MANY OF us have been to Hong Kong – some primarily for shopping and food, others for major arts events that are not coming to our region later. Performing arts aficionados mark their calendars for the Hong Kong Arts Festival, while visual arts fans make sure they’re in town for Art Basel. And I’m sure some of us may have watched a film or a stage performance, visited an exhibition or dined with a view of the Victoria Harbour at the Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC), a three-minute walk from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

What many of us probably didn’t know is that this multi-arts centre, whose programmes are not limited to its building, is already four decades old and remains the SAR’s only independent non-profit multi-arts institution. It also runs Comix Home Base in Wan Chai and the Hong Kong Art School, offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine art.

Gone Wood by Hugh Cho and TS Crew: photo/Pattor Chan, HKAC

Connie Lam, HKAC’s executive director, who writes in the programme booklet that the 18-month project “Cultural Masseur”, part of the centre’s 40th anniversary celebrations, was initiated primarily to “awaken the cultural sense and the pursuit of the aesthetic of the people in the city”. She then elaborates, “we’ve agreed that only a very unconventional name for an arts and cultural programme will do justice to the unique programming.”

The project is wrapping at the end of this month with DragoniX Multi-Arts Festival, comprising four categories of work – theatre and exhibition, thematic walk, site-specific performance and chill chat. And for an arts festival in Asia, such a categorisation is already unique, as most of the others would be offering more familiar works like visual arts, music, dance, theatre and film.

In my favourite dim sum heaven for one weekend, I experienced all four types of work this DragoniX was offering

Unless by Dimitri de Perrot: photo/Pattor Chan, HKAC

The name of the first, theatre and exhibition, merits special attention, not least as many would wonder how the two can co-exist. At Hyson Place’s first floor atrium, Swiss multi-disciplinary artist Dimitri de Perrot put up a music installation work “Unless” (on until tomorrow), inviting shoppers or passers-by to sit down, relax and be taken on a special journey on a raised platform in the otherwise bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay. And so in this theatre, it’s the audience themselves who are the actors and who decide their stage time, while another group of spectators walks past or takes a nearby escalator up or down, watching them and their reactions to the art work.

Speaking at the exhibition opening, de Perrot himself admitted that while he’d worked in many public spaces, he’d never tried to install his work in such a noisy and busy place. In the end, though, the risk paid off, as his music blends with, interacts and occasionally mutes the ambience. Unlike many examples we’re more familiar with, this is not just a department store showing an interest in art simply to attract shoppers to spend their money.

PIU3 by Jaffa Lam: photo/Pattor Chan, HKAC

At HKAC’s main performance venue Shouson Theatre, sculptor Jaffa Lam collaborated with musician and composer Hakgwai as well as the Hong Kong Women Workers Association (HKWWA). As the audience moved from the balcony down to the circle and onto the stage, we saw a real-life woman worker grafting away, offering a timely reminder of how important they are to our society. A feast for both the eyes and ears thanks to the large piece of moving fabric above the stage and the circle, and the accompanying soundscape and music, director Fong Ki Tuen might seek a dramaturg’s help to make the messages clearer.

Chill Chat Panel Roundtable: photo/Pattor Chan, HKAC

For the thematic walk, Hong Kong multi-disciplinary artist Enoch Cheng showed a work-in-progress of his “Bon Voyage”, scheduled to the presented to the public this coming weekend. This physical and emotional journey takes the audience from the dance studio on the top floor of HKAC to many other corners, including the fire escape staircase, and back to the starting point. It’s his personal journey as well as ours, although I wish Cheng had left more space for his audience and that the journey, as a result, was more of the latter.

For site-specific performance, contemporary dance choreographer Hugh Cho and his TS Crew, comprising members with diverse backgrounds that range from lion dance to parkour, turned a ferry pier in Central into their moving stage for “Gone Wood”. Set to Erhu’s music, it brought back memories of the lively bazaar that once lived there, which sadly wrapped almost two decades ago.

Space in Hong Kong: photo/Pattor Chan, HKAC

The most notable of all DragoniX projects is “Space in Hong Kong”, in which students from City University of Hong Kong’s School of Creative Media and Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering collaborate, in three mixed groups, with their counterparts from Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts. Their four mentors are also from various fields – playwright and director Roy Szeto, lighting designer Leo Cheung, sustainable design architect Tony Ip and new media collective XPLOR.

In other words, this kind of interdisciplinary collaboration is not taking place as part of the curriculum. The result is a kind of art exhibition that’s highly performative and invites the audience to really spend time to experience, understand and be inspired by it, instead of walking through or taking selfies. I’m also sure that some these young students from different fields will continue their collaboration into their careers. However, by setting it in such a flexible space as a black box theatre, the work is not really site-specific and the common theme, the lack of space in the SAR, is overused, no matter how crucial it is.

Space in Hong Kong: photo/Pattor Chan, HKAC

Lastly, “Chill Chat”, as the name suggests, took place at tapas bar Ping Pong 129 Gintoneria in Sai Wan. Five Hong Kongers and five international guests from various art disciplines formed the panel, among them the internationally acclaimed theatre director Tang Shu Wing, artistic director of Munich Biennale for Music Theatre, Manos Tsangaris and his Taipei Arts Festival counterpart Tang Fu Kuen. In the first part, we commented on and discussed the DragoniX works we had experienced in the past few days with the artists and a few members of the public. Later on, 10 interdisciplinary art proposals were presented to the panel. After scoring in such categories as interdisciplinary nature, contemporary issues, sustainability as well as feasibility and further discussions, three were given start-up funding of no less than HKD 50,000 (about Bt 210,000), to turn these initiatives into reality.

And so, this Cultural Masseur will continue to massage in the months, if not years, to come. This extension is thanks to a major sponsor who prefers to be listed as “Anonymous”, but who agrees that by stepping out of their comfort zones and realising the blurred and blurring boundaries among art disciplines and their relevance to life, both artists and audiences will not only take risks but also be uniquely inspired.

The writer’s trip was supported by HKAC. Special thanks to Cecilia Wang, Ian Leung, Teresa Kwong and IATC Hong Kong for all assistance.

CATCH THE DRAGON’S TAIL

“Dragonix: Multi-Arts Festival” continues until Sunday. Don’t miss two thematic walks—“Engeki Quest—The Rainbow Masseur” in Choi Hung by Japanese artist Chikara Fujiwara and “Bon Voyage” at HKAC by local artist Enoch Cheng.

Tickets are at http://www.art-mate.net.

For more information visit http://www.CulturalMasseur.hk and the “Cultural Masseur” on Facebook.

Another good resource is http://www.hkac.org.hk.

MAGIC will be in the air as the Bangkok’s 20th International Festival of Dance & Music returns to the Thailand Cultural Centre in September as world’s leading magicians and illusionists take to the stage for “The Magnificent Seven”.

Put together by the International Magicians Society of New York, the two performances on September 19 and 20 promise to take the audience into a never-before-experienced fantasy world with astonishing acts designed to thrill both the children and the adults.

Double Fantasy

The Magnificent Seven are Peter Gossamer and Rocco Silano from the US, Raul Alegria from Spain, Double Fantasy – Vitaliy and Helena Gorbachevsk – who hail from Ukraine, Pole Vlad Kryvonogov, Germany’s Sos and Victoria, and Ariann Black from Canada. The show is produced and directed by Tony Hassini, the founder of the International Magicians Society who is often referred to as a walking encyclopaedia of magic.

Helping create the magic are lighting director Nick Morss, choreographer Maryna Popova and stage manager Mahdi Moammer, himself a professional magician.

Canadian Ariann Black is one of the best female magicians in the world and has staged six successful Las Vegas shows in six different casinos. She’s tailoring a new act just for Bangkok.

Raul Alegria

Rocco Silano from New Jersey had won all the magic awards in the world by the age of 21 and was the poster boy for every magic publication. He remains the only magician in the world, who can be given any object, and with his bare hands, without help of any secret tools or apparatus, create miracles.

Recently when Silano walked into a restaurant, he was handed a glass of water. Without hesitation, Silano poured the water into his open palm; the water turned into ice cubes (real ice), which he handed back to the waiters – their reaction was worth seeing! Then a woman handed Silano a glass of red wine. Again he poured this into his empty hand and turned the wine into real red grapes.

Silano is preparing some really amazing acts for Bangkok.

From Germany come Sos & Victoria, the quickest change artists in the business. Watching Sos & Victoria is almost like watching the catwalk at a fashion show in Paris or Milan. Their unique style of dancing combined with costume changes that happen in the blink of an eye keep the audience entranced.

Vlad Kryvonogov

Also on the list of greats is Raul Alegria from Barcelona, who has mesmerised audiences all over Europe for the past 10 years. His recent outdoor stunt, where he locked himself into a metal torpedo with two tons of explosives caught the attention of the world. As Alegria attempted (and succeeded) his escape from the explosive-rigged torpedo raised 120 metres above the ocean, the world watched – 20,000 onlookers, and 28 million television viewers. Before Alegria steps on stage in Bangkok, the audience will get to see this video as an introduction. He’ll perform amazing magic, as well as two of his signature illusions. One of them is known as the Bear Trap or The Jaws of Death is absolutely breathtaking.

Polish magician Vlad Kryvonogov’s incredible talent includes comedy magic, sleight of hand, grand illusions, and emceeing. He speaks four languages and is one of the busiest working magicians in the last decade.

His magic has taken him around the world to some of the world’s greatest theatres, such as Winger Garden, Palazzo, Apollo and Hansa Theatre.

From Poland to Atlantic City, USA with Peter Gossamer, also world-renowned for his electrifying performance of magic, dance, and theatre. Considered a pioneer in magic for his original concepts and fresh approaches to the art of illusion, Gossamer promises to stun and mesmerise.

Sos and Victoria

With his main female assistant, Carol-Ann Maccri, Gossamer has created some of the most visual and memorable magic on the stage. In Bangkok, he’ll introduce a new illusion that has never been done before.

Double Fantasy from Kiev will bring the shows to an end. Vitaly Gorbachevski and his wife, Helena, began their careers as acting teachers at the famous Kiev Cirque Acting School and their unique and original magic acts have taken them to theatres and television shows all over the world.

Two years ago, they expanded the act from two people to four people, by bringing in the very talented Vitalii Luzkar and Yulia Tataryntseva. They’ll close the show with their award-winning Dream Vision act.

Supporting the Festival are Crown Property Bureau, Bangkok Bank (PCL), Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (PCL), BMW Thailand, B Grimm Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Ministry of Culture, Nation Group, Major Cineplex, PTT (PCL), Singha Corporation, Thai Union |Group, Thai Airways International and Tourism Authority of Thailand

Seeing Is Believing

Tickets are now on sale at Thai Ticket Major counters, online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com, and by calling the hotline at (02) 262 3191.

For more information, visit http://www.BangkokFestivals.com.

The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) at the bustling Patumwan intersection, where popular culture and consumerism converge, was a long time in the planning. Three consecutive city governors spent nearly a decade wrestling with ideas and blueprints.

But how to make its operation sustainable could be an even more difficult undertaking.

Marking its 10th anniversary next Saturday, the centre is facing fresh challenges in budget shortfalls and the possibility that City Hall will take control of its operation. And this comes at a time when the centre’s role is shifting – from art gallery to more socially involved meeting place with activities suitable for anyone and everyone.

The BACC Foundation is currently negotiating with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to retain management control and secure municipal funding.

The BMA gave the foundation between Bt40 million and Bt60 million every year for the past 10 years, but this year cut the amount way back. Bangkok Governor Aswin Khwanmuang has suggested that the BMA take over management and turn the centre into a co-working space, infuriating art fans.

City Council has set up a committee looking at the non-profit BACC Foundation’s management style and transparency in keeping the books.

Committee members paid an initial visit to the centre on July 10 and found no indication of graft. They wondered, though, whether a municipal regulation introduced last year means the BMA’s Office of Culture, Sports and Tourism should be funding the centre.

“The council is pleased to support the foundation in running the art centre,” committee chairman Kamron Komomsupakit told The Nation Weekend.

“The law does in fact allow the BMA to provide a support budget to the foundation, but it must submit its budget proposals to the Office of Culture, Sports and Tourism for approval,” he said.

Pawit Mahasarinand, the centre’s director, was pleased with the outcome of the visit.

“The committee suggested that our directors meet with the BMA office as soon as possible to find ways to amend our contract so that council can approve the support budget legitimately,” he said.

“Council made this very suggestion when it declined to approve our 2018 support budget last year and instead sent it to the BMA office. But nothing has happened in the past 12 months in terms of our contract.”

The BMA’s failure to contribute to the centre’s funding this year has left it struggling financially, but it still has helpful supporters. Among them is the Thai affiliate of multinational conglomerate B Grimm, which recently hosted an exhibition and sale of artworks, raising about Bt4 million for the centre.

The Bangkok art scene is robust, with more than 100 galleries and other venues and some 15,000 artists living here, plus thousands of people working at cultural institutions. But government support is hard to come by. Unlike many big cities, Bangkok’s art centres and museums generally do without cash injections from the municipality or central government.

“All art institutions need to be subsidised and the government needs to be the one doing it,” said Chalida Uabumrungjit, deputy director of the Thai Film Archive. “They can’t survive only through fundraising and sponsorships. We have to convince the BMA to see the benefit of having an art centre in the city.”

Sansern Milindasuta, who chairs the BACC executive committee, conceded that the centre’s fundraising this year had fallen short of needs. “We still need support from City Hall, and it’s the BMA’s role to maintain this city-based centre.”

Pawit said the centre still planned to cooperate with educational institutions in hosting activities.

“Next year’s programmes will be varied and look at a broad range of issues,” he said. “They will not only serve art lovers but also include activities for the disabled, schoolchildren and the elderly, as well as LGBT people.”

And the centre has a new cash-conscious slogan – “The less we spend, the longer we stay.”

“We’re looking for more partners to help us stage various events,” Pawit said. “It’s a different model of work, but the more, the merrier.

“Last year, 1.7 million people visited the centre, of whom 35 per cent were students. The attendance figures for the fiscal year ending June 30 reached 849,163, a 13-per-cent increase from the same period a year earlier.”

More foreigners are expected to visit this year with the inaugural Bangkok Art Biennale beginning in November and continuing into February. The Bt150-million festival of contemporary art will have 75 artists from 33 countries displaying their work at a dozen venues, including the BACC.

“Expanding the audience is important for any cultural institution because it justifies its existence,” Chalida said. “The BACC has the benefit of being right in the city centre, making it easy to share the art with the general public. BACC need to be confident in emphasising that art is important for everyone. In return, people will have faith and support the BACC.”

Long-term sustainable management will be the linchpin, though.

“We’ve studied many cultural institutions in Thailand and overseas, like the Thailand Creative & Design Centre and the Singapore Art Museum,” Pawit said. “We all agree that the PPP model [public-private partnership] is best suited to the BACC. Otherwise, the government or an academic institution or private owners would be running it.

“Once the foundation and the Office of Culture, Sports and Tourism solve the contract issue, I’m certain that City Council will approve a support budget for us and the PPP will resume.”

MOST OF us have friends we haven’t seen for so long that we doubt we’ll ever get to meet them again. That’s a sentiment that also applies to a group of pantomime artists, mostly from Japan, whose multiple talents we haven’t witnessed since a few months after the coup d’etat.

It really was that long ago and the programme leaflet of the “15th Pantomime in Bangkok” also had words of condolence to two artists who had passed away in the meantime, namely Japan’s Honda Aiya and our own Paitoon “Kon Na Khao” Laisakul.

Chuusan and Salva paid tribute to Charlie Chaplin in “Panto Manga Neo”: Photo/Get Live Management

But return they did and the show opened last week at the Aksra Theatre, on top of a duty free shopping mall hugely popular with Chinese tourists, with a grand scene in which the audience was treated to the shadows of many of the participating artists. The short prologue ended with two of our most recognisable old friends, pantomime artist Hatori Hisayo and accordion accompanist Ota Yumiko collectively known as Guri Guri Girls who, as usual, introduced each scene title, this time with the help of Korean colleague Ryu Sung Gook aka Empty Hands.

Yano Kazuki kicked off the show with “Going Home”. Photo/Get Live Management

Japanese expat Yano Kazuki kicked off the first part of the programme with his melancholic “Going Home”. Female artist Inagaki Kahoru followed up with “Firework”, portraying a young girl who gets lost at a fair that ends with fireworks. New duo Ayukoji then took the stage with a double bill comprising “The Needle” and “Japanese Pop Idol”. Japanese master Kojimaya Mansuke, who used to pair with the late Honda Aiya, has a new partner Ayumi, who is young enough to be his daughter but whose skills matched his every move. The characterization work in both relatable and hilarious scenes was also commendable. The first part finished with a few scenes by Thailand’s only professional pantomime troupe Babymime and drew much laughter. Their history with “Pantomime in Bangkok” started as audience members but now they are rubbing shoulders with their Japanese seniors, thanks in part to their late teacher Kon Na Khao.

Inagaki Kahoru got lost at a fair in “Firework”. Photo/Get Live Management

During the 20-minute intermission, some audience members seated in the side sections moved to the empty seats in the centre, having realised that the performance space of most scenes wasn’t filling the entire width of the stage and they’d been watching the show from somewhat odd angles.

It was a wise decision as the second part’s opener by Panto Manga Neo was a visual treat, with artists Chuusan and Salva paying tribute to the last century’s greatest silent comedian Charlie Chaplin. The combination of costume design and make-up as well as lighting enhanced their physical skills effectively too.

Ayukoji performs “Japanese Pop Idol”. Photo/Get Live Management

They were followed by Empty Hands, whose two scenes “Picture” and “Adult” asked the audience to exercise more imagination and proved that Japanese pantomime is not all about comedy. The final act “Chairs” by Yamamoto Koyo was not a big bang but showed his skills in single-handedly portraying various characters with the help of seven different styles of chairs.

In the end, the combination of familiar faces and new ones as well as the comedy and the drama worked well. Most of those who attended the Saturday evening performance didn’t feel that they missed out on the concurrent first half of a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal, and are now looking forward to the 16th edition of “Pantomime in Bangkok”, hopefully next year in a more intimate venue.

Silent Comedy Soon

“BBM48 Babymime Show” is at K-Bank Siam Pic-Ganesha Centre of Performing Arts, on the 7th floor of Siam Square One, on August 11-13 and 18-19, at 11am and 5pm. The trio will be joined by a special guest pop singer Praew Kanitkul.

Tickets are Bt 800, at 088-867-5241. For more information, http://www.facebook.com/SiamPicLive

Keep track of the next Pantomime in Bangkok at Facebook.com/PantomimeIn|Bangkok

THAILAND’S LONGEST running, independent performing arts festival – Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance & Music – celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with six action-packed weeks of operas, ballets, musicals, symphony orchestras and magic.

Running from September 12 to October 18 at the Thailand Cultural Centre, the festival sets its celebration rolling with two legends – the world’s oldest opera house Teatro di San Carlo from Naples (Italy) and the world’s most highly rated orchestral conductor Maestro Zubin Mehta. Together they will open the Festival with one opera and two symphony concerts.

Carmen

Georges Bizet’s opera “Carmen” will be staged on September 12 and 14 with conductor Zubin Mehta heading the orchestra. The opera company, whose history dates back to 1737, will bring tenors Saimir Pirgu and Carlo Bosi; mezzo sopranos Veronica Simeoni and Giuseppina Bridelli; sopranos Jessica Nuccio and Sandra Pastrana; and baritones Vito Priante, Fabio Previati, Roberto Accurso, and Gianfranco Montresor to portray the lead characters in this passionate rendering of a favourite story.

Zubin Mehta

Mehta will also lead the San Carlo Symphony Orchestra in two concerts. Scheduled for September 13 is “An Evening with Beethoven” (“Leonore Overture No 3” and “Symphony No 9” with chorus and singers), while September 15 is reserved for Tchaikovsky “Symphony No 4” and “Symphony No 6”. These performances also celebrate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Thailand.

There’s more in store for aficionados of western classical music when the Korean Symphony Orchestra takes the stage on September 24 followed a week later on October 1 by the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra.

Korean Symphony Orchestra

Chi-Yong Chung, one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation, will lead the Korean Symphony Orchestra and acclaimed piano soloist Jiyeong Mun in exploring Bedrich Smetana’s “Ma Vlast” (“The Moldau; My Fatherland”), Grieg’s “Piano Concerto” and Brahms’ “Symphony No 1”. Chung is highly regarded for his vivid interpretations, deep musical insights, strong ensemble leadership, and virtuoso baton technique. The symphony concert is another celebration, this time of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and Thailand.

The Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra with its 120 musicians and violin soloist Ning Feng will present Jiping Zhao’s “Violin Concerto No 1” and Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No 5”.

 Karlsruhe Ballet

Ballet fans have plenty to look forward to as well with three companies –Singapore Dance Theatre, Moscow State Classical Ballet and Karlsruhe Ballet from Germany – staging performances at the festival.

On September 26, Singapore Dance Theatre, which is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, will perform “Classical Weddings”, a compelling selection of wedding scenes from three ballets – “Coppelia”, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Don Quixote”.

Natalia Kasatkina’s and Vladimir Vasilyov’s Moscow State Classical Ballet has three dramatic ballets performances in store: one-act ballets “The Firebird” and “Rite of Spring” on October 5, the two-act “Nutcracker” on October 6 and the two-act “Legend of Swan Lake and the Ugly Duckling” on October 7.

Moscow State Classical Ballet

“The Firebird”, Igor Stravinsky’s first classic composition, is regarded as a masterpiece of musical narration and deals with love, magic and danger. It tells the story of a magical bird who comes to the rescue of a prince and his princess narrated to surging music. The second half of the evening is devoted to the pagan tale of human sacrifice “Rite of Spring”.

“The Nutcracker” is a favourite with all age groups and brings together the dreams and imaginative powers of childhood in a spectacle of virtuosic dance, inspired comedy and unbridled visual extravagance.

The next offering is the two-act “Legend of Swan Lake and the Ugly Duckling”, a magical retelling of the old fairy tale, which will also appeal to the entire family. Adding to its charm are the 20 children in the cast.

The Karlsruhe Ballet will stage two performances, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on October 14 and “Gala Performance” on October 15. Choreographed by Youri Vamos, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a magnificent work with stunning sets and decorations. The star-studded “Gala Performance” meanwhile promises an unforgettable evening with the best soloists of the company and features 10 extracts from various classical ballets in its repertoire.

Ju Percussion

More music can be found in “Stunning Virtuosity” by the Ju Percussion Group from Taipei on September 16, the “Michael Jackson Tribute Concert” on October 8, and “Born To Dance” by Spain’s Los Vivancos on October 18.

The Ju Percussion Group is all about virtuoso drumming and powerful, passionate percussion as the group weaves rhythms and patterns on large drums, gongs, marimbas and all kinds of percussion instruments.

Michael Jackson Tribute Concert

Fans of the King of Pop will not want to miss out on this “Michael Jackson Tribute Concert” that marks the 60th birthday of the late t entertainer. This elaborate stage production brings the Michael Jackson magic alive with massive LED screens, pyrotechnics, versatile singers backed by a live band and high-octane dancers. The set list includes tracks from solo albums like “Thriller”, “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” as well as his early chart-toppers with the Jackson 5.

Also being staged at the festival are “Break the Tango” with dancers and musicians from Argentina and Switzerland on September 22, and “Taj Express, a Bollywood Musical” on September 28.

Break the Tango

The explosive choreography features tango world champions German Cornejo and Gisela Galeassi along with Ezequiel Lopez and Camila Alegre plus breakdancers Henry “Bboy Prince Henry” Henry Monsanto, Jonathan “Bboy Jonathan” Anzalone, Gil Adan “Bboy Hill” Hernandez Candelas and Kwangsuk “Bboy Issue” Park. Accompanying them is a live four-man band and singer playing electrotango hits by Otros Aires and artists such as Adele, Christina Aguilera, Radiohead, Pitbull and Beyonce.

And what are music and dance without an element of Bollywood? To complete the quotient, the festival is presenting “Taj Express, a Bollywood Musical” on September 28. This brand new production, which features several hits by Oscar winner AR Rahman, blends explosive dance with music, spectacular lighting, and elaborate costumes.

Singapore Dance Theatre

For an even more magical evening, make an appointment with The Magnificent Seven, the International Magicians Society’s top seven magicians, who perform shows on September 19 and 20. The line up features illusionists Peter Gossamer from the US, Raul Alegria of Spain, Ukranian pair Double Fantasy comprising Vitaliy and Helena Gorbachevsk, Vlad Kryvonogov from Poland, German magicians Sos and Victoria, Rocco Silano also from the US, and Canadian Ariann Black (Canada).

The curtain falls on this 20th anniversary celebration on October 18 with an electrifying flamenco performance “Born To Dance” by the seven brothers who make up Los Vivancos. The show offers tap-dance, humour, martial arts, musical virtuosity and aerial-performances that converge with flamenco, symphonic, metal scores and live musical interpretations.

This line up is made possible with the support of Crown Property Bureau, Bangkok Bank (PCL), Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (PCL), BMW Thailand, B Grimm Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Ministry of Culture, Nation Group, Major Cineplex, PTT (PCL), Singha Corporation, Thai Union Group, Thai Airways International and Tourism Authority of Thailand

BOOK EARLY TO ENJOY

Tickets are now on sale at Thai Ticket Major counters, online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com, and by calling the hotline at (02) 262 3191.

For more information, visit http://www.BangkokFestivals.com.

The global celebration over the success of “Mission Possible” – the epic rescue of the of Mu Pa Football Academy team from the flooded Tham Luang cave – has inspired the government to turn the Chiang Rai underground complex into a tourist destination and a “living museum”.

Observers interviewed by The Nation Weekend agreed it’s a great idea, but they wonder whether the plan can be financed, implemented and managed in a sustainable way.

Narongsak Osottanakorn, who was bumped from his job as governor of the northern province but kept on to see the rescue operation to its successful conclusion, announced the plan on Wednesday after the last of the footballers was brought to safety.

If the museum is approved, it would feature much of the equipment used in the search-and-rescue mission along with photos of the dramatic operation. Nation/Rachanon Intharagsa

“We’ve already set aside some of the rescue tools used in this operation for the museum,” he said. “We’ve also compiled a list of the divers who made such valuable contributions. It’s been suggested that we display photos from the 17-day mission and even the clothing the principle players wore.”

Narongsak said he believed the cave could become another tourism highlight for Thailand, attracting many visitors. “And it will be a learning centre for children and divers from all around the world.”

The search for the 12 boys and their team’s assistant coach began on June 24, the day after they were reported missing inside the cave. They’d gone exploring in its subterranean passageways, as they’d done before, but this time they were trapped when flash floods filled the chambers.

Officials of Thamluang-Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park put out the alert after bicycles and running shoes were found abandoned at the mouth of the cave. The search expanded by the day, culminating in the footballers’ discovery on July 2. The rescue mission that came next ultimately had more than 4,500 people from 271 agencies participating.

The way the search-and-rescue operation was conducted – and in the way the missing party survived – are lessons that could be shared with visitors to the cave museum.

A guidebook describes the relatively unexplored Tham Luang cave – for which the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has responsibility – as having an “impressive entrance chamber” leading to a marked path and then a series of chambers and interesting rock formations.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry will present a development plan at a public hearing on July 25. Geologist Anukoon Sorn-ek, who participated in the |rescue mission, was among experts who told The Nation Weekend what might lie ahead.

Turning the cave into a museum would require significant knowledge of both science and the arts, Anukoon said.

“You’d need a comprehensive map of this very complicated cave using the valuable geological information we gained from the global operation during the past 17 days,” he said. He’s been visiting the cave since 1992 but learned a lot more about it on this mission, thanks mainly to the technology from overseas that came into play.

“Elon Musk of SpaceX and the optics firm Leica are interested in cooperating with Thai authorities to utilise hi-tech laser scanners in creating a 3D model of Tham Luang,” Anukoon said. “The museum idea could open a whole new chapter in the cave’s history and provide useful information for public safety.”

Associate Professor Phisan Santitamnont of Chulalongkorn University’s Engineering Faculty, who was also part of the mission, agreed that the detailed 3D model would be crucial. A “virtual museum” would aid in planning the actual museum.

“Besides scientific data, historians and anthropologists could compile the historical and socio-cultural aspects of the story,” he said.

Members of the Engineering Institute of Thailand will next Thursday brainstorm ideas regarding the technology and knowledge needed to ensure public safety inside the cave-museum.

Sculptor Kittipong Suriyathonchuen among paying homage to fallen hero Saman Kunan. Courtesy of Sculptor Kittipong Suriyathonchuen

Artists, meanwhile, are conceiving monumental works honouring Saman Kunan, the former Navy SEAL who succumbed to oxygen deprivation and died during the rescue operation.

National Artist Chalermchai Kositpipat and 300 others from Chiang Rai will on Saturday unveil a 13-by-three-metre painting at the Krua Silpa Art Centre. “I wanted to record this historic miracle,” he said. “It will depict the complicated evacuation scenes in which the foreign and Thai teams helped save the lives of the 13 members of the football team.”

If the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department grants permission, he plans to display a statue of Saman – twice life size but in a material yet to be decided – in front of the cave, while the painting would go inside. The two artworks will cost him about Bt10 million to create.

Young Nakhon Pathom artist Krisna Namulphol is creating a series of 12-inch sculptures called “My Hero”. Among others, they depict Saman, Narongsak, Thai Water Well Association president Surathin Chaichompu and the monk Kruba Boonchum Yannasangwalo.

Sculptor Kittipong Suriya-thonchuen has also created a standing likeness of Saman in his diving gear.

Sustainabe management

Gridthiya Gaweewong, director of the Jim Thompson Art Centre in Bangkok, loves the idea of turning the cave into a learning centre, but said it won’t be easy and would require sustainable management.

“It wouldn’t be easy creating the cave museum in a border area that the ethnic people regard as both sacred and profane,” the Chiang Rai native told The Nation Weekend. “But, if they can do it, they should not ignore the fact that some of the boys are stateless persons, without citizenship.

“Migration and borders and multiple ethnicity should be integral parts of the narrative in the museum. Apart from governance, administration, maintenance and ongoing educational programmes, whichever department is chosen to run it might think it sounds sexy, but it will be challenging. There are various issues to consider before execution.”

There is growing interest in keeping memories of the historic mission alive, that should not be allowed to fade like those of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Observers say sustainable management on the part of the bureaucracy will be essential.

The Tsunami Memorial Museum in Phang Nga’s Baan Nam Khem district – converted from a boat that was swept ashore – gets very few visitors these days. The lack of visitors is not because of local apathy, but rather the Culture Ministry’s failure to maintain it and promote it properly, most people believe.

Chiang Rai native and national artist Chalermchai Kositpipat is joining hands with 200 Chiang Rai artists to create a monument.

On Saturday, Chalermchai and his team will come up with a huge painting at Krua Silpa Art Centre in Chiang Rai’s Muang district.

“I want to record this historic miracle with this painting. It will depict the complicated evacuation scenes where more than 1,000 international and Thai teams helped save the life of 13 members of a football team from the flooded cave,” he said.

The canvas will measure 3 metres by 13 metres, to coincide with the number of survivors.

If the National Park Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department gives permission, he plans to display the monument in front of the cave and the painting inside the cave.

Meanwhile in the Phimai district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, a candle carver Watchara Na-dee has created a special candle sculpture as a memorial for Saman.

He said the purpose of the sculpture was to honour Saman’s sense of duty, that played a role in all 13 lives being saved. He added that no one deserves this sculpture as much as Saman, who is our hero.

The 150cm candle was sculpted into an image of Saman, standing in a diving suit with an oxygen tank on his back. He spent five days carving the sculpture.

The candle sculpture dedicated to Saman is on display at Dem Temple and then will be sent to the Candle Sculpture Contest in Nakhon Ratchasima province during the Buddhist Lent Festival on July 27-28.

In Nakhon Pathom province, young artist Krisna Namulphol has been creating a 12-inch-sculpture of four rescue heroes, include Saman. The others are: Narongsak Osottanakorn, the chief of the operation, Surathin Chaichompu, the president of the Thai Water Well Association, and famous monk Kruba Boonchum Yannasangwalo.

Thailand’s hero Saman has also inspired celebrated Indian sand sculptor Sudarsan Patnaik. He sculpted portraits of Saman on the Puri beach in India with the message: “#ThaiCaveRescue: I pay tribute to diver Saman Kunan who died during the difficult cave rescue operations. My SandArt at #Puri beach in India with message RIP…True Hero”.

 Gallery 36 on the 36th floor of the Pullman Bangkok Hotel G is hosting an exhibition of work by Thai artist Nae “Ano” Anothai Niruttimetee, “Ano’s Wonder Horror Land”, from July 13 through September.

Ano is a Bangkok-based graphic designer and illustrator who graduated from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, with bachelor and master’s degrees in communication art and design. She has collaborated with international brands and painted the walls of shops and restaurants around Thailand and in Melbourne.

Ano taps the surrealist vibes flowing from her subconscious mind. Her colourful graphics, fun, playful and childish, draw on the world around her and her belief that even mistakes can give birth to innovative ideas.

“Wonder Horror Land” illustrates the truth about life being under the rule of nature and how a bad day can turn into a wonderful day. She encourages the viewer to look at life from a different perspective and see that, in Ano’s world, anything is possible.

There is no admission charge. The gallery is open daily from 10 to 5. Learn more from Betty Pongstaporn at (02) 352 4000, extension 1419, or nicha@pullmanbangkokhotelg.com.

A TURKISH ancient temple site in southeastern Anatolia was given Unesco World Heritage status last week during a meeting in the Bahraini capital Manama.

Named Gobekli Tepe (Potbelly Hill), the site is the world’s oldest known megalithic structure located in Upper Mesopotamia and is some 11,000 years old.

The site, considered to be the world’s oldest temple, is in the present-day southeastern province of Sanliurfa and reopened to tourists earlier this year after restoration work was undertaken including a protective roof for the site.

Gobekli Tepe was declared to be a Unesco World Heritage site at the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee held last week in Bahrain. /EPA-EFE

The site contains “monumental circular and rectangular megalithic structures, interpreted as enclosures, which were erected by hunter-gatherers in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic age between 9,600 and 8,200 BC”, Unesco said in a statement. “It is likely that these monuments were used in connection with rituals, probably of a funerary nature,” it added.

On the “distinctive” T-shaped large pillars, there are images of wild animals, which Unesco said provided “insight into the way of life and beliefs of people living in Upper Mesopotamia about 11,500 years ago”.

The late German professor Klaus Schmidt led the excavations of Gobekli Tepe from 1995.

In March this year, his wife Cigdem Koksal-Schmidt warned of heavy machinery and concrete being used to build a path at the site with images she shared on social media.

“I don’t know how to articulate the sadness I feel now.

“Every time I visit, I see a new disintegration come to light,” she was quoted as saying by Hurriyet daily at the time. The site had been on Unesco’s World Heritage Tentative List of Turkey since 2011 and the restoration work was part of efforts to attain World Heritage status.

It has become Turkey’s 18th entry on the Unesco World Heritage List.

YUKI TATSUMI was waiting tables at an izakaya pub in Japan’s Kyoto when something on the table caught his eye – a chopstick wrapper folded and fiddled into an abstract shape.

It was the catalyst for a collection that now includes some 15,000 pieces of found “origami art” made by customers folding the paper sleeves that cover chopsticks at Japanese restaurants.

“The very first one I found just looked like a bit of junk,” 27-year-old Tatsumi admits, but it made him think.

“What if this is a message for me from customers? Cleaning tables suddenly became something fun, just by thinking about it that way.”

A collection of origami made from chopstick sleeves owned by Yuki Tatsumi in Kameoka, Kyoto prefecture./AFP

Tipping at restaurants is not standard in Japan, but Tatsumi came to see the little folded paper pieces left behind by customers as a “Japanese tip”, and started watching out for different types.

He soon found there was a huge variety in the pieces left behind by customers, perhaps no surprise in a country where origami is a popular hobby and taught at schools.

“I discovered many of them were folded in shapes of traditional good luck items in Japan, like a fan, a crane and a turtle,” he said.

“I also once found a table decorated like a fish tank, with paper folded like fish and seaweed.”

Enchanted by his discoveries, he decided to branch out and ask other restaurants to donate the pieces left by their customers to his collection.

In April 2016, he set off on a year-long road trip, asking hundreds of eateries from sushi restaurants to noodle stands to share their transformed paper sleeves with him.

He encountered some curiosity, and even reluctance, from restaurateurs bewildered about why he would want something usually headed straight for the garbage.

But eventually 185 places from northern Hokkaido to southern Okinawa promised to keep whatever they found and send them to him.

“Many of the restaurant owners that helped me told me afterwards that they now find it more rewarding than a real tip in cash,” Tatsumi said.

“It may sound hard to believe, especially for those outside Japan, but this way of showing appreciation that is unique to each person is something very pleasing.”

Now working as a researcher at an art museum in Kameoka near Kyoto, Tatsumi has around 15,000 pieces, each stored in its own small wooden box, like a piece of precious jewellery.

Many are simple, with diners just forming a makeshift chopstick rest out of the sleeve.

But others are elaborate, like a black and white patterned piece formed into a dress, or a blue wrapper twisted into a snake, with the folds following the patterns on the paper.

He sees them as an unspoken message between customers and their servers in restaurants, and worries that as automated service becomes more common in Japan, the “tips” he collects will disappear.

“When you walk into a restaurant and only deal with a machine, I don’t think you would make these items. I really think these are products created only when people communicate in person,” he said.

Tatsumi has already exhibited his collection in Japan, and plans to take it to art events in Paris and South Korea later this year.

He wants the collection to remind people to show appreciation and consideration for what they have.

“Japan is a very wealthy country, where you can find something to eat anywhere at any time, but I think people are becoming less appreciative of what they have or who makes the food,” he said.

“Cash isn’t the only way to show your warm feelings.”