Creating Buddhas

The Making and Meaning of Fabric Thangkas

a film by Isadora Gabrielle Leidenfrost

 Detail, devotion, and delight are words to describe Creating Buddhas. Not only is the journey of this ancient art form seen through Leslie’s passion and skill in creating the fabric thangka, it is made beautifully visible by its filmmaker in capturing the pieces of both story and image. – Susan Eaton Mendenhall, Spatial Impact

Creating Buddhas is an hour-long not-for-profit documentary about a western woman who creates Buddhas out of silk. Fabric thangkas are silken images of enlightened beings. These pieced and embroidered, patchwork and appliqué paintings are also known as Appliqué Thangkas, Brocade Thangkas, and Silk Thangkas. The art of fabric thangka is so precious that some examples are only seen once a year, and then for only for a few hours. Trained in Dharamsala, India, Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo is one of the few female makers in world and one of the only fabric thangka makers in the west. This film explores Leslie's life-changing journey of discovering fabric thangka; her apprenticeship in Dharmasala, India; the step-by-step by process of producing a fabric thangka; and the history and spiritual significance of this art form in Tibetan Buddhism. Through this film, we see Leslie produce a thangka of the female Buddha Tara.

Visit www.creatingbuddhas.com for additional information.

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