Tag Archives: วัฒนธรรม

On the road again: Our tuk-tuk wants to go home

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ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/On-the-road-again-Our-tuk-tuk-wants-to-go-home-30284823.html

SOOPSIP

ntsoopsip@gmail.com April 28, 2016 1:00 am
photo courtesy of facebook/ttrider

photo courtesy of facebook/ttrider

Actor Ray MacDonald has journeyed round the world in his TV travel shows, but his last odyssey

On the road again: Our tuk-tuk wants to go home

Actor Ray MacDonald has journeyed round the world in his TV travel shows, but his last odyssey – “TT Rider”, aired on One Channel last year – was definitely his favourite, so much so that he wants to do it again.

Ray drove a tuk-tuk nicknamed Lumdaun across Thailand and into Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Now he wants to take Lumdaun to meet “her” grandpa, which means driving to the birthplace of the vehicle we call the tuk-tuk.

There were some trying experiences on that first trip as well as thrills, Ray tells 247 magazine. Lumdaun was constantly breaking down and, since he didn’t have a mechanic in tow, he was always hunting for garages along the way or figuring out how to fix the beast himself.

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Nevertheless, it was fun and educational enough that a Season 2 of “TT Rider” is underway. This one should be an emotional ride for Lumdaun, returning to her native land – but what exactly is her native land? Ray hasn’t revealed that part, other than to say it’s beyond our borders.

So the crack research team at Soopsip set to work on Google and uncovered the fact that Thailand got its first tuk-tuks from Japan. Imagine that. We made a few changes so they’d break down more often, but they’re basically Japanese. And where did Japan get the idea? The world’s first vehicle resembling a tuk-tuk car was made in Italy.

However, further investigation determined that “TT Rider” has a map of its route-thus-far on its Facebook page, and Ray has aimed north and is now in Laos again, apparently heading for China. That’s quite a detour if he’s trying to get to Japan – or Italy.

Diplomatic dynamite

Kittipong Kittayarak has been travelling too. The executive director of the Thailand Institute of Justice reports on Facebook that he’s been to the United Nations in New York and met Ambassador Virachai Plasa. It was Virachai who presented Thailand’s case before the International Court of Justice when we were bickering with Cambodia about the Preah Vihear Temple on the border.

Quickly, before everyone reaches for their guns and flags, Kittipong restricted his reporting to Virachai’s musical talents. Apparently he and other UN ambassadors have formed a band called UNRocks. Denmark, South Korea and Tonga are also represented, and the lead singer is Simona Miculescu, who represents the UN Secretary-General in Belgrade, Serbia.

Probably the only rock band allowed to perform in the UN General Assembly Hall, they have a minor hit with the peace-theme “Strong UN, Better World” with a melody by Emmy-winning composer Gary Fry and lyrics by Miculescu. It’s being released for the UN’s 70th birthday on a CD that also includes UNRocks’ cover of John Fogerty’s “Rocking All Over the World”.

You really ought to buy a copy at Amazon, CDBaby or iTunes because the proceeds go to Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, which does nice things for the world. Get a preview and see the band in action at http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=FT-IXp4D_bo.

 

Luxury picks a revolutionary path

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ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Luxury-picks-a-revolutionary-path-30284815.html

SOHN JI-YOUNG
THE KOREA HERALD
ASIA NEWS NETWORK April 28, 2016 1:00 am
Panellists in the symposium “The Unstoppable Power of K” were, from left, Bae Sangmin of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Kim Sungjoo of Sungjoo Group and MCM Holdings, Lee Jiyoon of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Ar

Panellists in the symposium “The Unstoppable Power of K” were, from left, Bae Sangmin of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Kim Sungjoo of Sungjoo Group and MCM Holdings, Lee Jiyoon of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Ar

South Korea assesses its chances as technology adjusts the playing field

Luxury has long been a subject of admiration and exclusivity. Apparel created with expert craftsmanship and inspired by high-end culture, however, is likely to take a different path in the future, according to global fashion leaders gathered in Seoul for the Conde Nast International Luxury Conference.

In the future the concept of luxury could become more democratic and open as technological advancements change how people consume information and spend money, they said.

“The velvet ropes have come down on the luxury fashion sector,” said Eva Chen of Instagram. “The future of luxury is democracy, and direct communication with consumers.”

Chen, who advises fashion brands on how best to utilise her social network, believes Internet connectivity presents unlimited ways for global fashion brands to engage in “storytelling”, which she said lies at the centre of luxury heritage.

For instance, Balmain has been using Instagram’s mini-video function Boomerang, she said, while Gucci recently launched #GucciGram, a digital-media project that invites artists to create photos and videos incorporating its design motifs.

“The fashion sector has always moved quickly, but it does feel more accelerated now because of the social media,” Chan said.

In an era of openness, luxury fashion brands should embrace “inclusivity” rather than “exclusivity”, said Kim Sung-joo of the Sungjoo Group and German fashion brand MCM.

To better engage with customers, he said, MCM is opening a digital-based interactive shop in Hongdae, the bustling artistic district of Seoul. To promote inclusion it will also provide US$10 million over the next 10 years to organisations dealing with disease.

As head of MCM – which has become South Korea’s flagship high-end fashion brand since its acquisition by Sungjoo Group in 2005 – Kim further vowed to lead “Asia’s renaissance” in fashion, capitalising on South Korea’s cultural influence in the region.

From music and cosmetics to technology, art and fashion, South Korea wields immense cultural clout across Asia and elsewhere and soon it might be able to nurture its own luxury fashion sector, said Suzy Menkes, host of the symposium and editor of International Vogue.

“In a country where the political people seem very dynamic in putting a lot of money behind K-pop and K-everything else, there is no reason there wouldn’t be K-luxury,” she said. “It’s a time that brings this possibility of Korean luxury.” While acknowledging that the larger Korean population might not necessarily aspire to spend large sums of money on luxury items, Menkes believes K-luxury has the potential to succeed.

Citing the breadth of South Korea’s design capabilities, the British fashion expert said “the skills of making luxury are here”. “It’s just a question of really marketing it.”

Menkes’ views were echoed by Lee Seo-hyun, president and CEO of Samsung CT’s fashion division, South Korea’s largest apparel group and an affiliate of the Samsung Group. South Koreans, she said, “do not yet have our own luxury brand, but that’s not for lack of talent. In fact Koreans make up a large percentage of students at major design schools around the world.

“I think one of the reasons is because, until quite recently, we were more focused on global trends. Now, we are becoming more confident of our own style and story,” said Lee, youngest daughter of Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee.

Though acknowledging the apparent difficulties of breaking into the “luxury club” led by European and American brands and designers, Lee believes “it’s just a matter of time” before South Korea produces its own global brand.

As for Samsung’s potential to build a new luxury empire in Asia – the “LVMH Group of Asia”, as Menkes put it – Lee envisioned the gradual expansion of its fashion business overseas over the next five to 10 years.

The Samsung heiress also highlighted the immense impact that new technologies such as virtual reality, big data and artificial intelligence will have on luxury marketing and consumption, stressing that the Korean electronics giant is ready to lead the marriage of fashion with technology. “VR can bring fashion-week shows to living rooms in real time and replicate the offline store experience online. Imagine having your own avatar, made with 3D body scanning in a virtual fitting room,” she said.

Technology can never replace the human creativity that lies at the heart of fashion, but those who are quick to offer interactive experiences will emerge as leaders, according to Lee.

“If the industry acts quickly in embracing technology, I think that future luxury will be limitless. The possibilities are limitless, and that is a future we can all look forward to.”

‘Thrones’ return a stunner, but can’t tell you why

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http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Thrones-return-a-stunner-but-cant-tell-you-why-30284663.html

SOOPSIP

The Nation April 26, 2016 1:00 am

It was inevitable that the social networks would be ablaze with comments on Sunday with the premiere of Season 6 of the hit fantasy TV show “Game of Thrones”.

It was inevitable that the social networks would be ablaze with comments on Sunday with the premiere of Season 6 of the hit fantasy TV show “Game of Thrones”. Everyone was dying to find out whether Jon Snow was really dead. And what they got, as AFP delicately puts it, was “a huge curve ball”.

The news agency is tiptoeing on eggs not to spoil the moment for readers who haven’t yet seen the episode, and Soopsip won’t ruin it either. But, look, you have to be dead yourself or studiously avoiding the Internet if you don’t already know.

The hashtag #GameOfThrones topped Twitter trending for hours before and after the HBO premiere. Before the show aired, everyone was wondering about the episode’s title, “The Red Woman”. Did it refer to the Red Priestess Melisandre bringing Snow back to life after he was bumped off in the closing moments of the previous season?

No, as it turned out. The title alluded to the “big reveal” that came at the end of the latest instalment. Duane Brown of the Houston Texans football team reacted like this: “What. The. Hell?” British newspaper columnist James Delingpole claimed to be “slightly upset” that nothing in the episode “really upset me”.

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Everyone involved in the production had insisted Snow was definitely, irreversibly dead, but conversation among fans has focused on how, rather than whether, he will be resurrected.

With more than 20 million viewers per episode, the show’s return had been touted as the biggest TV drama event since JR Ewing was gunned down in 1980 in primetime US soap opera “Dallas”. Atlanta, Boston and Denver all had theatre screenings of the show. And in Britain, weekly listings magazine The Radio Times ran a live blog starting two hours ahead of the broadcast.

Squeeze those lemons

HBO had another big night on Saturday when Beyonce cemented her status as the “queen of surprise releases” on Saturday, issuing a new album and video called “Lemonade” via a hotly anticipated onehour special on the cable network.

During the show, Reuters reports, she appeared to address longstanding rumours of trouble in her marriage with rapper Jay Z. After song lyrics about being cheated on, Beyonce made clear in the last tracks of the new album that she’s decided to reconcile with him and continue in the marriage.

In a preview earlier this week, the singer teased fans with a snippet promoting the show, mysteriously intoning, “The past and the present merge to meet us here. What are you hiding? Why can’t you see me? You’re the love of my life.”

Fans, who wondered if Saturday’s show was to be a concept video with new music from the R&B star, found out that was pretty much the case, with chapters carrying titles that riffed on stages of the grieving process, such as anger, denial and forgiveness.

Videos also featured appearances by the mothers of two black men, Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin, whose shooting deaths – in Brown’s case by a police officer – trained a spotlight on US racial tensions.

 

A cave for the modern man

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http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/A-cave-for-the-modern-man-30284653.html

DESIGN

PHOOWADON DUANGMEE
THE NATION April 26, 2016 1:00 am

Cement maker SCG tests the waters of 3D printing with an elegant “pavilion” home

If you’ve got the right kind of 3D printer these days, you can manufacture everything from plumbing pipes to the wrench for installing them, but architect Pitupong Chaowakul is way ahead of that. He’s printed out a home.

Hacking into the future of home-building technology, the Siam Cement Group (SCG) and Pitupong have produced Southeast Asia’s first printer-spawned dwelling, the “Y-Box Pavilion, 21st-century Cave”. It’s on view until Sunday in the “Architect16″ exhibition” at the Muang Thong Thani Impact complex.

It’s a concept for the modern century that happens to vaguely resemble a cave, but if Fred Flintstone saw it, he would definitely be yelling “Yabba dabba DOO!”

“It’s a cave, indeed – but a 21st-century cave,” says Pitupong, who spent years on the design with SCG’s research-and-development department. The designation “Y-Box”, he says, is a pun on the question architects always ask about housing – “Why does it have to be a box?”

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The new 3D printing technology is making tremendous waves, revolutionising everyday life on almost every imaginable scale. In medicine, surgical instruments and orthopaedic hip and knee implants can be printed out. Astronauts deep in space can print a needed spare part, though at the same time, criminals can also print untraceable guns.

From small items and components, the 3D printer is now scaling up to create house beams and whole buildings.

In the case of the Y-Box Pavilion, a special kind of cement is used, along with powders and fibres, to fabricate parts in a process that greatly speeds construction and allows for dramatic shapes in place of the customary upright columns and flat walls. The building needn’t look “boxy” at all, but can instead be freely structured.

The pavilion comprises six twisting columns that call to mind cave stalagmites – or perhaps even the rough-hewn pillars of Stonehenge in England. The central element of the interior design is a geodesic lamp 70 centimetres in diameter that is itself composed of 180 triangular pieces.

“Every single part is printed out on a 3D printer,” says Sanit Kessuwan, head of R&D at SCG. “The pavilion was printed in sections at the SCG factory and then all the components were simply snapped together.”

The design alone took three months, he says, and the printing another month, using a massive machine made in Italy. The special cement paste, a binding agent, was formed into stone-like material for the structure, solid enough to withstand high compression.

The 3D printing technology blows the field of architecture wide open, says Pitupong. Designers and homebuilders can now move far beyond the usual concepts in floors, walls and ceilings. Walls can arch to the ceiling in elegant curves. “The technology allows craft and industry to merge,” he says.

He’s enthusiastic enough about the science to speculate that architects and builders armed with 3D printers could easily replicate the Taj Mahal, perhaps the world’s most beautiful edifice and a monument to 17th-century Persian craftsmanship. The iconic mausoleum in ivory-white marble took 20,000 stonemasons and artists 11 years to complete.

“Craftsmen today probably couldn’t duplicate the Taj Mahal without the help of 3D printing technology,” says Pitupong. “It’s an additive technology that’s having a huge impact on design and construction.”

“And there’s huge potential for savings in terms of labour, time and transportation costs,” Sanit adds.

Had the technology been available last century, it’s safe to say, Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi’s wondrous Sagrada Familia temple in Barcelona would not remain famously unfinished.

The technology is by now so advanced that it can created structural beams that mimic bone – hard on the outside but spongy on the inside and thus more resilient than concrete.

Nevertheless, SCG says, houses that are 3D-printed aren’t going to replace conventional brick-block-and-concrete buildings anytime soon. The process remains far more expensive, for a start. The Y-Box Pavilion – a basic dwelling with six columns that couldn’t possibly be considered a complete home – cost about Bt1 million to manufacture.

So, while the technology answers the higher calling of innovative design whose requirements go beyond the capabilities of human handiwork, the vast majority of people are, for the foreseeable future, still going to be living in “boxes”.

 

The strong, silent hero

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http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/The-strong-silent-hero-30284652.html

ENTERTAINMENT

JOHN LUI
THE STRAITS TIMES
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
SINGAPORE April 26, 2016 1:00 am
pic

Playing caption America is all about setting a good example, says Chris Evans

CHRIS EVANS DOES not mince words about his career before he became an A-lister.

“If you look at my IMDb page, you’ll see that I made a decade of [expletive],” says the 34-year-old, whose name turns up in terrible teen comedies “Not Another Teen Movie” (2001) and “The Perfect Score” (2004) on the movie database.

To say that he is glad to have graduated to Steve Rogers/Captain America is an understatement. And he says he could not have achieved it without an ensemble of strong supporting players.

“I just wanna make good movies. But it’s a team sport. And that’s a beautiful thing. There is no way that anyone in the Marvel universe is vying for leadership or ownership,” said the actor last Thursday, while in Singapore on a “Captain America: Civil War” publicity tour.

Fans and critics gush about how the volatility of Falcon (Anthony Mackie), the wit of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and the sarcasm of Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) are charismatic qualities. That sort of wise-cracking self-awareness is out of the question for Captain America, a character who embodies values from an era when men were strong and silent.

Evans says his real personality is more like the smart-alecky Human Torch/Johnny Storm he played in “Fantastic Four” (2005).

“He is a selfless man and any conflict he has, he buries inside. In film, you want to see uncertainty and conflict. He doesn’t have that because he puts everyone else before him. I’d love to see him be more sharp and cynical,” he says of Captain America.

Marvel creator Stan Lee himself has reminded Evans that wearing red, white and blue means he should set an example in real life.

“He reminded me that playing this role has an impact on people. It’s part of the joy and part of the burden,” Evans says.

Adding to that weight is that trait unique to the comics world – fans expect that, in real life, he should embody the virtues of his superhero character. “It’s tricky and it’s in my mind. I could never be who Captain America is, but it does put a certain responsibility on your back. It echoes in my head about how I want to live my life,” says Evans.

“You have all these people – Mackie, Downey, Rudd – making jokes and they’re hilarious. But not everyone can make jokes. Some people have to be the rock.”

Mackie, on the other hand, has no such dissatisfaction with his character of Sam Wilson, aka Falcon, a former soldier who puts his wingpack and drones into service on behalf of his good friend Rogers.

“I enjoy how the character has grown. Every character and actor gets his moment to show his personality. Falcon’s relationship with the Captain speaks so much to people because they are truthful and vulnerable with each other,” says the 37-year-old.

That loyalty is put under strain in the movie when, to Falcon’s dismay, the Captain stands by his childhood pal Bucky, even after the latter is brainwashed into becoming an unstoppable assassin, “Winter Soldier”, by evil organisation Hydra.

“Bucky is the friend that nobody wants. This guy should be on probation. His parents should let him play Xbox and not let him leave the house,” says Mackie, who made his name in films such as Oscar-winning war drama “The Hurt Locker” (2008).

Actor Sebastian Stan, 33, naturally does not think his character of Winter Soldier should be hated or punished.

“I never know where they are going to take it, where the writers will take the character. Hero or victim? In this movie, I got to do a bit of both,” he says.

“Civil War” co-director Joe Russo thinks the superhero movie formula has become stale.

“We introduce the villain in the first act. Second act, the hero and villain come into conflict. Third act, the hero defeats the villain. We wanted to flip that on its head,” says the 44-year-old who, with his brother Anthony, directed “Civil War” and the previous instalment, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014).

Instead of having a villain with superhuman powers, the antagonist in Civil War is a man seeking revenge.

“The villain is empathetic. He’s suffered a loss and wants someone to pay,” Russo says.

He is also aware that the idea of a hero such as Captain America, who embodies old-fashioned values, could become a loaded symbol in a time when presidential hopeful Donald Trump wants to “make America great again”, in the words of the tycoon’s campaign slogan.

Russo says: “My father was a political figure. My brother and I have strong points of view in politics. We are interested in topicality and current events. So it’s gonna find its way into our storytelling.”

In the film, the Avengers are split over the question of accountability, he says.

“Who has the right to wield power? What rights do the strong have over the weak? The film is about that. The world is dealing with similar issues now. It’s forcing people to take extremist points of view.”

BE CIVIL

– “Captain America: Civil War” opens in cinemas tomorrow.

– For more details, check http://www.facebook.com/|MarvelThailand.

Wacky, wonderful and a lot of fun

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http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Wacky-wonderful-and-a-lot-of-fun-30284598.html

PERFORMANCE ARTS

PAWIT MAHASARINAND
SPECIAL TO THE NATION April 25, 2016 1:00 am
WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN - Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN – Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN - Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN – Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN - Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN – Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN - Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN – Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN - Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

WACKY, WONDERFUL AND A LOT OF FUN – Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences. Photo/Takashi Ikemura

Thong Lor Art Space brings a contemporary Japanese performance to Bangkok audiences

Thong Lor Art Space (TLAS) continues to be Bangkok’s most active venue, and not only in terms of presenting and producing local works. After hosting performances by Japanese company Shelve and the Philippines’ Daloy Dance Company during its “Low Fat Art Fest” last November, curator Wasuratchata “Leon” Unaprom has invited another Japanese company, Kaimaku Pennant Race (KPR), to stage “1969: Space Odyssey? Oddity!”

“Thanks to the support of the Japan Foundation, I watched this show at the Shimokitazawa Theatre as part of last year’s Tokyo Performing Arts Market (TPAM). It’s a small underground venue, and was jam-packed that evening. I chose to watch it because it was inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre’s ‘No Exit’ and the first human landing on the moon. I had so much fun. I was amazed and excited by its presentational style and was also impressed by the performers’ energy and the director’s unique vision. The show is innovative and beautiful and at the same time so wacky and out-of-the-box that it’s hard to describe,” Wasuratchata says.

“I talked to the director Yu Murai after the show and, after more research, I found out that he’s one of the most remarkable directors in contemporary Japanese theatre, having won many national awards. ‘1969’ was also later staged at Festival OFF d’Avignon.”

In his director’s note, the Japanese writer states: “If within the arts, theatre represents the spectacle of our bodies, it means it takes on an individual aspect and transcends the space on the stage as well as the language furnished by the play, and connects with a broader universe. Audiences of this performance will experience the expanse of this universe through seeing three performers’ bodies decaying in a repetition of repression and release, like how light from a collapsed star reaches us millions of light years later. Together we arrive at the horizon of this universe, where the audience will surely be able to find their own origins. You never notice your own wonder because you are too close.”

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He tells XP in our interview, |”I was inspired by Japan’s current situation for which there is no way out. Many Japanese people still experience unprecedented disaster and they’re considering the issue of ‘existence’ again. I can see Japan’s current situation in the world where we can’t escape in Sartre’s play. [As you may notice in the title of this work] I was also inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s film and David Bowie’s songs. That gave me the idea ‘The world lives in 1969 repeatedly’. Kubrick’s film ‘2001: Space Odyssey’, which was released in 1969 is ‘the first and the last 1969’ and David Bowie’s song which was also released in 1969, says ‘1969 eternally’. Also the recent death of Bowie means he lives in ‘1969 eternally’.

“I chose performers who can overcome language boundaries,” he continues. “That’s the greatest asset for getting the audience involved in our show.”

Murai adds that he is very much looking forward to KPR’s Thailand debut next Saturday.

“Some may feel this work is a piece of art, and others may regard it as entertainment. Whatever the case, I would be glad if they can find a way to |simply enjoy themselves.

“I am really looking forward to seeing a Thai audience who loves theatre. We will be delighted if we can also build a new relationship with Thai theatre people and create a new work together. We performed ‘Romeo and Toilet’, which is supported by Setagaya Public Theatre, in Tokyo two months ago and I’d like to show this work to the |Thai audience as well.”

The writer wishes to thank Yuka Ehara for translation assistance.

IF YOU GO

< KPR’s “1969: Space Odyssey? Oddity!” is at Thong Lor Art Space (BTS: Thonglor) from April 30 to May 8.

<It’s in Japanese, with Thai |and English subtitles.

 

In the spirit of death

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http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/In-the-spirit-of-death-30284593.html

STAGE REVIEW

PAWIT MAHASARINAND
SPECIAL TO THE NATION April 25, 2016 1:00 am
IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

IN THE SPIRIT OF DEATH: An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration. Photo/Hideto Maezawa

An important Thai contemporary dance work is set for its regional debut, but its country of origin is left out of the celebration

Last year, with support from the Culture Ministry’s of Culture’s Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC), Pichet Klunchun conducted research into the Phi ta khon festival held in Dan Sai district, Loei, in preparation for his company’s new work “Dancing with Death”.

Premiered at Kanagawa Arts Theatre in February as part of Tokyo Performing Arts Market, “Dancing with Death” received a warm reception from both audience and critics and next month makes its Asean debut as part of the Esplanade’s da:ns series in Singapore.

Thai audiences though, are unlikely to see the piece, even though it is firmly based within their own culture.

While disappointed at the lack of support at the local level, Pichet is nonetheless enthusiastic about his latest creation and happy to talk to XP about his research and the results it produced.

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“My main question was how these villagers, more than half a century ago and without proper training, could create such an art,” the recipient of the John D Rockefeller 3rd Award says. “We found that in this unique community there is a spiritual leader Chaopo Khuan, who is assisted in administrative matters by someone called Thaen. For example, it is he who decides the dates for the Phi ta khon festival, and not the district director nor the tourists. What’s intriguing is that the three-day festival shows the sheer balance of power between spirituality, religion, people and government agency.

“And to answer our main question, we found that ‘intuition’ is the key answer. We’re all born with intuition, but when we go through an education system that is bound by many restrictions, it may be suppressed and as a result never shows itself. City people, as a result, cannot fully make use of their intuition. It’s the opposite for the villagers who focus on certain practices for a long period of time and with perseverance. They can really see what they’re doing, instead of just doing it automatically. This intuition can also sustain the creation of many other things.

“I’m not saying that highly educated people don’t have intuition. They can but they have to realise first that the knowledge they gain from their education system is only a frame. There’s a lot of other stuff that has been with us since birth.

“We also conducted various workshops with people there, from various walks of life, and in the end we arrived at a theory, or an image, of a circle with exits in all directions.”

This theory became the core of Pichet’s choreography for this work, which deals with ancestors, spirituality as well as sacrifice.

“For example, I created a short piece of choreographed movements for my dancers, they repeat it, and we see what it leads to or, mixed with each individuality, which exit each takes.”

This is different from most of Pichet Klunchun Dance Company’s previous works which are based on the techniques of khon, the classical Thai masked dance theatre, and that’s why Pichet writes in his note for the programme: “the process has been truly arduous and I’ve known since the beginning that there is more chance to fail than succeed. However, if we fear the unknown and change, we will fall into the old pathway of those choreographers who finally give up creating dance performance and then change their career.”

He continues, “I would like to put the best effort into my work – and if I fail, I will not regret it.”

And he has definitely not failed.

Writing after the performance in Tokyo, a critic for Australia’s major arts magazine RealTime Arts noted: “‘Dancing with Death’ is situated in the spiritual everyday. It boasts liminal figures: gods and the godlike.

“When the dancers come together they exert a palpable force, the force of common humanity.”

No surprise then that the work has already been invited to the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts (Asia TOPA) and Adelaide Festival Centre’s OzAsia Festival next year.

Commissioned by the Esplanade—Theatres on the Bay, “Dancing with Death” will be in Singapore next week and will be the first Thai performance ever to be staged in the main theatre. The audience, though, will not be in their regular seats in the auditorium, but on the stands on the stage, around the set.

“The audience should be able to watch the performance from above and the audience seats in the Esplanade Theatre are not sharply raked. We’ve been exploring many options and I think this is best,” Pichet explains.

Pichet will also conduct the “Bridging Traditional and Contemporary” workshop this coming Sunday, and the participants will also be part of the performance the following weekend.

The original idea was to stage the performance in Thailand in June. To this end, a few months ago the company set up a crowd funding programme online, where anyone could donate any amount of money to support the performance cost in Thailand, estimated at nearly Bt4 million. Just four days remain and the money is still well short.

“If we don’t reach this goal, then, unfortunately, this [Thai] production cannot be staged here for now. We’ll keep it in our repertoire, tour to other countries and see what will happen.

“This has created another issue. A lot of people are questioning why we need that amount of money for this. Even the Culture Ministry is doubting that figure, though they can easily support a Thai film production with the same kind of budget. We have to rent a venue, and we’re looking at M Theatre, whose rental cost in addition to the rental of lighting equipment amount to about Bt1 million. A lot of people don’t realise there are many other costs involved in stage production. For example, when we promoted this campaign and conducted workshops at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) earlier this month, we paid Bt60,000 just to transport the set.

“Many [foreign] producers and artists say this is a very odd case. Usually, artists raise funds so that they can stage their works overseas. This is the opposite and I think, notwithstanding our decision four days from now, it’s a lesson for us, dance and theatre artists, the public as well as the government.

And the major question is, of course, ‘Why?'”

DANCING AT THE DURIAN

<“Dancing with Death” by the Pichet Klunchun Dance Company will be perfomed at 8pm on May 6 and 7 at Esplanade Theatre in Singapore.

 

You too can be a star (‘s tenant): shack up with Anne

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ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

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SOOPSIP

The Nation April 22, 2016 4:44 pm
Vicky and Chai

Vicky and Chai

Having expanded from acting to producing television shows, Anne Thongprasom is now casting her net even further, into real estate.

She’s just announced that she has a “community apartment” building with units for rent.

Celebrities tend to put their spare cash into restaurants, nightclubs, spas and beauty salons or come out with perfumes, cosmetics and clothing bearing their names. Anne, though, is obviously more down to earth than that. She’s a confirmed realist and a hard worker. She thinks big and doesn’t waste time with small-scale businesses. So she’s caught and fried up a bigger fish in the property trade and must have spent millions doing it.

The 39-year-old Thai-Swedish showbiz icon recently announced on Instagram the completion of Anne’s Place, a seven-storey community apartment with a great location, opposite Kasem Bundit University on Pattanakarn Road.

It has space intended for restaurants, a manicure shop and retail outlets, but the real appeal in this particular real estate is that the 22-square-metre, fully furnished units will cost just Bt7,500 to Bt8,000 to rent. For that low price, you get to live in a property with full amenities and services and have Anne as your landlady!

Further details and an official (non-social-media) announcement are awaited, but Anne’s fans think Anne’s Place sounds great. Her Instagram post drew a lot of praise for her “great vision” and business sense. Given her reputation for caring about quality and the fine details, the fans are convinced she’ll succeed with this venture

Baby gets impatient

It’s baby time for Chai and Vicky now that the actress has finally agreed to put aside work to become a mum. After four years of marriage, beautiful couple Chatayodom “Chai” Hiranyatithi and Sunisa “Vicky” Jett recently announced that they’re looking to expand the family with a baby.

Asked on the Sanook gossip website what they’ve been waiting for all this time, Vicky says she wanted to stay focused on her career, so parenthood was put on hold. Chai says getting the green light from his wife to become a dad left him in tears.

“It’s not really because of any pressure from our families or anything like that,” he says. “I guess we’re just finally ready – although I’ve been ready for a while!

“I think Vicky maybe changed her mind because her close friend Benz [fellow actress Pornchita Na

Songkhla] had a child last year. They’re the same age. Maybe that’s what made her want to have one of her own, which is great! I’m so happy I feel like I’m floating on air!”

Sanook wanted to know if he preferred a boy or a girl. Chai says he doesn’t really care but, given the ability to choose, he’d opt for a son.

“There are already a lot of girls in Vicky’s family, so it would be nice to have a boy for a change, but it doesn’t really matter. I’m just so happy that I’ll get to be a dad soon. Stay tuned everyone – I will not disappoint you!”

Club Scene

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AFTER DARK

The Nation April 22, 2016 4:38 pm

Nervo

Nervo

Find good parties in Bangkok

Scot + Irish = laughter

Socks will be laughed off again tonight when open-mic stand-up hilarity returns to the Comedy Club Bangkok on Sukhumvit Soi 33/1. Headlining are Scotsman Steven Halcrow, always a hit in Cambodia, and Irish funnyman Aidan Killian, last seen spreading the mirth in town last month. The Bt350 admission price gets you an Bt85 beer. Check out http://www.ComedyClubBangkok.com.

Laid-back boogie

Bask in cool tropical sounds tonight at Studio Lam on Sukhumvit Soi 51. DJs Kusto from France and Ramesh Krishnan from Singapore are set to spin African, Latin, Caribbean and boogie beats starting at 9. Entry is Bt200. Call (02) 261 6661.

G-Spot on the river

The latest G-Spot Night Party will be at Mango Tree on the River tomorrow, with Pangina Heals and her crew entertaining. The Chao Phraya River forms the backdrop for the drag shows, games, free shots and ’90s music courtesy of DJs Steven G and Yui. The fun starts at 6 and drinks start at Bt100. Call Ken at (087) 015 6600.

Meet you poolside

The Westin Grande Sukhumvit near Soi 19 is hosting a pool party tomorrow. You can unwind in style with music by DJs Natsha, Groove |and Dee Iris and enjoy delightful classic bites and drinks poolside. Admission with a drink is Bt300 and the bar is wide open from 2 to 3pm. Call (02) 207 8000.

Together we dance

EDM fans are geared up for the fifth Together Festival on May 6 at Bitech in Bang Na. So far the line-up includes electronic-dance-music heavyweights Disclosure, Steve Aoki, Andrew Rayel, Glanatis, Firebeatz and Nervo. More will soon be announced at http://www.Facebook.com/TogetherFestival

The BUBBLE maestro is back

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AFTER DARK

MANTA KLANGBOONKRONG
THE NATION April 22, 2016 4:33 pm
pic

“Soap bubble” is fat too simple a term to describe the science behind Fan Yang’s amazing artistry

THE GUY BLOWS BUBBLES. Babies blow bubbles, but this guy has 19 Guinness World Records for blowing bubbles. He performs onstage blowing bubbles. And he spent many millions of dollars preparing the latest show, “Bubble Legendary”, which is at the Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre until Sunday.

Vietnamese-born Canadian Fan Yang was last in Bangkok in 2011 with yet another sold-out performance of “The Gazillion Bubble Show”. By all accounts this one is even bubblier, and much better.

Fan Yang has used lasers to dramatic effect before, but this show has silver, gold and 3D “cosmic” lasers. He opens with the eye-popping “Bubble Blizzards” effect and the artistry never stops. Other segments are called “Galactica Bubbles” and “Legend of the Silver Sea”, the latter an awe-inspiring spectacle in its own right thanks to the astonishing use of lasers.

“Even as a little boy I was fascinated by bubbles, floating on the river, made by vortices and waterfalls,” he says. “I wondered how I could make the bubbles really big, and when I was 18 I began experimenting, trying to find just the right liquid solution. I came up with really good mixture that allowed me to make enormous bubbles. And that’s when I became a bubble artist!”

Here’s what impresses the Guinness Book assessors, though: Fan Yang doesn’t just make big bubbles – he puts people inside them, lots of people. His 19th record was awarded at Science World in Vancouver, Canada, after he encased 181 giggling audience members in a bubble.

That’s the sort of amazing stunt that has kept his “Gazillion Bubble Show” running in New York City and touring the globe since, tallying more than 2,000 performances, with his wife Ana and daughter Melody entertaining the audiences while Fang’s elsewhere.

Fan Yang says his shows are so popular because of the way they combine art and science. “The science is in understanding the mechanism of the fluid – the substance, the molecules and the composition of the water – and how to put them together to create a bubble solution that has enough density and elasticity.

“Bubble film is very thin and it evaporates very fast, so you have to come up with a solution that evaporates slower for the bubble to stay formed longer. I don’t have a degree in science, but I understand liquid through years of experimenting. I have my own composition, which is my trade secret, based on seven kinds of ingredients. I use distilled water because it’s softer, cleaner and safer. If I can’t get distilled water I use boiled water, because if the water is hard or has lots of minerals, it’s not going to mix well with the other ingredients.”

The art is, of course, in what Fan Yang does with that magic solution. He can create bubbles inside bubbles and on top of bubbles. He can fill them with smoke (as well as human beings), make them fly in startling fashion and burst them in unexpected ways. The bubbles become his acrobats, tumbling and doing tricks that stretch plausibility and challenge the viewer’s imagination.

Asked if he’s got a favourite effect, Fan Yang says immediately it’s the “Rainbow Table”.

“I grew up surrounded by nature and rainbows were one of the elements of nature I liked most. So it’s great to be able to create the visual effect of a rainbow with bubbles and bring it onstage.”

The appeal of Fan Yang’s craft often draws Hollywood celebrities, no strangers to special effects themselves. Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise are among the most famous names who’ve attended performances with their children in tow, although it’s a safe bet they got as much of a kick out of the show as their kids. In both cases they happily agreed to be “bubblised” – put inside a bubble. Computer-generated effects aside, you just don’t see stuff like that in the movies anymore.

And Fan Yang’s been all over television, too, appearing on Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman and Ellen DeGeneres’ shows, a Cirque du Soleil special and “Fox & Friends”, among many others.

Fan Yang’s “Bubble Legendary” is at the Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre (Esplanade Ratchada, MRT Thailand Cultural Centre) until Sunday.

Seats cost Bt500 to Bt2,000 at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3838.

See daughter Melody give a glimpse of what’s in store at https://www.YouTube.com/ watch?v=ryGMG06sd38.