The association, led by Siam Piwat, MBK and the Siam Square Business Group, is organising flower-making sessions in designated areas at member malls and elsewhere. Expert craftsmen will teach volunteers the technique.

Head to G Floor at Siam Paragon, where workshops are held daily in front of the Tourist Lounge.

At Siam Discovery’s Exploratorium on the fifth Floor, they’ll be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until July 16, from 11am to 7pm.

More sessions are set for G Floor, Zone B, at the MBK Centre from June 9 to July 9, daily from noon to 7pm.

The Siam Square Business Group’s classes will take place:

* In the basement of the Wittayakit Building at the Chulalongkorn University Book Centre from June through August, daily from 1 to 5pm

* In the Amphitheatre Court on the third floor of the Siamkit Building from June 23 and July 14

* In the Activity Court in the third-floor Fish Hall of Chamchuri Square on August 18

* In the Fashion Court in Siam Square One’s Zone B on August 25.

“To me, the doodle is a work of art produced from our imagination and in our own style,” said Nalinthip, during her presentation. “My work of art is like my diary, full of thoughts and experiences from the past to the present. It was inspired by my fascination with drawing cartoons. Now I will have to practice my doodle skills and earn more experiences before going to the global final.”

Red Bull Doodle Art is the platform that aims to allow students to translate their inspiration and imagination into art, with no rules and no restrictions. One doodler from each region will score a trip to an exciting Virtual Reality art experience, where one international winner will be crowned.

All national winners have the opportunity to compete in the global final. They will be coached on how to improve their 3D artistic skills and create their final piece of art by painting in 3D.

“This winning work has to match our five rules. The first is a story reflects the artist’s character and imagination. The second is that it shows positive thinking. The third is the drawing and technique are clear and clean while the fourth is that it is correct in terms of composition and space. The fifth rule is that it really goes along with the concept of doodle,” said Teerayut Puechpen, aka TRK who is a panellist, a street artist and art director of skateboard brand Preduce.

Five months later than originally slated and more than Bt700 million over budget, the show that promised to combine cinema and circus on the live stage is finally up and running at the new stylish theatre D’Luck in Pattaya.

Costing a hefty Bt1.2 billion, the 90-minute show called “Kaan” is being performed nightly except Monday and takes the audience into a fantasy world where the hero, also called Kaan, encounters characters from Thai legends. But what really makes “Kaan” stand out is its special effects that are so life-like that viewers feel like they are part of a film, close to the furious sea giantess Nang Phanthurat or the black dragon horse Maa Nil Mungkorn from Thai literary work “Phra Aphai Manee” and watching the crocodile king Chalawan transform into a giant alligator fighting with Kraithong, who no longer has a modified raft made from a bamboo but a steel contraption complete with turbo engine.    Panjaluck Pasuk, a company formed through a crowd-sourced funding campaign in October 2014, has partnered for the adventure with entertainment company Scenario, Baan Rig, which handles safety rigging for stunts and special effects in films, Xtreme Plus, a provider of interactive-multimedia and projection-mapping, and creative house Sanookdee Thaweesuk, which is the business unit of the former GTH film studio. Run by filmmakers Yongyooth Thongkongtoon and Paween Purijitpanya, Sanookdee Thaweesuk’s past projects have included the “Spooktacular Halloween” events in Sentosa Island, Singapore.

The Singha D’Luck Cinematic Theatre is a new concept in performance space with a show area of 1,000 square metres equipped with Asia’s latest projection system that supports 1,500 square metres. The theatre also boasts state-of-the-art technology, such as a sling system, audiovisual system and world-class control panels. It can easily set 1,400 spectators per show.

The theatre attracts the visitors from the word go with the outdoor area boasting an illusion concept makes the theatre appear to be levitated in the air.

Yongyooth and Paween have put together a story that’s told through the eyes of Kaan, a boy who is plunged into different mythical worlds with his sidekick Gabilpuksa. As he struggles to find his way home, he experiences adventures from six well-known Thai stories.

“Kaan is like most young Thais. He is bored with Thai literature but is forced to react when he is time-warped into the stories,” says director Paween.

His mission, adds the director, is similar to any classic game, Kaan has to accomplish every task in each story if he is to get back to the real world.

Paween chooses each story based on its entertainment value then transports the old tale and its characters into a more contemporary setting with a little help from the movies. Thus “Phra Aphai Manee” becomes a form of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” the mythical Himmapan forests and creatures like the world of “Jurassic Park,” and the war in Ramayana similar to the robotic conflict in “Transformers”.

“We don’t bring the exact original story to the stage. We just extract the character and then adapt the tale to make it entertaining,” he explains.

“It’s something like a greatest hit album. Each song has a highlighted part of its own,” Paween says.

Kaan’s first mission is in the world of “Phra Aphai Manee” where he meets Sud Sakorn who is flying in the sky with Maa Nil Mungkorn before tumbling down into the ship of Phra Aphai Manee. The ocean is whipped into a fury as giantess Nang Phanturat chases after Phra Aphai’s ship. The visual effects and production technique work efficiently in mapping the scene on the giant screen and audience members really feel that they are floating in the stormy seas.

Kaan then goes to the world of Himmavanta where he encounters mythical friendly beasts and the half woman-half bird Kinnaree. The youngsters finds himself in a “Jurassic Park” setting and quickly moves into the middle of the battle between the God of Thunder Ramasoon and the Goddess of Lighting Mekhala. As the two fly across the sky, she uses a flash from a crystal ball to blind Ramasoon as he throws his axe. That flash is spectacularly produced through the use of Tesla coil lighting. The axe misses its mark and rattles harmlessly across the heavens as Mekhala makes her escape.

Kaan then enjoys a temporary respite from fighting and finds himself part of the proposal ceremony involving six foreign princes who have come to compete for the hand in marriage of the pretty princess from the story “Sangthong”.

But his adventures soon continue when he dives into the underwater kingdom of the crocodile king Chalawan and helps Kraithong to beat the massive beast. For his final mission he moves to the realm of the “Ramayana” though in a “Transformers” version where Thotsakan transforms himself into a gigantic steel-animatronic with countless weapons.

The deft hands of the filmmakers are evident in bringing film to a thrilling live show. The mapping technique is awesome and the audience can clearly see the giant crocodile’s head coming out from the screen while his body continues to move inside it. It’s a show that combines the talents of the actors with special effect, synching them with a terrific music score and scenes showing on the gigantic screen behind.

“Being a filmmaker is to control everything, pick the best scenes, edit them then combine them as a finished work on screen. This live show is however uncontrollable, it’s fresh and live and as the performers are human beings, mistakes get made. My job is ensuring the direction is there for them to cling to when needed and carry the show through to its end.”

Though the show is intending to draw tourists, the director admits that those who know the stories – and that means mainly Thais – will find it more entertaining, as they’ll be fascinated to see what the characters they have grown up with have become.

All the characters are designed by well-known cartoonist Ekasith Thairath who collaborated with Paween on such movies as “Body Sop 19”. The music is put together by Chatchai Pongprapapan.

“It is much more difficult than composing a music score, but it’s challenging and fun,” says Chatchai who has spent two years working on this project. Music in this show is pivotal to driving the show forward as it’s non-verbal. “It is full of details. In film, we don’t need a music score all the time but for this show the melody works like the storyline. For me, the 90-minute ‘Kaan’ is like a three-hour movie and at the same time, the audience is probably not aware of it, so taken up are they by the action on stage.

Paween says that they are still working on improving the show even though it has already opened to the public.

“It’s actually very stressful. It’s a burden. Making a film with a Bt30 million budget was stressful enough but it can’t compare to working on a Bt1.2-billion million project that will use my visions as a director to please the audience and get it right. I never thought about pulling out, though. Despite the stress, I enjoy working everyday,” he says.

He’s also pleased that “Kaan” is opening opportunities for young talent.

“Some of the acrobats and, B-boy dancers can now pursue a serious career and not just show off their skills for fun,” he says.

CINEMATIC LITERATURE

– Kaan is now daily except Monday at 8.30 with additional 5pm performances on Friday through Sunday.

– Tickets cost Bt2,500, Bt3,000 and Bt4,000. Special promotions are available. For more information, visit http://www.KaanShow.com or Facebook.com/KAAN Show/ or call (02) 029 0092.

After a long absence from the local art scene, Narissara Pianwimungsa makes a welcome return with a solo show, “A New Interpretation of the Paradoxical World”, at Nova Contemporary Art gallery off Rajadamri Road.

Narissara is known for her figurative paintings of a mysterious lady with large eyes full of wonder, which appeared in Yuthlert Sippapak’s 2003 drama “February”.

While away from the exhibition world, Narissara has been expanding her artistic skills to include other forms ranging from poetry, a book compiling her often unsettling thoughts and working with street artist friends. A turning point in her career, this is her first solo exhibition in six years.

Embroidering on calico cloth and adding acrylic colours, Narissara Pianwimungsa renders subconscious images of widelife, on shown in detail here. The Nation/Korbphuk Phromrekha

At first glance, the new and feminine collection is reminiscent of her signature paintings of figurative animals like wolves, deer, peacocks, insects and butterflies, all boasting big eyes. However, a closer look reveals that needles, not brushstrokes, have shaped these richly textured animals. The artist has embroidered them using tiny stitches in black, white and red thread, finishing their eyes with black acrylic paint. Cute rabbits made of raisins sit in an installation on the ground, their feet decorated with red thread.

Like her signature painting of the mysterious lady, Narissara’s animals have big eyes and a lonely, sad look about them and reflect, she explains, her feelings following the loss of her beloved father three years ago.

The 43-year-old artist says she began exploring the technique of embroidery on painted calico – the fabric Thai-Chinese use for the mourning costumes at funerals – after her father died.

“I discovered this technique while making the clothes for my father’s funeral. According to Chinese tradition, the daughter is in charge of sewing up the pockets of the clothes when a parent passes away. She dresses him in funeral clothing and seals the pockets to prevent the deceased from taking cash into the next life that should be left beind for the children. The body is then given a second set of clothing, this time made of calico.

“The belief, shared with other cultures, is that no one can take material possessions with them when they die. Besides showing my gratitude to my dad, I also found that the process of making these clothes was a therapy in itself,” the artist reveals.

Instead of using canvases for her artworks, Narissara quilts small pieces of calico into a huge frame, then sketches the outline of the work and carefully embroiders the animals. This technique creates textures that look like animal fur and, interestingly, the stitches make her animals lively. They are finished with little touches of acrylic paint. This collection took her nearly a year to complete.

The centrepiece “Dream” portrays a lifesized deer, which took months of sewing on quilted calico. The Nation/Korbphuk Phromrekha

The physical sewing draws on her subconscious and her animals reflect the spectrum of her inner feelings. The centrepiece entitled “Dream” is a giant deer measuring 3.20 metres by 2.15 metres. White acrylic paint covers the antlers, stomach and tail. A peacock spreading its tail is given the name “Ceremony”, while “Myth” is represented in an owl. An insect fashioned in red thread is named “Red Silence”. And the work depicting the wolf with sly eyes is called “Shadow”.

A video that explains her process in creating the art and the concept of the show can be viewed at the gallery’s mezzanine.

“My observations from films, music, poetry and news brought home the unyielding perplexity, desolation and unhappiness that underpins human thoughts and emanates through holes in men’s hearts. This is particularly true of urban dwellers. I suppose it’s because of the unceasing flow of information from all directions, which makes it impossible to separate truths from lies,” she explains in her video.

Narissara is seen with “Double”, depicting a wolf couple in red and black. The Nation/Korbphuk Phromrekha

“Perhaps these are the conventional feelings of the 21st century. I once asked my dad whether he felt lonely or restless during difficult times and he said not that he could remember. I think the older generation was much more secure in the way they thought. The new generation is filled with anxiety, displeasure and unkempt thoughts, like a tangled thread. “In a traditional Chinese funeral there’s a belief that all the pockets of the deceased must be sewn up. As the daughter, I sewed every single pocket myself and that was the most painful embroidery I had ever done, because I didn’t have the chance to talk to him before he passed away. Therefore, his last thoughts and wishes remained untold, resembling the sealed pockets. That forever changed the way I see embroidery,” she reveals.

The video also includes a quote by South African author and activity Olive Schreiner, which asked: “Has the pen or pencil dipped so deep in the blood of human race as a needle?”

“Although this exhibition is fabricated from my experience, I do not only convey the pain from my loss, but also the hope and healing that embroidery brings. I am trying to express modern feelings in a different perspective; so I draw them through needles and stitches in my contemporary embroidery without outline patterns.

“I express my work through animal form as I don’t want to represent any specific individual. Humans and animals have a long history and they are embedded in our subconscious. I believe everyone has dreamed of animals whether as pets or monstrous beings associated with people.

A fantastical peacock, offers its full meaning in “Ceremony”. The Nation/Korbphuk Phromrekha

“Each piece is unique and will be interpreted differently by the viewer depending on his or her past experiences. I believe that a work of art starts from an individual but I do hope everyone will share experiences from my work,” she adds.

The show, which marks the gallery’s first anniversary, aims to promote and support Thai female artists. Nova is also now representing Narissara.

“This year I want to focus on female artists. Narissara has not been active for a long time. I feel that she has the potential to come back stronger than before. She is a very shy person and I want to help her express her words and emotions to the viewer. I discovered her works [‘Paradoxical World’] at Silpakorn University when she received the Silpa Bhirasri award in 2016. I feel like her work is very personal and the embroidery technique is something that attracted me,” says Nova founder and director Sutima Sucharitakul.

The works are selling well too. Half the works in Narissara’s collection – priced between Bt45,000 for a small piece (30 cm by 40 cm) and Bt550,000 for the largest – have been purchased by Thai collectors, many of them young.

Sutima, 28, is optimistic about the contemporary art market in Thailand.

“A growing number of people are visiting the gallery daily, both art enthusiasts and potential buyers. There are more galleries who are bringing interesting international artists to Bangkok, which is a refreshing change to the scene. And more public and private museums will be opening soon. It is very important to educate and attract young people to the arts at an early stage in their life,” she tells The Nation.

Sewn into the subconcious

– “A New Interpretation of the Paradoxical World” runs through May 31 at Nova Contemporary Art gallery off Rajdamri Road, a short walk from BTS Rajdamri station.

– Find out more at http://www.NovaContemporary.com.