Mickey Mouse is a character created by Walt Disney – an endearing young boy who later assumed his continuing role as the icon for everything Disney. In early 1928, Walter Elias Disney, a 26-year-old producer, was forced to find a successor to his character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as he had lost the rights to Oswald to his distributor. While travelling on a train from New York back to California, he came up with the idea of the mouse. He originally called him Mortimer, but his wife, Lillian, convinced him to change it to Mickey Mouse because it sounded cuter. Soon after, Mickey made his debut in “Steamboat Willie”. The film was a big success and Mickey’s silver screen career was launched. His popularity was unstoppable and he has enjoyed a global fan base ever since.

“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse,” Disney said on the “What Is Disneyland” television program on October 27, 1954.

Mickey has deeply impacted Disney aficionados worldwide with his undeniable appeal. He is fun, active, optimistic and a natural leader who sparks childhood nostalgia in adults and represents positive values to children while entertaining and delighting audiences wherever he goes. Binding generations together more than any other animated character, Mickey Mouse is the “True Original” who reminds people of all ages of the benefits of laughter, optimism, and hope. With his universal appeal and ability to emotionally connect with generations all over the world, no other character quite occupies a similar space in the hearts and minds of a global fan base. With all these factors, Mickey Mouse has become No 1 licensed character franchise in terms of global retail sales.

Here are 10 fascinating facts and fun trivia around Mickey Mouse

>> “Steamboat Willie” wasn’t Mickey’s first film: Although Steamboat Willie was the first Mickey Mouse short cartoon to be released, two others were produced first: “Plane Crazy” and “The Gallopin’ Gaucho”. Sound was later added to these short cartoons for their release.

>> The first Mickey Mouse wristwatch: One of the most famous early Mickey Mouse products was a watch manufactured by the Ingersoll-Waterbury Company in 1933. It originally sold for $3.75.

>> Mickey’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: For his 50th birthday in November 1978, Mickey Mouse became the first animated character to be honoured on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

>> Evolution of Mickey’s appearance: Mickey has experienced several changes throughout the years. He was given white gloves for an entire animated short for the first time in “When the Cat’s Away” (1929) and spoke his first words, “Hot dogs!” in “The Karnival Kid” that same year. It was in “The Pointer” (1939) that the public first saw a redesigned Mickey Mouse, supervised by animator Fred Moore. In the 1950s, Mickey was given eyebrows (“Pluto’s Party”, 1952). Mickey also entered the world of CG in the late 1990s and 2000s.

>> The first person who animated Mickey Mouse: Ub Iwerks was known for producing 700 drawings in one day. He animated the first Mickey Mouse cartoons almost single-handedly and his record has never been equalled.

>> Mickey’s 121 animated shorts: Mickey Mouse was featured in 121 theatrically released animated shorts and featurettes.

>> Mickey at Oscar ceremonies: Mickey appeared on the Academy Awards ceremony telecast twice. In 1988, he presented an envelope to actor and director Tom Selleck. In 2003, he returned to present at the Oscar ceremonies with actress Jennifer Garner.

>> Mickey’s first publishing on paper: The first Mickey Mouse comic strip was published on January 13, 1930. The strips were drawn by Ub Iwerks for a few weeks and then his assistant, Win Smith, drew them for three months, to be succeeded by Floyd Gottfredson who continued to draw the strip for 45 years.

>> Mickey Mouse Magazine: In January 1933, the Mickey Mouse Magazine was created, which was a small publication containing short stories, articles, gags, games, and poems. Over the years, several different sizes were experimented with, until finally in 1940 the magazine reached the size we know today as the normal comic book size.

>> The first animated characters on the Apple Watch: Mickey and Minnie are the first two animated characters to appear on the Apple Watch. With either of the two set as the watch face, users can tap the screen to let the character speak the time.

ORGANISED by International Cultural Promotions, Bangkok’s 20th International Festival of Dance and Music has wrapped up after five weeks of operas, symphony concerts, classical ballets and a few other entertainments, some of which were quite commercial in comparison to the rest.

And while, as in its previous editions, there were no local works in the entire line-up, it was the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (RBSO) that accompanied the three performances by the Moscow State Classical Ballet in the first weekend of October.

As a result, this festival remains the only one of its kind on the planet that doesn’t present any local works.

The first-week programme was simply the best curtain-raiser ever in the festival’s history of two decades.

Zubin Mehta: Photo by Supachat Vetchamaleenont

The audience had a special treat in two performances – Teatro di San Carlo’s “Carmen” with Zubin Mehta conducting and two programmes of classical music with the same world-renowned maestro conductor.

And that’s also truly the highlight of the yearlong Italian Festival in Thailand, which is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations.

In the very same weekend, Taiwan made a strong case for cultural diplomacy with a percussion concert that bridged West and East, the traditional and the modern. In subsequent weeks, the Western classical spirit continued with memorable performances by the Korean Symphony Orchestra and Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra.

Korean Symphony Orchestra 

The Moscow Classical Ballet was also present for one weekend with works that are rarely seen here, like “Firebird” and “Rite of Spring”, and the opposite, “The Nutcracker”.

The classical ballet programme then continued with performances by Singapore Dance Theatre and the Karlsruhe Ballet, making its third trip here in less than a decade.

So this festival was clearly a major showcase of Western classical dance and music. I cannot recall any international performing-arts festival in Asia presenting these many Western classical works before.

That’s a reason to celebrate, and some audience members who attended all these programmes might not need to watch any more until September 2019, when the festival begins anew.

Michael Jackson Tribute Concert

On the other side of the coin, most of the contemporary counterparts seemed to be more commercial choices chosen to entertain the audience.

Examples included a magic show titled “The Magnificent Seven”, the Bollywood show “Taj Express” and the rock-legend homage “Michael Jackson Tribute Concert”. Many observers must have wondered why these were part of the same festival as Zubin Mehta.

It was as if the festival plan, if there was one, was to convince people that the classical always reigns supreme and the contemporary will never be able to match.

Apart from ICP’s sheer dedication in presenting Western classical works on the grand stage of colonisation-free Thailand, which deserves much applause, Bangkok’s 20th International Festival of Dance and Music had many other helpers.

These included the Crown Property Bureau, Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, BMW Thailand, B Grimm |Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, the Ministry of Culture, Nation Group, PTT, Singha Corp, Thai Union Group, Thai Airways International |and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Mark That Calender

Bangkok’s 21st International Festival of Dance and Music is booked for September 9 to October 19, 2019.

Keep track of developments at http://www.BangkokFestivals.com.

THE AUSCHWITZ museum on Tuesday unveiled its largest-ever exhibition of the art of David Olere, a survivor of a World War II Nazi death camp who detailed his experiences in the gas chambers on canvas after the conflict.

“His work is exceptional because, without him, we wouldn’t know what was going on inside the crematoria,” says Serge Klarsfeld, president of Sons and daughters of Jewish deportees of France.

Olere survived a World War II death camp, later transcribing his memories to canvas and paper. The works are currently on view at a memorial in Oswiecim, Poland. /AFP

“We wouldn’t even know what the gas chambers looked like,” he says at the site of the former death camp set up by Nazi Germany in the southern city of Oswiecim in then-occupied Poland.

“This exhibition comes a few days after the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. Anti-Semitism is still active, perhaps more than ever,” Klarsfeld adds, referring to the murder of 11 Jewish people in the US city on Saturday.

Titled “David Olere: The One Who Survived Crematorium III”, the exhibition features 19 paintings from the museum’s own collection and more than 60 other works loaned from Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, among others.

Born in 1902 in the Polish capital Warsaw to Jewish parents, Olere studied art there before moving to Berlin in 1918 and later settling in Paris.

AFP

He belonged to the so-called School of Paris, which included Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Amadeo Modigliani and Henri Matisse, and earned a living creating set designs, costumes and advertising posters for film studios including Paramount Pictures, Fox and Gaumont.

Deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz in 1943, he was forced to work in the camp’s so-called Sonderkommando, a unit that assisted in the operation of the crematoria and gas chambers.

AFP

In January 1945, Olere was among Auschwitz prisoners evacuated by the Nazis to the Third Reich, where he was liberated by American troops the following May.

Dozens of drawings and paintings he later created show the life and death of prisoners in raw and disturbing detail.

“This unique collection of works is the only iconographic source of those events, performed from the perspective of a first-hand witness,” says Agnieszka Sieradzka, an art historian in charge of the museum’s collection.

Olere’s grandson expresses hope the exhibition will serve as a warning.

“Currently there is a very disturbing rise of nationalism and |populism in Europe,” Marc Olere says.

“I hope this exhibition will help to inform the younger generation of the dangers of these kind of ideologies and that it will contribute to protect them.”

Olere died in Paris in 1985.

Auschwitz-Birkenau has become a symbol of Nazi Germany’s genocide of European Jews, with one million killed at the camp between 1940 and 1945.

Prasopsuk Ratmai, chief of the sculpture unit at the Office of Traditional Arts of the Fine Arts Department, said Pitak Chalermlao was pronounced dead at 12.50am on Saturday at Phra Mongkut Hospital.

He had been receiving treatment at the hospital for lung cancer for about four months and was admitted to the hospital a week before he died.

Pitak made the earth mould for the main garuda sculptures at four directions of the Royal Crematorium.

He was a sculpture artist of the Office of Traditional Arts.

A funeral service will be held at Wat Saket on Sunday.

The hit anti-dictatorship rap song riling the junta-led government, “Prathet Ku Me” (“My Country’s Got…”), has also roused debate and hinted at change in both the political and arts spheres in Thailand, say multidisciplinary scholars.

The 10-member group Rap Against Dictatorship (RAD) used social media as an artistic weapon, its music video-as-political message garnering more than 25 million views on YouTube to date.

The government tried to ban the hit tune, warning that its message and video footage replicating the 1976 massacre at Thammasat University violated the Computer Crime Act’s strictures against information inconsistent with the truth and also threatened national security.

The effort failed. RAD has cheated the censors by using blockchain technology to prevent the government from deleting the video or barring access to it.

But that hasn’t stopped debate from reaching both extremities of pro and con among people from all walks of life, from scholars and politicians to teenagers and monks.

Anthropologist Sorayuth Aiemueyut, who lectures on visual culture at Chiang Mai University, said people incensed by the limits placed on freedom of expression by the government via the use of laws such as Article 44 of the Constitution have found the song liberating.

“The impact of this phenomenon reflects the fact that many Thais are under pressure for calling for democracy under a dictatorial government,” Sorayuth told The Nation Weekend. “The political-art movement deploying new technology is also animating the current political situation, with thoughts being shared in both the virtual and real worlds, something called ‘digital immateriality’.

“In the social media community, technology is the key tool for social change,” added Sorayuth, a PhD candidate in visual and media anthropology at the Free University of Berlin. “This rap song has raised the level of debate about the arts, politics and music, as well as technology.”

Also drawing junta was Anocha Suwichakornpong’s internationally acclaimed movie “By the Time It Gets Dark”, which similarly took inspiration from the 1976 Thammasat tragedy.

Overt political activity is just now resuming after being banned since the 2014 coup, but arts-related socio-political activism has steadily spread, both online and off. Art happenings, posters and music concerts have given voice to campaigners pressing for a return to democracy.

In some cases the authorities have reacted, in one instance arresting demonstrators outside the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Anti-junta artists began adopting “guerrilla” tactics to get their messages out.

The junta-led government has banned many political artworks, songs, films and stage productions. Individuals and groups targeted included Faiyen, a pro-red shirt band living in exile, and graffiti artist Headache Stencil, whose murals have depicted a black leopard and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan’s luxury wristwatches.

Soldiers stormed Bangkok’s Ver Gallery to shut down an exhibition called “Whitewash”, featuring the politically charged conceptual photography of Harit Srikhao. Online political cartoonist Kai Maew had to set up a fresh link (Kai Maew X on Facebook) after being banned for a while. Also drawing junta was Anocha Suwichakornpong’s internationally acclaimed movie “By the Time It Gets Dark”, which similarly took inspiration from the 1976 Thammasat tragedy.

Rising from the underground

These were hardly the first times Thai artists were moved by bloody political events. Photography artist Manit Stowanichapoom and conceptual artist Nutdanai Jitbunjong have used historical image in their work too, though neither faced a ban.

“RAD moved the art up from underground to protest the junta government, using both online and offline platforms,” said visual-arts lecturer Thanom Chapakdee of Srinakharinwirot University.

Manit Sriwanichpoom’s 2001 conceptual photography “Horror in Pink”

“However the long-time ban on political activism under the military junta forced the RAD artists to look for alternatives.”

The song speaks about the hypocrisy of military dictatorship, the deep political divide, deaths on both sides of the divide and the failure of self-righteousness.

“As artists, we want to reflect the truth of the society we are living in under dictatorship,” a RAD member identified only as Hockhacker told The Nation Weekend. “Thailand seems to be caught in a loop of dictatorship. We want to voice what the majority cannot say directly. The lyrics were based on information we collected on social media, reflecting the sickness of our society.”

Thammasat law lecturer Sawatree Suksri said dictators ban political art because of the strong impact it can have on citizens. It’s easy to understand and thus makes convoluted political issues understandable, she said at a recent seminar on “Art, Power and Disobedience” held at her university.

Rap Against Dictatorship’s music video “Prathet Ku Me” (“My Country Got’s…”) hits more than 25 million views on YouTube to date.

Thanom noted that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has often used culture as a form of “soft power” to promote nationalism in conservative ways, like dressing in traditional Siamese garb and crooning mild pop tunes. Most recently, if tardily, he’s jumped onto the new media with posts on Facebook and Twitter as he woos voters ahead of the February poll.

Meanwhile the recently founded pro-democracy Future Forward Party is tapping artists to help its election campaign. Targeting younger people, the party is hosting the “Future Fest: Art, Music, Culture” this weekend at Bangkok’s Jam Factory, with political art and an open discussion about it.

Another RAD member known as the Liberate P initially planned to attend the fest but changed his mind because he didn’t wish to be seen as supporting Future Forward either.

“Unauthorised painting of ancient buildings and national treasures violates the law. We will require complicated technology and conservation experts to remove the paint and return the monuments back to their original glory,” Saneh Mahaphol, director of the Department of Conservation Science at the Fine Arts Department told The Nation.

Over the past few years, a group of Buddhists called “Puen Ruam Thang” (“Companion”) took it upon themselves to “renovate” historical temples by covering daubing gold paint provided by the TOA Paint Company on their faded-exteriors.

However, this triggered a controversy last week after a report on historical temples being repainted raised an uproar on social media, prompting the Culture Ministry’s Fine Arts Department to issue a warning last Wednesday. Consent from the Fine Arts Department is required before any historical monuments or sites in Thailand can be refurbished.

“All renovation plans have to be approved by the department first to be legal,” Anandha Chuchoti, the department’s director-general said.

Anandha has assigned chief archaeologists to check historical sites across the Kingdom and stop any unauthorised renovation work.

The volunteers have, so far, painted Wat Photaram and Wat Lao Thong in Suphan Buri, Wat Samosorn in Chai Nat, Wat Lai in Lop Buri and Wat Paknam Joro in Chachoengsao.

However, this controversy doesn’t seem to have dampened the group’s enthusiasm.

Puen Ruam Thang, led by veteran singer Suthep Prayoonpitak, told media last week that it had “renovated” more than 200 temples – including those registered as monuments – across the Kingdom and plan to continue doing so.

“After seeing the state of these old temples, we decided to donate money as well as our time and energy to bring back their beauty. We believe our ‘merit making’ will help preserve Buddhism as well as promote temples as tourism destinations for younger generations. We hope to continue making merit,” he said, adding that the painting had been done with the permission of the abbots. He also said that the group would be happy to discuss the issue with the Fine Arts Department.

TOA has also posted on Facebook that it will cooperate with all related agencies to solve this problem. The company claims its new acrylic paint, “TOA Gold”, contains high-quality gold pigment and it is being promoted with the motto “The Gold Colour of Faith: Preserve Temples for the Community”.

Meanwhile, Saneh admitted that the Fine Arts Department only has 20 experts and limited funds for the conservation of thousands of national monuments across the Kingdom.

“Painting can be done in a few weeks, while the cleaning process can take a few months,” he lamented.

Last year, Saneh and his team successfully cleaned the 400-year-old Buddha statue, “Luang Por Dam”, at Ayutthaya’s Wat Korokoso. Using conservation technology, the team spent a week removing two-layers of paint to reveal the lacquer and gold leaf on the statue.

“Painting old monuments will add moisture and cause damage. If we leave the paint to dry for a long time, the process of removing it will become too complicated. Professional conservators will need specific techniques depending on the age of the delicate antiques to clean them properly. This work cannot be done by just anybody,” Saneh added.

Meanwhile, Asst Professor Pipat Krajaejun of Thammasat University’s Liberal Arts Faculty said this conflict reflects a misunderstanding on the correct way of preserving our historical heritage.

“In capitalism, gold represents wealth, while in Buddhism it symbolises faith, so the group believes painting temples in gold is a way of making merit.

“This has become a trend because temples are becoming tourist destinations. Sadly, we are spending too much time working on Buddhist monuments, instead of practising and deeply understanding the core of Buddhism,” Pipat said.

However, both Saneh and Pipat agreed that educating people on correct renovation methods could help solve this problem sustainably.

Thailand calls for returns of 18 Buddha statues and sculptures in the collections of such top institutions as New York’s Metropolitan Art Museum and the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, as well as the Asian Art Museum.

“The ministry’s ad hoc committee has called for the repatriation of dozens of artefacts that originated in Thailand from leading US museums and a UK museum,” Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said at a press conference at the National Library in Bangkok.

“After a one-year investigation aimed at bringing hundreds of looted Thai art pieces from the US, we are expecting to get back more that 60 heritage artworks in the near future,” he said.

Thailand calls for retruns of two 11th-century stone lintels, one from Prasat Nong Hong in Buri Ram, right, and the other from Prasat Khao Lon in Sa Kaew. They are currently in the permanent collection of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

Vira said the Prayut Cha-o-cha government had called for the return of 705 looted artefacts from museums in the US and Australia.

Fine Art Department director Ananda Chuchoti said the pieces are expected to be coming home include two 11th-century stone lintels, one from Prasat Nong Hong in |Buri Ram and the other from Prasat Khao Lon in Sa Kaew. They are currently in the permanent collection of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

Also anticipated are 18 Buddha statues and sculptures in the collections of such top institutions as New York’s Metropolitan Art Museum and the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, as well as the Asian Art Museum.

“These masterpieces include an 8th-century bronze statue of the preaching Buddha called Avalokitesvara, taken from Prasat Hin Khao Bat II in Buri Ram,” archaeologist Tanongsak Hanwong, a member of the ad hoc ministry committee, told The Nation. “It is currently with the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York.”

Four other stone architectural artefacts taken from Buri Ram’s Prasart Panomrung and Nakhon Ratchasima’s Prasat Hin Pimai are also expected to return.

“More importantly,” said Tanongsak, “the government also determined that a 13-century Buddha statue now at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies is Thai art and is in the process of calling for its return.”

Thailand is calling for return of from UK’s SOAS of  the 13th-century Lopburi Buddha torso. Photo courtesy of Angela Chiu

Ananda said the government was able to provide photographic and other verification of several artefacts’ origin to the US Department of Homeland Security as requested.

American collector Lisette Christiansen and Thai physician Santi Viboonmongkol, who both keep collections in the US, intend to return 38 prehistoric artefacts, including Baan Chiang pottery, to the government.

IN AN UNREMARKABLE warehouse down a back alley in central London, thousands of paintings, prints and drawings are lined up in racks, awaiting distribution around the world in a British display of “soft power”.

The Government Art Collection comprises around 14,000 mostly British pieces amassed over the last 200 years, and displayed in consular buildings, residences and government offices around the world.

It includes portraits by Lucian Freud and a John Constable housed in Downing Street, Barbara Hepworth screenprints on the walls of the embassy in Bahrain, as well as a Damien Hirst and a William Hogarth displayed in Washington.

Chris Christophorou prepares artwork for British Government buildings at Government Art Collection. /AFP

“Works of art can act as ice breakers, conversation starters, as well as just showing the great creativity there is in Britain,” says director Penny Johnson.

Some are personal choices of the ambassador involved, others reflect the location.

Bridget Riley used the colours of ancient Egyptian painters for her 1982 work “Reflection”, and it now hangs in the British embassy in Cairo.

At any one time, around two-thirds of the collection is on display in more than 150 cities – some in better condition than others.

Extreme heat and bugs are one peril in far-flung missions, and curators submit paintings and pictures to a “tropicalisation process”, in which the back is lined with silver tape.

Some hazards are domestic – an ambassador recently returned a delicate installation to London, fearing it would not survive in his home with three young children.

Other works fall foul of diplomatic tensions.

Protesters who stormed the British embassy in Tehran in 2011 in response to sanctions over the nuclear dispute slashed some of the paintings inside, Johnson says.

The embassy reopened in 2015 and full relations restored the year after, but the artwork was only returned a few months ago.

“The portrait of Queen Victoria is currently being restored and we are hoping that everything will return to Tehran in December,” she explains.

The collection is government funded, and has a budget of 855,000 pounds (Bt36.26 million) this year to cover acquisitions, conservation, framing, transport and installation.

But donations help it keep up to date by investing in new artists.

The collection last month announced a new commission for 10 works by 10 artists over the next decade, funded by a 500,000 pounds donation from philanthropists Sybil Robson Orr and Matthew Orr.

The first TenTen artist is Turner Prize-shortlisted artist Hurvin Anderson, who created the stencil print “Still Life with Artificial Flowers”, inspired by a vase belonging to his Jamaican mother.

 Chantal Condron poses with paintings at the painting storage area of the Government Art Collection in central London. /AFP

One of the limited edition prints has already been earmarked for the Paris embassy, which has about 17,000 visitors a year, providing a perfect platform to showcase British talent.

“Art and culture is one of our great calling cards to the world,” said junior arts minister Michael Ellis at the launch of the new project.

The collection “is part of our soft power footprint around the world.”

Britain ranked number one in this year’s Soft Power Index, which highlighted its cultural, sporting, creative, financial and technological influence in the world.

However, the report – compiled by Portland Communications – warned uncertainty over Britain’s exit from the European Union next year has thrown many of these strengths into jeopardy.

“Continued investment in the institutions and vehicles that export British soft power will only become more vital as Brexit is completed,” it said.

WHEN Apinan Poshyananda, the chief artistic director of Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB), unveiled the inaugural edition of this large-scale international contemporary art event, Marina Abramovic, a big name in the world of performing art, was among the first to volunteer her participation.

BAB, which continues until February 3, sees more than 200 art pieces by 75 international and Thai artists spread over 20 venues around the city from riverside temples, historical buildings, to hotels, malls and galleries.

Marina Abramovic /Nation: Anand Chantarasoot

And Abramovic isn’t only presenting a set of her audience-participation, long durational activities, but has also encouraged young artists who are inspired by her performing method and trained under the “cleaning the house” workshop by her Marina Abramovic Institute (MAI) to come forward with their works and messages.

“I first came to Thailand in 1983 and it was something that really opened my heart – the kindness of the people and the land of Buddhism. When Apinan talked about the idea behind the Biennale’s theme ‘Beyond Bliss’, I felt it was an important opportunity to put my works in this context. It’s true that there are many biennales around the world, but some of them are very political and deal with power and the art market. This biennale is for art itself,” said Abramovic during a recent group interview with the Thai press at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok where she is staying during her participation.

At the age of 72, she is still energetic and as always, dresses only in black.

“What’s important in life is to really love what you do. Black is so practical. I often don’t go home for five months. I’m like a gypsy – going from place to place.”

Marina Abramovic /Nation: Anand Chantarasoot

Abramovic gave a talk at Siam Pavalai Royal Grand Theatre yesterday in front of a 1,000-strong audience. In the next two years, she is going to have a big solo show “After Life” at the Royal Academy of Art in London and her exhibition schedules are booked through 2024.

At the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre until November 11, the veteran artist invites visitors to participate in some long durational activities such as counting rice grains, gazing at coloured rectangular sheets of paper hung on a wall, standing in silence on a raised wooden base, or sleeping on camp beds. The aim is to examine the limits of the body, the possibilities of the mind and being in the present time.

Abramovic invites visitors to participate in some long durational activities such as counting rice grains. /Courtesy of Marina Abramovic

There are some protocols to follow before joining the activities. All electronic devices and belongings must be stored in lockers and Abramovic’s assistants – they’re referred to as facilitators – will direct a series of preparatory exercises that need to be undertaken before proceeding, such as breathing and blocking and physical squats. Noise-cancelling headphones must be worn at all times and no one is allowed to speak.

“No cell phone, no gadgets, you become completely alone with yourself and in the present. Rice counting is about concentration. If you can count the rice, you count life also.

Abramovic invites visitors to participate in some log durational activities. /Courtesy of Marina Abramovic

“The papers have primary colours of red, blue and yellow and the idea is to sit for one hour in front of each colour. You’ll see the difference in how you behave. You will probably find the blue calming and meditative while the red will give you energy and yellow will make you nervous. The purpose is to see how you can be manipulated emotionally with colours. You can apply this to your own life. If you are feeling ill, something red can help. If you want to lose weight, use yellow,” she laughed.

However, she finds Thai facilitators “too polite”, as they perform a wai before leading visitors by the hand to different stages. This show of being “soft, sweet and loving”, she says, interrrupts the fluidity.

She won’t be showing up at her works because “I will completely interrupt the concentration of people there. The concentration will shift to me and I’ll become the obstacle to my own work.”

Abramovic invites visitors to participate in some long durational activities./Courtesy of Marina Abramovic

For BAB, the Marina Abramovic Institute – a multidisciplinary collaboration of artists for immaterial art and long durational works – issued an open call for Asia-based artists working in all forms of performance to create new long-durational performances. The result is a group of eight artists who each present a daily eight-hour performance over the three-week period on the theme “A Possible Island?”

“We had more than a hundred applications. The criteria for choosing the participating artists are charisma, quality, stamina and total dedication to the project. You can be physically strong but if you don’t have real power and determination, it’s nothing. The workshop is very important to training the body. No talking, no eating and heavy exercise for many hours.”

During the interview, Abramovic asked one person to hold the doorknob and slowly open and close the door in a repetitive movement.

“I give this exercise to my students for three hours daily. You never go out and you never go in then the door stops becoming the door, but is your universe. It’s very important to support young artists because to perform eight hours a day is very difficult, especially if you are doing it for the first time. In the evening when they finish the performance, we have to ask if they need some help. Each one is like a baby to me and I feel they are my responsibility.”

Indian artist Vandana invites audiences to gaze at a candle flame to find their inner self. /Courtesy of BACC

Indian artist Vandana invites audiences to constantly gaze at a candle flame, challenging their minds to stay in the present and connect with their inner selves. To question the sense of being a human in this fast-changing world, Thai artist Taweesak Molsawat will each day walk along different routes from his home to the BACC, a journey of about five hours.

Myanmar artist Lin Htet spends the entire three weeks within an enclosed structure made up of barriers and barbed wire as he comments on the ongoing Rohingya crisis.

Myanmar artist Lin Htet spends eight hours a day in an enclosed structure over the course of three weeks to explore the identity of minorities. /Courtesy of BACC

“His piece is so strong and incredibly tense. He stands there for eight hours daily and just looks at you through the barrier. It talks so much to your heart and you really feel the pain and tension. To do that, you have to slowly breath, concentrate your mind, focus your gaze and get the state of mind – it deals with time. The longer you spend time with the people, the more you get. If you give yourself 100 per cent, you get back 100 per cent.

“Eight hours are normally the period a museum is open. You never see the beginning and you never see the end. You always see that kind of fluid continuation. If you go home, it’s in your mind and stays there. That’s why long durational performance is important. But if you do something for just one hour, you can act and you can pretend and after few hours everything is forgotten. You can’t do eight hours during three weeks by pretending.”

Marina Abramovic /Nation: Anand Chantarasoot

Abramovic’s blockbuster work is 2010’s “The Artist is Present”, in which she sat silently at a wooden table across from an empty chair for seven hours a day, six days a week for three months at New York’s Museum of Modern Art as more than 1,000 people took turns sitting in the chair to gaze at her.

“I prepared myself for one year for ‘The Artist is Present’. I sat, I didn’t go to the toilet, didn’t eat and drink water – absolutely nothing. To do this, you have to change your metabolism. For one year, I didn’t have lunch and every day I had an early breakfast to have enough time to go to the bathroom and after that I sat for eight hours of performance. And then I would eat in the evening and drink water during the night. I changed the body to a opposite circle.”

What does she want to do first after completing a long durational work?

“I just want an ice cream, I can’t do anything more!”

Since arriving in Bangkok, she has visited some of the works and is enthusiastic about the quality.

“I visited some temples and I was very impressed by how the artists bridge traditional and contemporary art. The two giants (a work by Thai artist Komkrit Tepthian at Wat Arun) are absolutely fantastic because they make you think. Another work (by Thai artist Tawatchai Puntasawsdi at Wat Pho) with a strange structure and symmetrical magic is also great for its conversation between traditional and new.”

Komkrit Tepthian’s three-metre-tall fibreglass sculpture “Giant Twins” is at Wat Arun. /Nation: Tanachai Pramarnpanich 

When she visited Thailand all those years ago, one of her favourite activities was learning how to cook Thai food.

“I learn how to cook tom yum goong and tom kha gai. I also discovered durian and it’s now my favourite fruit.

“I’m also good at ping pong. I love reading and watching movies and finding young interesting artists is my big passion. My book (‘Walk Through Walls’) is dedicated to two categories of people – friends and enemies. So many friends become enemies and so many enemies become friends. But I forgot the most important category – stranger. And next time I’m going to do that with strangers. I always say to my students to talk to strangers every day,” she says.

Directed by Ian Robinson, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” will bring on stage the usual panto chaos, audience participation, music, ghosts, fairies and cross dressing, including the traditional panto dame.

The show will be performed in English and will offer fun-filled entertainment for the whole family.

As with all BCT’s shows, the cast is multinational with actors and singers coming from different places around the world.

 The surplus of the show’s income will be donated to Operation Smile, a particularly worthy cause.

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” will be performed at Creative Industries at M-Theatre, Phetchburi Road, Bangkok from November 30 to December 2 and again from December 7-9 at 7.30, except for December 2 and December 9 when performances begin at 6pm and 1.30pm respectively.

And for all the non-British who might want to cone along, a reminder: British pantomime has nothing to do with mime. It is a chaotic and anarchic mix of fun, song, dance, bad jokes and corny acting.

Tickets for the evening show are priced at Bt900; for the matinees, children 13 and under pay Bt650.

For booking and more information, visit http://www.bangkokcommunitytheatre.com