Museums tune in to pop culture

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Museums-tune-in-to-pop-culture-30280823.html

MUSEUMS

Shahzad ABDUL
Agence France-Presse
Washington March 7, 2016 1:00 am

Museum-goers view a new portrait of actor Kevin Spacey in his role as ‘House of Cards’ President Francis J. Underwood at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. Photo/AFP

“House of cards” and “Breaking Bad” get the gallery treatment

Some say television is experiencing a new golden era, and museums are putting those highly acclaimed shows on display, showcasing popular culture in their prestigious spaces in hopes of attracting younger and more diverse visitors.

Washington’s National Portrait Gallery houses the likenesses of all of the country’s great leaders – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and…. Francis Underwood?

Underwood, Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey’s cunning fictional president on the powerhouse Netflix series “House of Cards,” sits cross-legged at a desk – his Oval Office, of course.

The work made its debut last week and will be on display until October. The display coincides with Friday’s release of the fourth season of the political drama.

“I’m one step closer to convincing the rest of the country that I am the president,” Spacey joked the day the portrait was unveiled.

But why would a museum feature a fictional TV character?

“Not only does it reflect the impact of popular contemporary culture on America’s story, but it also exemplifies the fine art tradition of actors portrayed in their roles,” explains Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery.

The National Museum of American History, also in Washington, gave a similar explanation when it added iconic objects from the cult TV series “Breaking Bad” to its collection last November.

The yellow hazmat suit and the black porkpie hat worn by Walter White, a meek chemistry teacher who becomes a drug kingpin, won’t be on public display until a planned 2018 exhibit on American culture.

But fans who can’t wait that long can visit a new exhibit at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas that features the protective suit and mask that White, played by Emmy winner Bryan Cranston, wore while cooking meth.

Other small screen sensations featured by American museums include early 20th century clothing worn by the aristocratic characters and their household staff on “Downton Abbey” at Chicago’s Driehaus Museum, on display until May 8.

There was also last year’s “Mad Men” exhibit at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image, which coincided with the final episodes of the acclaimed show about a narcissistic advertising executive’s professional and family life in the 1960s.

“There is nothing surprising about seeing the influence of television” in American museums, says Dustin Kidd, a sociologist at Temple University in Pennsylvania.

The author of “Pop Culture Freaks” says the country has numerous museums dedicated to film and television, and that “the influence of television on American art is as old as television itself.”

But Vera Zolberg, a sociologist at the New School, a university in New York, says featuring TV series “may very well be” a new trend.

She compares it to museums hosting visitors for sleepovers. Now routinely offered as an option, she says she “would not have imagined such a practice” a few years ago.

Peggy Levitt, a sociologist at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, says pop culture exhibits are becoming more prevalent as museums realise they need to change their practices to bring in “new, younger, more diverse audiences.”

“There is a growing recognition in this country that the people inside museums do not look like the people outside them,” she says.

A 2010 study by the American Association of Museums showed that white Americans make up 69 per cent of the population but account for 79 per cent of museum visitors. African-Americans and Hispanics were largely underrepresented.

The study predicted that in 25 years, those minorities would make up 46 per cent of the American population but only nine per cent of visitors.

“Museums have to change what they do and bring in more diverse audiences if they want to survive and thrive in the 21st century,” Levitt says.

She notes that some museums are changing the look and feel of their displays, for example, making them more colourful or shortening text descriptions to appeal to a broader audience.

“Other times, it means putting graffiti, comic book characters or President Underwood on display,” Levitt says.

But she adds: “I don’t see a threat in this. The Mona Lisa isn’t going anywhere.”

Creations on a pushcart

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Creations-on-a-pushcart-30280822.html

INDIA’S COMMUNAL ART

Sunrita Sen
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Mumbai March 7, 2016 1:00 am

Gaunt concrete high-rises loom over the Design Museum Dharavi, a travelling exhibition on a pushcart in a Mumbai slum. Photo/DPA

Chai cups that catch spilled tea, as exhibited in the Design Museum Dharavi, a travelling exhibition on a pushcart in a Mumbai slum. Photo/AFP

The ceramics were commissioned from Gujarati father and son potters Nathalal and Mitul Chauhan. Photo/DPA

Two potters at work in one of the many pottery workshops found in the Kumbharwada area of Mumbai’s Dharavi slum. Photo/DPA

Two young visitors admire artistic ceramics at the opening of the Design Museum Dharavi, a push-cartborne museum for a Mumbai slum. Photo/DPA

A mobile design museum showcases innovations in a Mumbai slum

There is a new addition to the landscape of one of India’s largest shantytowns, Dharavi in Mumbai, made famous by Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”.

It’s a big shiny pushcart with pottery chai cups – 50 types including one which has ears for a two-hand grip – brooms that sweep both ways, earthen water pots or matkas with air holes to keep the contents cool and other handicrafts.

The contents are not for sale. The pushcart and its exhibits are part of the Design Museum Dharavi, a project by an Amsterdam-based duo – visual artist Jorge Rubio and art historian Amanda Pinatih -along with a Dharavi-based urban research initiative URBZ.

The aim of the museum is to showcase the creative energy of Dharavi, give artisans opportunities to innovate, promote social change and throw up a positive impression of the sprawling settlement, say the museum project team members.

“We began the project in 2011 soon after we encountered Dharavi for the first time and saw how much manufacturing was going on,” Pinatih said.

Matchbox buildings crowd the maze-like narrow alleys of the sprawling 2.2-square-kilometre informal settlement, a cheaper residential option for thousands of migrants who are drawn to India’s financial hub.

The estimated 1.2-million population of Dharavi all live cheek by jowl with one another. Most of their homes have electricity and a television, but no running water. The drainage system is largely open sewers.

The settlement dates back to British colonial days.

There are enclaves of potters from the western state of Gujarat, leather tanners from southern Tamil Nadu, embroidery and metal workers from Uttar Pradesh in the north and Bihar in the east.

Dharavi residents run a range of cottage industries in their homes, in workshops and out in the open.

There is also a thriving recycling industry. Plastic bottles, newspapers, old furniture, timber, spare parts of various things – Dharavi’s industrious and creative residents make something and money out of everything.

The cottage and recycling industries are estimated to earn more than US$500 million (Bt17.8 billion) a year. They jostle for space in the narrow alleys.

“Despite the tough conditions they live in, the residents of Dharavi create, design, manufacture and commercialise all kinds of goods and products,” Rubio says.

The aim of the museum is to give these objects, sometimes with a new twist, a platform so that locals could be proud of what they make and people of Mumbai and abroad could connect with the makers.

“When people talk about Dharavi, it’s always about the problems, the slumlike conditions. We want to change how Dharavi is perceived through its manufacturing, design and craft,” Rubio says.

After two weeks of collaboration with local artisans, the museum opened in mid-February to roll around Dharavi on the handcart for a month.

“We first thought, let’s have the museum in a caravan, or an auto-rickshaw,” Pinatih adds. “Then we saw people selling things – fruits, vegetables on pushcarts – so our museum is on a specially made pushcart.”

The museum is an 2-by-1 metre metal structure with wooden frames which when opened become 7 metres long. “The museum is small, flexible and on wheels, and symbolic of how spaces are in Dharavi,” Rubio says

“We are discussing with Shyam Kanle who is a Dharavi resident and works with URBZ on how to continue it, make it a more permanent thing,” he continues.

Rubio and Pinatih plan to hold an international conference in Amsterdam in May to discuss the museum project and how it can be implemented in other places.

“But first we are waiting to see the response,” Rubio says.

More than 41 per cent of Mumbai’s households live in slums, according to a 2011 census. The Dharavi Redevelopment Authority has for years been working on a plan for resettlement of the slum’s residents in high-rises with better amenities which would also free up land in a prime Mumbai area.

One for THE KIDS and old-timers

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/One-for-THE-KIDS-and-old-timers-30280671.html

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

JIM POLLARD
THE NATION March 4, 2016 1:00 am

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Rock Musician Jimmy Barnes does a Bangkok fund-raiser for a fellow Australian’s charity, Hands Across the Water

AUSTRALIANS WERE OUT doing good things in Bangkok last week – and having some fun in the process.

Commanding the spotlight was Jimmy Barnes, one of the best known and most successful recording artists in Australian history, most famous for fronting the band Cold Chisel.

Thailand has been one of the rock star’s secret passions, a place where he’s been able to slip away and relax unnoticed. In an interview last week with The Nation (www.NationMultimedia.com/video/play/8321), Barnes revealed that he, his Thai wife Jane (who he married in the early ’80s) and their family have been enjoying annual holidays here for more than three decades, usually in Hua Hin.

Indeed, Barnes’ love for the Land of Smiles is such that last week he was happy to give something back. The musician, who’ll turn 60 in April, performed a charity concert at the Sheraton Grande on Sukhumvit Road.

It was an affair for the whole Barnes family – with the singer’s three daughters – Mahalia, Elly-May and Eliza-Jane – wife Jane and son Jackie also onstage performing.

Proceeds from the event went to Hands Across the Water, an Aussie charity that funds seven homes across Thailand for tsunami orphans, children living with HIV and needy and abused kids, plus poor elderly people. The chance to sing a duet with Barnes was auctioned off, ended up raising Bt751,000 after a second bidder (and long-term supporter) decided, in a moment of madness, to invite the charity boss and another friend to sing with them.

Hands Across the Water was set up by Peter Baines, a former police officer from Sydney who flew to Takua Pa to do forensic work in the wake of the tsunami in December 2004.

Baines, who spoke to the media at the hotel before the concert, had worked in Bali after the 2002 bomb attack that killed more than 200 people – never thinking he’d be called to a far graver tragedy in southern Thailand two years later.

Baines managed to find a way of overcoming the horror of having to help identify more than 3,500 bodies at Wat Yanyao, where Dr Pornthip Rojanasunan was also involved, and the devastating impact on communities on the Andaman coast. He established an organisation that has reportedly raised Bt450 million over the past 11 years.

That money has gone to more than 300 children, plus elderly people living in seven homes that Hands supports – in Phang Nga, Yasothon and Surin in the Northeast and in Chanthaburi, Chumphon and Kanchanaburi. These homes are run by local partners and include two overseen by the Duang Prateep Foundation, headed by former senator Prateep Ungsongtham Hata.

“It was a blessing that we met Khru Prateep,” Baines said. “The biggest obstacle for this sort of operation is having trust with local partners. But the work Khru Prateep has done is amazing.”

Money raised from the “Night of Celebration” with Jimmy Barnes and his family “raised considerable funds which will cover almost a year’s operating costs” for Pama House in Chanthaburi. Kids from Pama House were on hand for the event.

Baines has three grown children, so when he resigned from the New South Wales Police as a detective inspector at the end of 2008, he focused on running his charity.

It needs $1.4 million a year to keep the seven homes going, but he appears to have some clever strategies to help raise the money. One is requiring that 100 per cent of the money raised go directly to the children at the seven orphanages, or to the small homes they occasionally build for elderly people.

The second is organising bicycle rides across Thailand for which participants must raise Bt250,000 to enter and also pay their own expenses. Remarkably, there are several supporters who’ve taken part in numerous rides. Nine riders have done them five times and three have been on nine, Baines said, while another raised more than A$100,000 in a single event.

Baines and his son often ride on these treks. In fact Peter is currently riding with a group from Hua Hin to Khao Lak. And his father, who’s 77, will be riding later in the year.

At the press conference last week was an impressive young man from the charity’s Baan Nam Jai in Phang Nga. Wattana “Game” is a tsunami orphan who never knew his parents. Raised by his uncle, he faced the prospect at age 12 of having to begin working for a living until he learned about the orphanage where he could further his education.

Game is the first orphan to go on to earn a university degree and he hopes to pursue a master’s in psychology to better help the community where he grew up.

Baines described the youngster as a “role model to the children” at Baan Nam Jai, having shown them the potential to secure a better future.

For Jane Barnes, the rock star’s wife, this is sort of thing they’re happy to back. To Baines, she said, “We love that you support the children all the way through. You’re pretty humble yourself, Mr Baines.”

On the Web:

http://www.Facebook.com/HandsAcrossTheWater/

Club Scene

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Club-Scene-30280668.html

AFTER DARK

The Nation March 4, 2016 1:00 am

Booka Shade

Find good parties in Bangkok

Let the Games begin

G Sessions gear up tonight at the Pullman Bangkok Hotel G on Silom Road with a fun Olympictheme party. A fashion show is scheduled of sporty outfits by QDesign and Play, plus music by DJ Roxy June and others, discounted drinks and delicious light bites. Get there anytime after 8. There’s no cover charge. Call (02) 238 1991.

Find your kindred

Ku De Ta Bangkok near the Chong Nonsi BTS station welcomes Tinder tonight, a chance to find your perfect match. Or you can just hang out with your friends over outstand¬ing cocktails while DJ Kaku mans the deck. Admission is free and from 9 to 11you can get two bottles of Grey Goose vodka for the price of one. Call (02) 108 2000.

Give them a break

Bask in the stellar sound of aspiring local DJs tomorrow at Ku De Ta Bangkok’s “Thai Break” party. The lineup includes Tobi Neumann, Dana Ruh, Julietta, Pascal Feos, Domenic D’Agnelli and Zeek and promises a memorable night of passion and good vibes. Ladies get in for free and everyone else pays Bt400.

Dip into the future

The monthly “Skinny Dips” event at Bad Motel on Soi Thong Lor tomorrow offers a glimpse at forwardthinking electronic jams, from futuregarage and glitch to footwork, juke and experimental bass. Guest DJ Hunni’d Jaws from Brooklyn will have Stuart Nombluez and Kontraband resident DJ Will backing him up. Admission is Bt180 with one drink.

Weekend of Kolour

Superstar German DJ duo Booka Shade headlines “Kolour in the Park” on March 12 and 13 at Thai Wake Park. It’s Bangkok’s biggest house and techno festival, a weekend of art, gourmet food and cuttingedge music. Also onstage will be Oliver Koletzki, Nakadia, Andreas Henneberg and a string of local talents. Find out more at http://www.KolourInThePark.com.

The devil’s in the details

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/The-devils-in-the-details-30280665.html

AFTER DARK

THE NATION March 4, 2016 1:00 am

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New website DrinkIQ sets out to help you drink responsibly and in moderation

WE ALL KNOW that alcohol should be consumed in moderation and that if taken in quantity it piles on the weight, but most of us don’t have a clue as to the number of calories a gin and tonic, say, or a glass of wine contains.

That’s about to change with the launch of DrinkIQ, a revamped online tool from Diageo, which allows you to calculate and track your alcohol and calorie intake while enjoying a drink responsibly.

The website is available in 12 languages, including Thai, and offers consumers the world over easy access to key information about drinking while helping them make informed choices about making alcohol part of a balanced lifestyle.

The new DrinkIQ.com is fully optimised for mobile devices including smartphones and tablets. It gives consumers details about the contents of their favourite drinks, responsible drinking tips, and advice on how diet, age, body size and gender affect the body’s ability to process alcohol. DrinkIQ.com includes the “What’s in Your Drink?” tool, which provides the nutritional and alcohol content of various Diageo alcoholic beverages, as well as nutritional information including carbohydrate, protein, fat (by type), sugar, caffeine, and sodium content.

A brilliantly simple “drinks calculator” is also provided to let consumers easily calculate and track the amount of alcohol they are drinking and how many calories they have consumed.

In addition to the useful information above, the website also busts a host of myths and misconceptions about alcoholic beverages, one of which is that “spirits contain more alcohol than beer and wine.” DrinkIQ will tell you that, in fact, a 25ml shot of distilled spirit like vodka or gin contains about 8 grams of alcohol, versus about 16 grams in a pint of lager beer. Spirits also have fewer calories than wine or beer – 25ml of distilled spirits contains approximately 55 calories compared to 125 calories in an average 175ml glass of wine or around 160 calories in a pint of lager.

Another myth, “eating food means I can drink more” is only half right. Eating only slows down how quickly alcohol is absorbed – food does not prevent alcohol from having an effect on the body. The same goes for coffee, which is believed to have the magical effect to sober up faster. Coffee might make people feel more alert, but alcohol still remains in the body and takes about one hour per drink to process.

It’s not just about survival here. The website also gives important yet often overlooked information on what alcohol is and how it is made, how alcohol is measured and how it affects your body. Going deeper, you’ll find more information on how alcohol is digested and processed in your metabolism, when is alcohol becoming dangerous, how to avoid hangovers and how to be a good friends or good hosts at parties when it comes to help looking out for those around you while drinking.

DrinkiQ.com has been optimised to ensure that content is tailored to the local environment and regulations in the user’s location, particularly concerning legal age of purchase in accordance with the Diageo Marketing Code of practice and the CEO Global Commitments.

Find out more at DrinkIQ.com

Two decades on, Au’s talents are in full bloom

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Two-decades-on-Aus-talents-are-in-full-bloom-30280592.html

SOOPSIP

The Nation March 3, 2016 1:00 am

After 21 years as an actor, Thanakorn “Au” Poshyananda has found the pinnacle of his career

AFTER 21 YEARS as an actor, Thanakorn “Au” Poshyananda has found the pinnacle of his career – not in a leading role but as the father of the hero – in a remake of “Tam Rak Khuen Jai”. Interestingly enough, Au played the lead in the original series 18 years ago.

Now in his 40s, Au brings a great deal of charm to the character, sparking renewed interest in his personal like. So okay – he runs a Japanese-food restaurant with a pal, he doubles as staff photographer on the TV show, and he even creates the title credits.

Au tells Dichan magazine that he long wanted to work behind the camera and, after appearing in a few series, he took a film production course overseas. Producer Yuwadee Thaihirun kidded him about spending a fortune doing that when he could have learned everything he needed to know right on the set here at home.

Au still hasn’t decided which role on the crew he prefers, but he enjoys editing and photography. In fact he’s good enough with a still camera that he’s planning a solo exhibition in Ratchaburi, his home province. Some of the shots will be from the set of “Tam Rak Khuen Jai” and others from his travels.

Not by Baitoey

It’s not that sexy luk thung singer Baitoey R Siam has delusions of grandeur. She just likes to pretend she’s living “la vida expensiva”. Pardon our Spanish, but she of the extremely short shorts has been making stuff up again online.

Instagram is Baitoey’s sharing platform of choice and, after a trip to Hokkaido, Japan, that’s where she posted a photo of what she called the Otaru Music Box Museum. All well and good until a fellow Instagrammer named “travelinglens” left this comment: “Hi. This is my photo and telling @Baitoeyrsiam to give credit.” Mr travelinglens had taken the picture. Baitoey just “borrowed” it.

One other thing: It wasn’t a picture of the music-box museum in Japan. It was the famous Bow Bridge in New York’s Central Park – covered in snow, so at least the season was right.

Ignoring the misidentification for the moment, Baitoey “explained” that everybody does this on Instagram – posting other people’s images they like. She does it to beautify her stream and “inspire” her followers and she lacks the skills to produce her own photos. From now on, though, she promises, she’ll be more careful about crediting sources.

This episode recalls another one a couple of years ago when Baitoey was posting pictures of luxurious hotel suites where she’d ostensibly stayed. They were just scalped from the Net too. And there were shots of her holding expensive handbags. One was a posh Yves St-Laurent job she appeared to have just bought at a mall. But according to an eyewitness to the moment of “purchase”, Baitoey had merely asked permission to pose for a picture with the bag – and never did but it.

It’s all rather amusing, but also confounding. Baitoey can afford this stuff – and photography lessons too – so why is she always pretending?

The finest of fine dining

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/The-finest-of-fine-dining-30280591.html

DINING

MANTA KLANGBOONKRONG
THE NATION March 3, 2016 1:00 am

Best in Asia & Thailand_Gaggan

Asia’s Best Female Chef_Magarita Fores

Best in Japan_Narisawa

Chefs Choice_Paul Pairet

Lifetime Achievement_David Thompson

Book now for Gaggan, again named Asia’s Best Restaurant because it’s closing in four years

GAGGAN, A FORMIDABLE Bangkok restaurant specialising in “progressive Indian cuisine”, has again been named the best place to eat in both Thailand and all of Asia.

So it was only fitting that Thailand play host for the first time to the “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” awards, and to cap off the occasion on Monday night at the W Bangkok Hotel, three other eateries in the city consolidated their positions on the list.

An audience comprised of Asia’s most celebrated chefs and restaurateurs and other industry VIPs watched as the fourth edition of the awards placed Nahm at No 8 on the list, Issaya Siamese Club at No 19 (up 20 places from last year), and Eat Me at No 23.

David Thompson, the acclaimed chef at both Nahm and Long Chim in Singapore, also received the Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award.

There are 10 new entries on this year’s list, three of them in Japan. Shanghai and Hong Kong account for 13 of the gourmet locations and Singapore and Japan each have 10. With 13 nations represented, the 2016 list includes restaurants from more countries than ever before, underscoring the rich variety in dining experiences available across the region.

Gaggan retains the dual titles of Best Restaurant in Asia and Best Restaurant in Thailand, both honours sponsored by S Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. It’s a brace of fresh feathers in the tall chef’s cap of Gaggan Anand, who reinterprets traditional Indian cuisine with modernist techniques, drawing inspiration from the street food of Kolkata, his hometown.

His approach is inventive, adventurous and highly individual, yet respectful to India’s culinary legacy. His restaurant debuted on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list at No 17 in 2014 and by last year was ranked 10th, as well as No 1 in Asia.

“Winning at home is the sweetest,” Anand said in an acceptance speech. “Last year I travelled a lot and I ate at prime restaurants in Asia, and I didn’t know if ranking even mattered. But then I looked at my gurus, people I used to read about in books – [Yoshihiro] Narisawa, Paul Pairet – and they were the finest meals I ever had. Thank you, Thailand!”

Asked afterward what the double triumph means to him, Anand said winning for two consecutive years “gives you more confidence”.

“Our restaurant has changed a lot since last year. So this was like being in school and waiting for your exam results,” said the 36-year-old, who always says his heart belongs to India but his soul is in Thailand.

“One of the great things about the award is that talented chefs are always being discovered. I never knew there’d be a great female chef in the Philippines or a great pastry chef in Singapore. Now I’m excited to go to Japan and try Chef Kawate [Hiroyasu Kawate at Florilege].

“There are also a lot of young chefs who aren’t on the list but want to be,” he said. “In 2007 I wanted to be where I am today, so just imagine in another five years, when there’ll be new talents on the list offering something new and exciting!”

Anand was asked what his restaurant could possibly do for an encore, only to reveal that it will close in 2020.

“We’re halfway on our journey. I have told our partners that we’re going to run the restaurant for another five years. A restaurant like this gets saturated, and in 10 years we won’t want to be cooking anymore – we’ll be grumpy at every chef and every customer. We don’t want to get to that point.”

Anand said he and his staff are currently conducting “a lab, the only one of its kind in Asia”. He called it a “research centre” to examine all they’ve accomplished in the past five years and suggest where they might be headed in the next five.

“We don’t know what we’ll be doing then. I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow! We could be more playful to fuel the energy for the restaurant for the next five years. But 2020 will be the last year of Gaggan for sure. Then I might be doing something else – a rock band, perhaps?”

The best restaurant in Japan and ranking second on the Asia list is Narisawa, headed by Yoshihiro Narisawa, whom Anand so admires. It and four others in Japan are in the top 20, joined on the list by three newcomers – La Maison De La Nature Goh in Fukuoka (No 31), Den in Tokyo (No 37) and Kikunoi in Kyoto (No 42).

Singapore’s best restaurant is Andre, where Andre Chiang’s cooking has elevated its status two places to No 3. Chiang also impressed diners in Taipei at his restaurant abruptly named Raw, which enters the list at No 46.

Also noted in Singapore are long-time favourites Waku Ghin (No 6), Les Amis (No 12) and Burnt Ends (No 14) and new inductees Corner House (No 17) and Wild Rocket (No 38).

In Hong Kong, Amber at No 4 reclaims the title of best restaurant in China from last year’s winner, Ultraviolet, which has slipped to No 7. There are nine Hong Kong restaurants on this year’s list, including the new kid on the block, Ta Vie, at No 48.

Added to the list at No 15, Mingles in Seoul is another with dual reasons to celebrate. It’s the highest-ranked new entry as well as the Best Restaurant in South Korea.

The best in the Philippines is Gallery Vask in Manila (No 39), while Locavore in Bali (No 49) is tops in Indonesia. And India’s finest place to dine for a second consecutive year is Indian Accent in New Delhi, rising 13 places to No 9.

Rounding out the winners’ circle are Le Mot (No 30), retaining its best-restaurant-in-Taiwan title; Ministry of Crab in Colombo (No 31), the best in Sri Lanka; and Cambodia’s favourite, Cuisine Wat Damnak in Siem Reap (No 43).

On the Web:

http://www.TheWorlds50Best.com

Blood from water and relationshi

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Blood-from-water-and-relationshi-30280590.html

STAGE PREVIEW

PAWIT MAHASARINAND
SPECIAL TO THE NATION March 3, 2016 1:00 am

CHULACHAK CHAKRABONGSE AS DRACULA AND MAXIMILIANE BAUER AS MINA HARKER_photo by Andrew Strobridge

CHULACHAK CHAKRABONGSE AS DRACULA AND VIN KRIDAKORN AS JONATHAN HARKER_photo by Andrew Strobridge

JOE DIXON AS VAN HELSING_MAXIMILIANE BAUER AS MINA_photo by Andrew Strobridge

The Thailand-UK production of “Dracula” is a rare treat

THERE’S NOTHING new about English-language plays being produced in Thailand – indeed, spoken drama was introduced to Thai dramatic art by no less a personage than King Rama VI.

But never before has the audience witnessed such a large-scale production as Ewing Entertainment Worldwide’s “Dracula: Blood Is Life”, now gearing up for the final weekend of its four-week run at the K-Bank Siam Pic-Ganesha Centre of Performing Arts.

This proscenium theatre seats more than 1,000 audience members and notwithstanding the immense efforts made to promote the English language in advance of the start of the AEC, the spoken language is probably why this production has not drawn the expected crowds. It’s proof once again that most local theatregoers still prefer musicals with 30 or more performers onstage – more bangs for our bucks perhaps – when a ticket costs a few thousand baht.

British director Joe Harmston’s focus on characterisation and character relationships, rather than blood is evident from the start and makes this two-hour play with one intermission roll along smoothly. In the end, it’s clear that the lines between good and evil is so thin that, as well as that between sanity and madness, we can slip in and out of it or between them anytime.

Don’t expect a groundbreaking adaptation, though: American playwright Steven Dietz’s version is very faithful to the original novel. The script has many short scenes and Harmston makes sure that all are dramatically united and that no transition wastes time or causes distraction or confusion.

That cohesion is also thanks to the practicality of Sean Cavanagh’s set design which not only fills the stage, horizontally and vertically, with its slanted lines but also, thanks to his keen collaboration with lighting designer Ben Cracknell, manages to create a Victorian atmosphere with a contemporary look.

The same can be said for Rachael Forbes’s costume design.

As the title character, Chulachak “Hugo” Chakrabongse silences all doubters who regard him more as rock star than actor. His performance is easily on par with the much more experienced British actors. That said though, the play is carried for the most part by British veterans Christopher Brand, Joe Dixon and Paul Ewing, as Dr Seward, Van Helsing and Renfield respectively thanks to both their characterisations and physical and vocal presence. With so strong a male cast, German actress Maximiliane Bauer as Mina Harker and her Thai counterpart Myra Molloy as Lucy Westenra, look and sound weak – the latter is also evidently too young for this role. Another Thai actor Vin Kridakorn isn’t quite convincing as Mina’s husband Jonathan.

Another bold choice is the decision not to use any microphones in this large modern playhouse. I was nine rows away from the stage on the stalls and enjoyed the highly skilled enunciation of the aforementioned actors but had a hard time hearing and understanding the actresses. M Theatre might have been a better choice for this production.

Also commendable is the sound design, present throughout the play, by Tada Mitrevej, which is soft enough not to compete with the actors’ voice but loud enough to enhance the story’s suspense.

MORE THAN BLOOD

– “Dracula: Blood Is Life” continues from tomorrow until Sunday at the K-Bank Siam Pic-Ganesha Centre of Performing Arts in Siam Square One. Shows are at 7.30 nightly and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday.

– It’s in English with Thai surtitles. Due to its content, the performance is recommended for audience members 12 years old and above.

– Tickets are Bt840 to Bt2,660. Check ThaiTicketMajor for discounts.

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

A boost for Asian art

Posted on June 18, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/A-boost-for-Asian-art-30280589.html

ART

TIMOTHY CHUI
CHINA DAILY
ASIA NEWS NETWORK March 3, 2016 1:00 am

Japan Galleries will have a strong presence at the upcoming art Basel in Hong Kong

ART BASEL IS expecting sales at its upcoming Hong Kong event to mimic robust figures from their late December Miami confab as art dealers and auctioneers navigate a less heady and volatile market.

Art Basel head of Asia Adeline Ooi told reporters Monday afternoon, “Its not an easy time economically speaking,” but added robust sales at their Miami show which served as a litmus test for the season indicated exhibitors can expect brisk business at the Hong Kong show just three weeks away. The fair is being held from March 24 to 26.

Ooi said this year’s Asian instalment had already garnered out sized support from Asian collectors while an unprecedented showing by of museum groups and their patrons, more than 50 at the moment, foreshadowed a heavier institutional presence – which was responsible for buying most of the 2015’s show’s major installations.

“Inadvertently,” Japan will feature prominently in the Hong Kong show with 31 galleries from the country part of the show, Ooi said, with Tatsuo Miyajima responsible for a colossal light installation running up the height of the International Commerce Centre while The Hong Kong Art Centre’s collectors show includes works from seven of the county’s most important collectors.

The global market remains cautiously optimistic after showing sights of a rebound early this year following a 10 per cent decline witnessed over 2014 as investors ply their cash into art in light of volatile equities.

Chinese art collector driven sales cooled following a record US$179 (Bt6.37 billion) million paid for a Picasso in May 2015, with 2015’s total take US$2 billion shy of US$17.9 billion in 2014, according to auction database Artprice.

Prices are up 7.2 per cent according to president Thierry Ehrmann, however the action at Christies’ and Sotheby’s art sales earlier this year has been lacklustre with many masterpieces failing to live up to estimates or even reserve price.

London art fair chief executive Nazy Vassegh said the showings were indicative of a long awaited correction in the market which was more price sensitive and selective.

That old ‘Black Magic’

Posted on June 16, 2016 by SoClaimon

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/That-old-Black-Magic-30280588.html

CONCERT REVIEW

KANG SOON CHEN
ASIA NEWS NETWORK March 3, 2016 1:00 am

Veteran rocker Carlos Santana returns to Bangkok for a knockout show that has fans swooning with delight

GUITAR LEGEND Carlos Santana loves his Thai fans a lot, so much so that he has become something of a regular on the Bangkok concert scene, playing to a sold-out crowd every two or three years. His latest gig, part of his “Santana Luminosity Tour 2016” on Monday night at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thai, was his fourth concert in the City of Angels to date and came just a couple of years after his previous tour in 2013.

Judging by the energy of the concert crowd, the love is entirely mutual. The crowd had been thoroughly worked up and over by opening act Carabao, the songs-for-life veterans and the doyens of Thai rock scene, and excitement was at fever pitch by the time Santana came out on stage.

Compared to his legion of veteran hippie-looking fans at the concert, the 68-year-old Mexican-American seemed like a Zen rock star with his frequent messages of peace and wellness. He rarely broke out into fevered jamming, most of the time contenting himself with blasting out his music nonchalantly, smacking his gums yet still remaining flamboyant.

The set performed on Monday was a mix of classic hits like “Toussaint L’ouverture” , “Gypsy Queen” and “A Love Supreme” plus “Love Makes the World Go Round” and “Freedom in Your Mind”, which are to be released on “Santana IV”, a comeback album with the original Santana band line-up next month.

After “Freedom in Your Mind”, Santana announced that it was time to make the women happy and play “Maria Maria”. The crowd went wild at the hot hit and airwave favourite and sang along to their heart’s content. Lead vocalist Andy Vargas did a decent job of covering the vocals originally performed by The Product G&B.

While the ladies in the crowd were certainly pleased as they sambaed to Santana’s brand of Latin rock, drummer Cindy Blackman, the only woman on stage, stole the attention with her superb, intense performance. Blackman, who is also Santana’s partner in life, proved that she’s very much a star in her own right, keeping the crowd spellbound during her solo.

Just as in 2013, Carabao returned to the stage for a jam with Santana, rocking fans with a well-improvised set that continued for three numbers before handing the stage back to the guitar maestro for “Sacala” and “Oye Como Va”. The show hit a high note with another airwave favourite, “Smooth”, made popular by Rob Thomas.

With a career spanning almost half a century, Santana is one of the few guitarists of his era who continues to tour and make music. His pal, former Beatle Paul McCartney is an exception, though he too is showing signs of slowing down.

Santana, who has always been inspired by late blues guitarist BB King, paid homage to Jimi Hendrix as well as to McCartney at the end of the concert. It was a nice touch but for the packed auditorium, just watching and listening to Santana work his magic on the guitar was enough of a thrill.

Screams for an encore brought the guitarist and showman extraordinaire back out on the stage for a lively rendition of “Soul Sacrifice” and “Saidera” to close out the show.