai. ‘Iron Doll(s) Khorat’. Name of an art factory museum in Nakhon Ratchasima. Factory and museum that makes steel figures with pieces from old engines, using mostly cogwheels, as well as some other parts of decommissioned machines and vehicles, transforming these discarded objects into imitations of robot-like figures, both in human and animal-like form, as well as into mock vehicles. Many of the creations derive from cartoon or movie characters, such as Transformers, Spiderman, Aliens, etc. They are produced in various sizes, generally from 2 to 4 meters, but some are tiny or larger. The Thai name hun lek (หุ่นเหล็ก), meaning ‘iron man/men’ or ‘metal puppet(s)’, is a play of words with the theatre puppets used in traditional hun lakon lek (fig.) performances and which are known as hun lek (หุ่นเล็ก), i.e. with a different Thai spelling and tone, and meaning ‘little/small puppet(s)’. Despite the use of the term Iron in its name, there are also artifacts that have been made with or from other discarded parts, such as old tires. Compare with Ban Hun Lek. WATCH VIDEO. 回