Tag Archives: วัฒนธรรม

Modern art’s global reach

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ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

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VIETNAMESE MODERN ART

Luong Thu Huong
Viet Nam News
Asia News Network April 11, 2016 1:00 am
Works by Le Pho are on view in 'Reframing Modernism' at the National Gallery in Singapore. Photo/Viet Nam News

Works by Le Pho are on view in ‘Reframing Modernism’ at the National Gallery in Singapore. Photo/Viet Nam News

Works by Le Pho are on view in “Reframing Modernism” at the National Gallery in SingaporeSingapore gallery illustrates links between Europe and Southeast Asia

Singapore’s National Gallery has on display the work of four noted Vietnamese artists as part of the globe-spanning exhibition “Reframing Modernism”.

Le Pho, Nguyen Gia Tri, Bui Xuan Phai and Nguyen Tu Nghiem are among 50 artists whose pieces are on view until July 17 in what’s being billed as the first group show of Southeast Asian and European art.

The exhibition, with more than 200 works, is a collaborative effort between the Singapore gallery and Centre Pompidou in Paris.

The focus is on modernism, one of the most influential artistic and intellectual movements of the 20th century.

Among the highlights is “The Fairies” by Nguyen Gia Tri (1909-93), who is considered the pioneer modernist in Vietnamese lacquer art. Painted in 1936, this is his largest-known lacquer work.

Among four paintings by post-impressionist Le Pho (1907-2001), the most notable is “View from the Hilltop” from 1937. The set a record for a Vietnamese artist at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2014, fetching HK$6.52 million (Bt29.6 million).

The National Gallery’s Phoebe Scott, co-curator of the show, says the four Vietnamese were chosen because of the variety of facets they represent. “Their works respond to the circumstances in Vietnam in very different ways,” she says.

The exhibition is intended to challenge notions of how modernist paintings are presented through a comparative approach. It reveals the diverse artists’ shared concerns to “create a new and different narrative of modernism”.

Viewers can draw their own conclusions about the movement’s relevance to the development of art in Southeast Asia. “We hope the exhibition will inspire fresh and interesting perspectives of the received understanding of modernism and modern art,” says the gallery’s director, Eugene Tan.

“‘Reframing Modernism’ will reinforce our aim to further the understanding of modern art from Southeast Asia within a global context.”

The curator team includes Scott, Tan and Lisa Horikawa of the National Gallery, Catherine David of the Centre Pompidou, and Nicolas Liucci-Goutnikov.

“The collaboration gives art lovers in Singapore and Asia the opportunity to view major artworks from the Centre Pompidou, which houses the world’s largest modern- and contemporary-art collections,” says Serge Lasvignes, the centre’s president.

Opened last November, the National Gallery oversees the largest public collection of modern art in Southeast Asia. It is dedicated to collaborative research, education and exhibitions, highlighting the importance of modern art in Southeast Asia in a global context.

The gallery also provides a unique visitor experience through its art presentations and innovative programming, positioning Singapore as a regional and international hub for the visual arts.

Transition from tradition

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CONTEMPORARY ART

Deng Zhangyu
China Daily
Asia News Network April 11, 2016 1:00 am
Zheng Lu expands his artistic exploration from sculptures to installations in his solo show 'Transition' at the Parkview Green mall in Beijing. Photo courtesy Parkview Green mall

Zheng Lu expands his artistic exploration from sculptures to installations in his solo show ‘Transition’ at the Parkview Green mall in Beijing. Photo courtesy Parkview Green mall

The show 'Transition' comprises eight large-scale installations, including 'Light Breeze' at Dongting Lake. Photo courtesy ofPhoto courtesy Parkview Green mall

The show ‘Transition’ comprises eight large-scale installations, including ‘Light Breeze’ at Dongting Lake. Photo courtesy ofPhoto courtesy Parkview Green mall

The show 'Transition' comprises eight large-scale installations, including 'Winter Solstice'. Photo courtesy Parkview Green mall

The show ‘Transition’ comprises eight large-scale installations, including ‘Winter Solstice’. Photo courtesy Parkview Green mall

Chinese artist Zheng Lu shifts from conventional to contemporary

Zheng Lu’s ongoing solo exhibition brings into focus the changes his art has undergone in the past years – from simple sculptures to more dynamic outcomes by combining sculptures with videos, music and high-tech presentations.

Titled “Transition”, the show, which is being held until June 11 on the rooftop of Parkview Green, a Beijing mall that displays artworks, features eight large-scale works. Among them, “Rain Drum” imitates the sound of rain falling on the building’s rooftop, and “Winter Solstice” visualises sunlight casting shadows on December 22, usually the year’s shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere.

“These tailor-made installations can’t be moved to other exhibitions. From now on, I want my works to have some connection to the spaces where they are shown,” says the 38-year-old artist.

Curator Huang Du says Zheng’s works on display are different from his past sculptures in the sense that they interact more with exhibition spaces and the visitors – “a challenging shift” for Zheng, from a sculptor to an artist of multimedia installations.

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Zheng’s best-known previous work is a series of big stainless steel sculptures, with verses from ancient poems written in Chinese characters highlighting sculptures shaped like water droplets.

The artist says he is fond of trying new materials and including high-tech inputs in his artworks. So he has introduced music and videos in his latest pieces.

“Rain Drum”, he says, was inspired by watching Parkview Green washed in the rain during his many visits.

He uses small metal balls on a waterproof film to bring out his vision. When the metal balls drop on the film’s surface, they produce a rhythm that is similar to the beating of a drum. Audiences walking underneath the installation get the feeling of walking in the rain.

To create the installation, Zheng worked with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He started to prepare for the show three years ago.

“It’s hard to run such installations. It needs four machines and a computer to control the space,” he says.

His studio in suburban Beijing is like a factory, where a team of more than 40 people work.

Zheng says producing his works is similar to “doing experiments” in the lab.

“To get an idea is the easy part, but turning it into a piece is tougher. I have to experiment with an idea for a long time.”

In another work, “All Quiet Beyond the Heart”, he uses a linear spectrogram in a dark room, where visitors can see only a beam of light falling on a potted plant and music can be only heard from one direction due to the effects of light and sound.

Zheng has long wanted to bring music into his works. Since high school he dreamed of becoming a drummer, and the motivation for him to study hard was that his parents had promised to buy him a set of drums if only he got good marks.

“If I weren’t an artist, I would most probably be a drummer,” he says.

“I will continue to use music in future, too.”

Zheng also uses visual support to enhance the audiences’ experiences of his art. For example, his “Light Breeze at Dongting Lake” has a video projected onto a big metallic circle to show how lakes reflect sunlight.

Besides museums and art galleries, his works are also purchased by hotels and billionaires who want to decorate their houses. An Italian winemaker has just ordered two of his works for his villas.

“I don’t want to repeat myself, which is why I keep trying new materials and technologies to make new forms,” Zheng says.

His approach to sculptures has also evolved, and there are “no limitations” on an artist’s choice of a style of expression, he says.

Zheng’s ongoing show uses lights, video, music and sculptures together, a trend that is increasingly becoming popular in the art world and is employed by many famous artists.”Traditional sculptures can no longer meet the demand of today’s audiences. There will be more interactive shows that offer people such experiences,” Zheng says.

 

Culture watchdog aghast, Dome postpones party

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SOOPSIP

The Nation April 8, 2016 1:00 am
Dome

Dome

You know that incredible-sounding, absolutely must-be-there Songkran dance party called North Fest that actor-DJ Pakorn “Dome” Lum’s staging in Chiang Mai next week? Well, it’s off.

No, the cops didn’t vow to turn off the water because of the drought. The bash is just postponed until next month.

Dome’s plan to kick off the Thai New Year with a roster of foreign DJ talent, a food and fun fair and, yes, generous lashings of alcohol, ran up against the Chiang MaiCultural Council, which thought it sounded like way too much fun for Songkran.

North Fest, booked from April 13 to 16, was billed as the city’s first full-scale EDM festival, with everything arranged in the northern style and intended to boost Chiang Mai tourism. The local custodians of culture deemed it improper, though, and even “begged” the organisers to reconsider.

Dome did, but rather than cancelling the party outright – which would have cost him and his partners a fortune – he strategically postponed it to May 6 and 7 and dropped the EDM angle, so it’s “just another music festival”.

“My only intention was to promote Chiang Mai among both Thais and foreign tourists as one of the best destinations to celebrate Songkran,” Dome told the press.

“The whole concept had cultural propriety in mind, with our utmost respect to tradition and the local community. We’re also firm about abiding by the law, so only people over 18 would be admitted and alcohol would be served only to people of the legal drinking age.”

Salute to the stars

We’ve been snickering about the male celebrities dodging their duty to spend time in the military, but a couple of other stars are ready to serve. Amid the flurry of excuses both acceptable and ludicrous being offered as per annual tradition this time of year, 25-year-old Thai-French actor Louis Hesse d’Alzon has actually asked to undergo training with the Army.

“Last year I asked for an exemption because I was studying,” Louis said this week. “But I think it’s a great honour and the responsibility of all Thai men to complete this training, so I thought, ‘Why not?’ I’m always looking for ways to serve the country, and this is one, so I’m happy to do it. And I’m very proud to do it because my French grandfather was a soldier.”

Another exemplary star ready to put on the uniform is Kitkong “Boom” Khamkrit, who was the first guy from his district to volunteer. He’ll commence training next month.

“It’s always been my intention to serve our country this way,” Boom told Dara Daily. “I didn’t apply for Reserve Officer Training when I was in high school and I didn’t want to go through the draw. Instead, I made up my mind a long time ago that I’d volunteer.

“Plus, since I’m afraid of heights, I want to overcome my fear and train with the Air Force.”

Well done, gentlemen!

Chi taps into MANA from heaven

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AFTER DARK

THE NATION April 8, 2016 1:00 am
pic

The supperclub teams with Blue Elephant to offer “Divine Nourishment”

WE’RE ALL IN need of some “divine nourishment” from time to time, and that’s literally what the “Mana” means in the name Mana Cuisine by Blue Elephant. It’s the new “supperclub dining” concept at the restaurant Chi.

Executive chef Tony Bish is also head teacher at Blue Elephant Phuket, and that restaurant chain, specialising in Royal Thai cuisine, has become Chi’s partner in this venture.

The yearlong collaboration pools the talents of Chi pioneer Daryl Scott and the culinary school and international restaurant group Blue Elephant, driven by Kim Steppe, son of master chef Nooror Somany Steppe.

Bish’s interpretation of “divine nourishment” results in a menu that blends exotic, spiritual and technical influences. The selection of dishes in each course is interchangeable among the elemental themes fire (meat), water (seafood) and earth (vegetarian). The menu changes every three months, says Chi’s management, “fulfilling Bish’s desire to continue to learn, anticipate change and implement new ideas in the spirit of Blue Elephant and Chi”.

“Mana is an Asian food style with flavour profiles created for both Asian and European tastes,” says Bish. “Kim, Daryl and I, along with our teams, have worked really hard to build the concept, and finally it’s ready to be introduced with the exciting elemental themes of Mana.

“We want customers to have a choice, so we have our favourite ingredients from many countries as well as the ingredients we buy directly from Thailand’s Royal Project farms. We’re mindful of every single step, and customers can feel that dedication to getting the steps perfectly right in every dish they enjoy here.”

The Mana menus will be an ever-evolving component of the fun concept for Chi, always offering something new, says Bish.

“We plan to change menus every three months because we want customers to have a new experience with every visit. “I’m committed to continuing to learn and take on new skills and techniques. I want to change and implement new ideas in the style of Blue Elephant and basically to make sure everyone who comes to our supperclub leaves thinking that the experience is one that will stay with them – at least until they come again.”

Daryl Scott, owner of Chi, explains the inspiration for the partnership between Chi and Blue Elephant.

“It’s extremely important that people understand that Chi is not a nightclub but a supperclub. It’s a place where they can come and enjoy amazing food, spectacular entertainment at the table, transparent menu pricing and unbelievable cuisine straight out of our Blue Elephant-designed kitchen.

“We’ve begun this collaboration with Blue Elephant because they’ve maintained a reputation for greatness over the last 33 years and it lets us implement a menu of Mana, which is an entirely new vision in food. It’s taken us a long time to implement this concept because it cannot be rushed.”

Chi, billing itself as an imaginative, holistic supperclub experience, aims to change the future of Bangkok nightlife, Scott says.

“It promises to be a unique lounge and restaurant destination brimming with Asian style, cutting-edge beats, one-of-a-kind culinary creativity and a chic Asian-mod aesthetic unlike anything that’s gone before.

“Guests can dine in the belly of the imperial dragon while Chi’s video-animated ceiling offers gentle, captivating entertainment before the club really begins to rock each evening and carries on until 2am.”

Chi Supperclub is at 32/8 Sukhumvit Road Soi 13.

Mana Cuisine is served Tuesday through Saturday from 7pm to 2am, with a set dinner menu (Bt1,800-plus) available from 7 to 10.30 and tapas until 1am.

Make reservations at (02) 102 0013. Online see http://www.ChiUltralounge.com and the “chiultralounge” sites on Facebook and Twitter.

KITTIES in the doghouse

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

MANTA KLANGBOONKRONG
THE NATION April 8, 2016 1:00 am

Animal Planet’s “Cat Daddy” Jackson Galaxy purrs about his love feisty felines

JACKSON GALAXY, aka “the Cat Daddy”, is back to save the day with the seventh season of Animal Planet’s hit show, “My Cat From Hell”.

Armed with more than 20 years’ experience and proven training techniques honed from his work with more than 25,000 animals, the New York native cat behaviourist travels across the US to assist cat owners in need of some intervention in dealing with their furry – and sometimes feisty – companions. The aim is to prevent owners from giving up their cats and contributing to already overcrowded shelters.

Galaxy took time out from a busy schedule during his recent promotion visit to Bangkok to sit down and chat with us.

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HOW DID YOU START WORKING WITH CATS?

I didn’t have a lot of experiences with cats before I started working in animal shelter in 1993 to make ends meet besides playing rock music, and basically the cats and I got along. Back then we were putting down a lot of cats in that shelter and most of the time that was for very simple reasons. I found that I could help change that and saved a lot of cats. I did that for about 10 years and started going to people’s homes while I was also working in the shelter, and it just progressed from there.

HOW DID THE SHOW START? HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME “MY CAT FROM HELL”?

That wasn’t me! I think the original name of the show was “Cat Daddy”, and they went with “Hell Cat” for a minute. The fear was that nobody was going watch the show about cats, so they felt they had to make it a little more dramatic, which worked. When they first came up with the name “My Cat From Hell”, I freaked because I come from an animal rescue world, and I thought all my friends would disown me. But everyone got it. It doesn’t take long to realise that it’s not the cat that is from hell; it’s either the people or the circumstances and that’s only thing I care about. Animal Planet has always been sensitive about my approach to cats, and they’re very supportive.

Weeks after I moved to Los Angeles in 2007, my friend who works in TV took me to an adoption event. And I was standing around with a bunch of cats. One person talked to another and the show was created just like that. Luckily I never had to shop for the show, it came to me and it happened very quickly.

HOW LONG DOES A CASE NORMALLY TAKE YOU?

About six weeks. I to a house, talk to the humans, try to spend some time with the cat, which is tough when you got a camera crew, try to get a handle on what’s going on, then I give them homework. That’s the most important. When I tell you to do something with your cat, it’s going to take you a few weeks to implement it for the cat to respond, and to know from that point where we’d go. I don’t think I can do it in three weeks, because cats don’t care about pleasing humans at all and you really have to get that work in to gain trust before you can get results.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE CATS FOR THE SHOW?

There’s a combination of things that come into play, because I can’t go see them all. I tend to pick the ones that are challenging to me, or with circumstances that are really dire. My producers will tend to pick ones that are more humorous. And now for season seven, I want to show people who have cats solutions to things that we never addressed before.

A LOT OF THEM ARE SERIOUSLY AGGRESSIVE.

It always worries me that people will watch my show and assume that all cats are aggressive. Cats stay alive in the wild for thousands of years because they know how not to pick a fight. They know when to run and hide. They only attack when they feel threatened. The aggression you see on the show is a very small part of the cat population. A lot of the cats I work with have this sort of complex where they feel the sky is falling down, and they’re being attacked all the time, and so they act out. But I promise you that there is not a cat that I know that would just walk up to us in a strange room and lash out. They have to feel threatened to attack.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST CHALLENGING CASE SO FAR?

There is one case in the fifth season where a couple in Portland had to call the police because the cat had trapped them in their bedroom. That cat by far is the most challenging, and he is also mentally sick. I met him and it was like a soul mate moment where I loved him from the beginning. But he was the most impossible cat. Every time we thought we had a happy ending, I would get a phone call that he had mauled somebody and fly back. After we’d finished filming the show, we found him a new home. A week later I received a phone call telling me that Lux had sent someone the hospital again. I still work with him and he taught me so much. Lux is much happier than he was, but he’s still troubled.

DO YOU THINK PEOPLE UNDERSTAND CATS MORE AND BECOME CAT OWNERS BECAUSE OF YOUR SHOW?

The whole cat culture has grown or at least come out into the open. I mean, now you can put a video of your cat on YouTube and get 75 million views. There are a lot of cat lovers out there, and there are more cats in homes now than there are dogs. For so long, people, and especially men, were very quiet about their cats, but that’s not true anymore. I’ve told people to Instagram themselves and their cats, and get the message out that the felines are not the sole preserve of “crazy cat ladies” who live alone in the basement, covered in cat hair and never leave the house. You’d be surprised how hip and young cat people are now. We cast the show that way, too, to include young people and make sure that the stereotypes are gone. I’m very proud that we helped bring cats into the light a little bit, and opened up a perception of what a cat person is really like.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE SEVENTH SEASON?

We’ll have a lot of new angles. We have a new segment of the show called “My Cat From Heaven” where we highlight cats who perform functions or have survived certain odds. And you’ll get to see more of animal rescue and animal advocacy, which is pretty what I do all my life, other than going to people’s homes.

CAT VIDEOS

Season 7 of “My Cat From Hell” premieres at 8pm on April 20 on Animal Planet, TrueVisions channel 567.

Find out more at JacksonGalaxy.com.

 

Star wars: Another celeb dragged off to boot camp

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SOOPSIP

The Nation April 7, 2016 1:00 am

It’s April. The heat builds to a boil, kites leap at gusts of breeze, the swallows return to Nakhon Ratchasima, and the military starts stuffing reluctant young men into uniform. And the annual conscription season always brings with it the melodrama of young male celebrities doing their best to avoid the call-up.

IT’S APRIL. The heat builds to a boil, kites leap at gusts of breeze, the swallows return to Nakhon Ratchasima, and the military starts stuffing reluctant young men into uniform. And the annual conscription season always brings with it the melodrama of young male celebrities doing their best to avoid the call-up.

This year the award for best performance in a recruiting office goes to Chinawut “Chin” Indracusin, who shed tears of desperation because he doesn’t want to interrupt a lucrative double career as an actor and singer.

“I’m not crying because I don’t want to be a soldier,” he blubbered. “I’m worried about my mum and my younger sister.” His parents got divorced when he was a kid. Singing since his teen years, he’s been taking care of Mum and Sis and currently pulls down seven digits a year. Two years in uniform threatened a fiscal wallop worth crying over.

Chin didn’t expect to get drafted on Monday. He arrived at the induction proceedings all smiles, confident he’d be exempted due to the metal plate in his wrist bone, the result of an accident nine years ago. He said that why he’s not as fit and trim as he could be – he doesn’t work out because he doesn’t want to put pressure on the wrist.

Category 3 – the waiver from service – merely chuckled. And, since he’d failed to report for service three years ago, they started fitting him for khaki fatigues immediately. He’ll be in the Army by May 1.

That gives him 25 days to put his civilian responsibilities in order, which includes withdrawing from contracts to appear in two TV series and a movie.

Mike breathing easier

Another singing actor, Pirath “Mike” Nitipaisankul, fared better with the military brass. Obviously asthma is a worthier excuse for avoiding service than a metal wrist. Mike’s affliction is indeed bad – he’s been hospitalised because of it.

Asthma is the go-to get-out-of-duty card for heartthrob Nadech Kugimiya, who dodged the draft two years ago because of it. What riles people about both these guys, though, is they’re not averse to a game of football and can dance around the stage for hours on end.

To be fair, they obey the rules governing their exemptions. They get hospital check-ups that are accredited by the military as well as sworn statements from three different doctors. Also, sports and vigorous leisure activities like dancing don’t pose the same risk as military training since a drill sergeant can’t tell if the recruit’s life is in immediate danger (apart from the routine situations, of course). The Army would need a doctor on standby on the obstacle course.

Mike said he’d suffered from asthma as a child but the symptoms faded, only to reappear last year during Channel 3’s anniversary football match, when he was rushed to hospital. “It’s too bad I don’t have a chance to join the military,” he said almost convincingly. “From now on I’ll do my best to serve the country in other ways.”

A glimpse into the imperial past

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BOOK

VIET NAM NEWS
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
HANOI April 7, 2016 1:00 am

The ornate and precious golden books of the Nguyen Kings go on view in Hanoi

AMONG THE remarkable items on view in a new exhibition on Vietnam’s imperial past are a gilded book and seal by which Emperor Ham Nghi in 1889 formally designated his father’s mother as Queen Grandmother.

Honouring the will of Emperor Tu Duc, he bestowed this official status on Tu Du (1810-1902), born Pham Thi Hang and the wife of Emperor Thieu Tri. In youth gentle, virtuous and a good teacher of children, she was famed in later life for her tolerance and benevolence.

The Nguyen Dynasty’s only Queen Grandmother, Tu Du is remembered in the name of a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

The exhibition “Imperial Treasures – Gold Books of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945)” at the National Museum of History in Hanoi has on public display for the first time 22 golden books, 10 gold stamps and other precious imperial objects.

It provides an insight into the significance of these treasures, says the museum’s Nguyen Quoc Huu, as well as an historical, cultural and aesthetic appreciation of the dynasty.

The book proclaiming Tu Du Queen Grandmother contains just seven sheets, five of which detail her attributes. Its front and rear covers are decorated with dragons and clouds in patterns.

All of these dynastic books are made of precious materials and inscribed with imagery featuring a five-claw dragon, a phoenix and clouds and flowers. Some of the seals are carved in such a way as to honour the individuals for whom they were made, among them queens and princes.

Compiled by emperors or high-ranking mandarins and fashioned by artisans for the Ministry of Rituals, they record important events in state affairs, such as rulers ascending the throne, the coronation of royal family members and the bestowing of titles.

Until the National Museum of History was made adequately enough secure and climate-controlled to store the fragile, high-value books, they had long been kept at the Vietnam State Bank.

“Each of them contains valuable information about imperial history, morality, official regulations and ceremonies,” says Huu. “They portray the lives and careers of the emperors and other high officials.”

Museum officials have laboured in their research to uncover the context of the events recorded so they can better understand the content of the books and why they were so elaborately carved.

“We came to realise that the Nguyen kings always paid homage to their ancestors in gratitude,” Huu explains. “They expressed their respect to parents and grandparents and praised their high moral values.”

Among the first visitors to the exhibition, Almuth Meyer-Zollitsch, director of the Goethe Institut in Hanoi, can’t hide her admiration for the craftsmanship. “This is the work of high-ranking artisans,” she says.

“It’s a very impressive exhibition because, for the first time, these precious books are being shown to the public. They show the history, heritage and flourishing art of Vietnam during the Nguyen Dynasty.”

Meyer-Zollitsch expects that, in the near future, the researchers will be able to translate all of the books’ texts, which is written in Han script, into Vietnamese and other languages so that others can appreciate what they entail.

“The museum staff has presented the exhibition in the clearest way to introduce and explain the historical context of the artefacts in both Vietnamese and English. But I’m still curious to know what every word in the books means!”

TREASURES

OF OLD

– “Imperial Treasures – Gold Books of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945)” runs through July at the National Museum of History in Hanoi.

– For more details, check Baotanglichsu.vn

Doing it the Asean way

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CITY SCENE

KUPLUTHAI PUNGKANON
THE NATION April 7, 2016 1:00 am

Students at Roong Aroon School lend their talents to a concert celebrating the AEC

WITH THAILAND a member of the newly formed Asean Economic Community (AEC) since the end of last year, several schools all over the country have been helping their students get to know our neighbours a little better, particularly the cultures of the other nine member states.

Such was the case at the recent annual performance hosted by Roong Aroon School, which this year was dubbed “San Jai Sai Yai Asean”. More than 700 students took part in the event, which focused on the music of Asean and the lifestyles often so similar to our own.

Among the professionals helping the youngsters put on their show were Professor Rapee Sagarik, who at 96 still plays his violin with the dexterity and enthusiasm of a much younger man, traditional Thai singer and teacher Surang Duriyapan, flautist Thanis Srikindee, National Artist and poet Naowarat Pongpaiboon as well as Duangporn Pongphasuk of “The Voice Thailand”.

The back-up music was scored and created by the RA Pop Orchestra band, the RA Symphonic Band, and the school’s traditional Thai music club.

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The students’ performances reflected the lifestyles and beliefs of Asean people in different countries through the traditional rice dance “Ram Buchasrichaisingh”, Indonesia’s “Rasa Saying” and Malaysia’s” Chan Malichan”.

The well-known Suanpoo Chorus performed Myanmar’s “Kao Malae” and the Philippines’s “Lukluklumbu”, and “Burong Kaka Tua”.

The show ended with “Asean Way”, a song that talks about sharing peace, dreams and prosperity.

The school’s director Sunisa Chuenchareonsuk was delighted with the performances put on by her young charges, saying: “Our lives will be very much influenced by all the member nations of the AEC and learning about and accepting the differences and similarities between us all will lead to a harmonious and creative society”.

Proceeds after the deduction of expenses will be used to support education at Wat Boromthatdoi Pasom and the remote Jomaloluela School in Chiang Mai‘s Samoeng district.

 

Bringing smiles to little faces

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ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Bringing-smiles-to-little-faces-30283455.html

CHARITY

KUPLUTHAI PUNGKANON
THE NATION April 7, 2016 1:00 am

Operation smile, which each year helps some 1,000 Thai youngsters lead normal lives, holds its annual fun run on Saturday

IN AS LITTLE as 60 minutes, cleft lip surgery can change a child’s life forever and bring the first beautiful smile to the face of not just the young patient but also his or her entire family.

Smiles are regularly brought to the faces of kids and families across Thailand as well as other countries across the globe thanks to the efforts of Operation Smile, an international children’s medical charity that provides free life-changing surgeries for children with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.

But while the medical teams give their services for free, the cost of the operations has to be covered and to carry on their work in Thailand alone, the organisation needs a minimum of Bt40 million a year.

That’s why this Saturday, Operation Smile Thailand, Smile Club students from 11 international schools and volunteers are taking part in Colour Miles for Smiles 2016. The evening charity fun run (or walk) dubbed the “Neon Edition” is taking place in Lumpini Park with vivid and vibrant surprises awaiting at every one kilometre stage and a neon rainbow at the finish as multi-coloured luminescent powders shower participants in celebration. The family-friendly fun run has become a “smilestone” event on the calendar since it was first held in 2013. Last year, the coloured run charity event saw more than 3,000 runners take part and raised Bt3 million.

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Approximately one in every 700 babies in Thailand is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate, lower than the global average of 1 in 500 but still high. The operation cost in Thailand is around Bt25,000 per person, says Jintakan Sricholwattana, a Smile ambassador and the foundation’s strategic development director.

“Since our establishment in Thailand 19 years ago, Operation Smile volunteers have treated more than 7,000 children,” she says.

Operation Smile was founded in 1982 by William Magee on his return to the US after a trip to the Philippines with his wife Kathy. Shocked at the number of children and adults with cleft lips, they appealed to surgeons to volunteer their services to help underprivileged individuals at no cost. Today, Operation Smile has a presence in more than 60 countries and its services have expanded to include training.

“We average about 1,000 cases per year depending on the funds we are able to raise. Most patients come from poor families in rural Thailand and while the operation is free, they find themselves out of pocket because of their travel expenses, the loss of wages and accommodation. We provide them with extra money to use during the operation period as well as for follow-up speech therapy and health checks,” Jintakan says.

“Untreated cleft lip and cleft palate patients often have difficulty breathing, drinking, eating and speaking. As a result, many suffer from malnutrition as well as medical and psychological problems. These children are usually unable to successfully breastfeed or bottle feed. According to the statistics gathered by the Public Health Ministry, about 2,000 Thai children a year are born with cleft lips and/or cleft palates,” she says, adding that the numbers do not include the hilltribes and refugee populations in Thailand.

“And one out of five dies before reaching the age of one due to chronic ear infections and breathing problems followed by complications such as pneumonia.”

Children born with these deformities often hide away from the world because of the stigma and isolation they bring, their self-esteem shattered. In Thailand, there are countless numbers of cleft children living their lives untreated.

“Many people believe it is their karma. Two years ago, we were approached by a 70-year-old patient. We asked her why she wanted the surgery and pointed out that it would hurt. She said she didn’t want to die with her mouth like this.”

The exact cause of the deformity is unknown. These birth defects happen early, during the first three months of pregnancy and genetic and environmental influences such as maternal illness, malnutrition or drug usage increase the incidence.

Thanks to the tireless devotion of medical volunteers, non-medical volunteers and staff, Operation Smile is undertaking three rounds of treatment in 2016. The first was held in February in Mae Hong Son province, the second is slated for May in Yasothon province, and the last in November in Mae Sot, Tak province.

“We do not change the dates and timings for our operation camps mainly because of the time and effort needed to get the message across. That’s mainly done by word of mouth and involves the rural health care centres and local non-government organisations. Last year, we met another teardrop case at the Mae Sot camp. A hill tribe father came all the way on foot with nine children, all of them with cleft lips and cleft palates. We were initially surprised to see so many kids from the same family with the problem but he explained that he was representing other families in his community because it would have been too costly for everyone to come. This is a clear reflection of the needs,” Jintakan says.

“Another problem we face is space. Every time we organise the surgical camp, many people come with lots of luggage, which takes up the already overcrowded space we have. Looking inside the bags, I discovered just a few old clothes and odds and ends but they told me these were their only assets. They are so poor, it’s heartbreaking,” she adds.

“All we can ask is that they don’t keep the children suffering from cleft lips and cleft palates hidden away at home. These kids are losing any hope of a future.”

PepsiCo Services Asia, is one of the major sponsors of the fund-raising charity run.

“Taking part in Operation Smile for this third consecutive year answers at least two pillars of our company’s mission, namely human and talent sustainability,” says Charonchai Salyapong, head of the company’s corporate affairs.

“It’s important we all come together in supporting this ultimate life-changing opportunity and offer a helping hand to our children and the future of our society.”

EVENING GLOW

– Colour Miles for Smiles is on Saturday in Lumpini Park in Bangkok. Registration starts at 3.30pm with runners getting underway at 5.30. Tickets are Bt800 and include the T-shirt, plus games, food and drinks. Apply at http://goo.gl/XVVQQG.

– You can also donate directly to the Operation Smile Foundation. Donations are tax-deductible. Here are the accounts:

– Bangkok Bank, Aree Branch, Account no 127-435422-2 (SWIFT: BKKBTHBK)

– Siam Commercial Bank, Ploenchit Branch, Account no 059-285134-9, SWIFT: SICOTHBK

– Krungsri Bank, Ploenchit Tower Branch, Account no 285-135204-6, SWIFT: AYUDTHBK

– Krungthai Bank, Ploenchit Metropolitan Electricity Branch, Account no. 092-013280-4, SWIFT: KRTHTHBK

– For more details, call (02) 014 4530-1, e-mail thailand@operationsmile.org or visit Facebook.com/OperationSmileThailand.

 

Royal homage to the Arts

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ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Royal-homage-to-the-Arts-30283452.html

FASHION

The Nation
April 7, 2016 1:00 am

Showcasing her latest line, our fashion designer princess reveals even more talents

FOLLOWERS OF FASHION were out in force last week as Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana unveiled her 2016 spring-summer collection in a spectacular show at Siam Paragon.

Taking it all in with smiles of delight were celebrities including Nualphan Lamsam, Channadda Chirathivat, Ploy Cherman, Kullawit Laosuksri, Polpat Asavaprapha and ML Chiratorn Chirapravati.

As meticulous as ever in the fine details, the latest Sirivannavari line takes its cues from art history, borrowing aesthetics from Romanticism and Impressionism, “with a touch of Versailles’ surroundings”.

“I started this collection with a sketch of the Chateau de Versailles,” the Princess told the assembled crowd, referring to France’s centuries-old royal palace outside Paris. “I sat on the bench and breathed in the ambience of the garden, the Petit Trianon and Le bassin d’Appollon.”

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From the era of Impressionism that unfolded in France a century later, the Princess drew especially on the evocative charms of Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

“The tulip pattern is the signature for this collection,” she said. “Patterns and silhouettes are crucial. The pattern is the most significant element in dressmaking and I prioritise pattern-making as the heart of Maison Sirivannavari.”

There are 48 engaging looks in the collection for women. Among the showstoppers – all involving stunning structure and shape – are a tulip dress, a round-shouldered jacket with a geometric pattern, a tunic dress draped asymmetrically and a deconstructed jacket.

The embroidery is magnificent, with crystal beads sewn up and down one dress, 3D flowers on a bustier dress, and gooseberries adorning a bolero jacket that bears a peacock crest in gold thread.

The Princess continues to make clever use of graphic prints, in this case reflecting her admiration for the great Romantic and Impressionist painters. She’s created her own modern versions in acrylic paint and has hummingbirds flitting through a botanical garden as the signature print of the season.

The daughter of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn also presented a Bijoux jewellery collection. It includes a gold choker ringed with gooseberry pearls and rings and bracelets buzzing with hummingbirds. The petite bird also appears on marbles that cluster on earrings.

Completing the spring-summer line, accessories include a straw bag and clutches made of leather in one case and marble and wood in another. For footwear, the Princess’ focus remains on wedges, this season embellished with flowers and gooseberries.

There’s a beachwear line as well, resplendent with prints and cut-out patterns and alluring “bondage” details in the corset.

Denims enter the label’s repertoire for the first time, and there are togs for men too, including jackets, shirts, polo shirts, neckties and bow ties.

As if all this weren’t enough, the Princess drew gasps when she revealed yet another talent: She co-produced the original music for the show.

The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra did the honours for the catwalk presentation at Royal Paragon Hall.

Thanking the audience at the end, she pointed out that, despite the astonishing amount of details in her latest line, “each piece still clearly represents the signature design of Sirivannavari. I hope everyone can appreciate the true essence of the brand.”

? The clothes, jewellery and |accessories are on sale at the Sirivannavari boutique on the |first floor of Siam Paragon.