Tag Archives: arts

The puppet master perseveres

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/The-puppet-master-perseveres-30293014.html

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Phatarawadee Phataranawik
The Nation August 16, 2016 1:00 am

Turning 73 today, Chakrabhand Posyakrit has not let a crippling stroke interfere with his ambition to build a grand new home for his paintings and puppets. Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

Turning 73 today, Chakrabhand Posyakrit has not let a crippling stroke interfere with his ambition to build a grand new home for his paintings and puppets. Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

The artist’s Bangkok home is jammed with artwork, including puppet-show sets, a huge Buddha statue and hundreds of paintings, all destined for the new Chakrabhand Museum in Sai Mai. The Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

The artist’s Bangkok home is jammed with artwork, including puppet-show sets, a huge Buddha statue and hundreds of paintings, all destined for the new Chakrabhand Museum in Sai Mai. The Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

Fantastical creations await the return of the puppet master. The Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

Fantastical creations await the return of the puppet master. The Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

While in hospital Charakbhand created 'Gibbon' by blowing paint onto the paper. The Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

While in hospital Charakbhand created ‘Gibbon’ by blowing paint onto the paper. The Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

One of Chakrabhand's students works on a sculpture of Tosakan for King Rama II Park in Samut Sakhon. The Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

One of Chakrabhand’s students works on a sculpture of Tosakan for King Rama II Park in Samut Sakhon. The Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

These elephants, once props for a puppet show, are looking for a new home. Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

These elephants, once props for a puppet show, are looking for a new home. Nation/Thanachai Pramarnpanich

Architect Chirakorn Prasongkit, together with puppet theatre expert Somchai Chitkongkan, has designed the Bt120-million museum building now under construction in Sai Mai.

Architect Chirakorn Prasongkit, together with puppet theatre expert Somchai Chitkongkan, has designed the Bt120-million museum building now under construction in Sai Mai.

7

National Artist Chakrabhand Posyakrit pushes past a stroke to bring a dream to fruition

A stroke has – just temporarily it’s to be hoped – robbed National Artist Chakrabhand Posyakrit of the use of his right hand – the hand that chiefly created all those paintings, puppets, books and essays. But, turning 73 today, he’s utterly undeterred.

In hospital earlier this year he found a way to blow a spray of watercolour paint from his mouth to make art – a pair of pieces titled “Lion” and “Gibbon”. And, while daily physical therapy continues, he’s regularly consulted about a museum of his own being built in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district.

Nation Group reporters were invited to his home-studio on Soi Ekkamai last week for an exclusive interview, his first since returning to the art scene after nearly a year’s absence.

“I’m not healthy,” he acknowledged immediately, sitting in a wheelchair. “I’m weak,” he said, then broke into a grin. “I’m too lazy to paint.”

//

Chakrabhand relied on Vallabhis Sodprasert, deputy director of the Chakrabhand Foundation, to explain some of the details about his health, the museum plans and other upcoming projects.

“In fact we were planning an exhibition of his paintings and drawings for his birthday, right here in this house, but when he fell ill that was put on hold,” Vallabhis said. The show will instead take place around the end of the year.

Chakrabhand’s 500-square-wah home has in the past been more like an art academy, with dozens of students trooping through every day. Some of them are now respected artists in their own right.

With the ajarn – their respected teacher – they’d work on sketches for murals at Wat Tri Tosathep in Bangkok and Wat Khao Sukim in Chantaburi, or design ornate puppet costumes and massive stage props. One was a gigantic sculpture of Hanuman, another a trio of elephants.

On weekends the house would become a puppet theatre, people welcomed in to watch Chakrabhand and his troupe put on a show, with a phipat orchestra clattering away in the background.

The place isn’t quite as lively now, although the students still come by to work on projects. The puppet troupe is on hiatus for the time being.

“He was admitted to the hospital just a few days before they were going to stage a new episode of ‘Taleng Phai’ last November,” said Vallabhis, whose primary function now is helping Chakrabhand in his recovery.

What’s mainly occupying them both in spirit, however, is building the country’s first dedicated puppet museum, part of a grand Bt120-million gallery-studio already under construction in Sai Mai.

The idea arose in 2008 while the artist was battling a developer who wanted to erect a high-rise condominium right next to his home. His friends and the media were on his side, not wanting to see a genuine Thai treasure house threatened. The developer backed off, for now, and the artist’s house became headquarters for the non-profit Chakrabhand Foundation, protecting his paintings and trying to preserve the puppeteer’s arts.

When Chakrabhand first settled on Soi Ekkamai (Sukhumvit Soi 63) more than 50 years ago it was still a quiet residential area, a far cry from the roaring commercial and corporate zone it is today. The menace of a high-rise going up next door worried him because of the fragility of his collection – some of the 200 puppets he keeps are more than a century old. He realised he’d eventually have to find somewhere else to store and display his hoard.

“The two-storey museum with a high ceiling above the ground floor will be the new home for Ajarn Chakrabhand’s masterpieces and include a 300-seat puppet theatre,” says architect Chirakorn Prasongkit, herself a major fan of the artist’s work.

Chirakorn, together with puppet-theatre expert Somchai Chitkongkan, has designed something of Chakra- bhand’s home into the 5,000-square-metre museum building, which he says will be energy-efficient and easy to maintain. As in a traditional Thai house, the high-ceilinged ground floor will serve multiple uses, and feature a 1,500-square-metre open-air hall suitable for parties and seminars.

Upstairs will be the theatre, under another lofty roof, with enough room to handle large productions of up to 100 performers and crew. The museum area itself, 780 square metres, will have a gift shop and small caf้ and be surrounded by a mezzanine hung with the paintings and sketches.

Display cases will hold puppets and something else that always amazes viewers – tiny, fragile dolls made from nutshells. “The exhibition space will have light dimmers and humidity controls,” says Chirakorn.

There will be three main exhibition rooms. The first, with 250 square metres, will hold the paintings, drawings, mural sketches and portraits of the royal family and other prominent clients and the artist’s friends and characters from Thai literature.

The puppets, stage sets and props will be in a second, 300-square-metre room, alongside a 125-square-metre studio that will “imitate” his studio in Ekkamai, a “living museum” where visitors will occasionally get to see Chakrabhand at work.

“He requested the soft, natural light as if falling on the North Pole, so there are no shadows,” the architect says.

Exterior construction is nearly finished, at a cost of Bt50 million. The land cost another Bt30 million. The second phase will involve the interior design and climate control.

“We don’t know yet when will the museum will be finished, but we’re currently raising the money to complete it,” said Vallabhis.

“Ajarn Chakrabhand’s aim is to preserve this collection as a national treasure, so this museum belongs not just to him but everyone,” Chirakorn adds.

NATIONAL TREASURES

– Everyone’s invited to help Chakrabhand’s friends and students celebrate his birthday a little late, on August 28, beginning with a merit-making ceremony at 8am with monks from Wat Khao Sukim.

– Part of the proceeds from the sale of his works will go to the museum fund.

– The Chakrabhand Foundation is at 49 Soi Ekkamai opposite the Lotus maket and open daily from 10am to 6pm.

– Find out more at (02) 392 7754.

 

China’s rise in pictures

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Chinas-rise-in-pictures-30292829.html

CHINA THROUGH THE LENS

Phatarawadee Phataranawik
The Nation August 15, 2016 1:00 am

American Pulitzer Prizewinning photojournalist Liu Heung Shing has brought his revealing 'China’s Dream 1976-2015' exhibition to Bangkok. Nation/Adisorn Chabsungnuen

American Pulitzer Prizewinning photojournalist Liu Heung Shing has brought his revealing ‘China’s Dream 1976-2015’ exhibition to Bangkok. Nation/Adisorn Chabsungnuen

Coca-Cola was banned in China under Mao, but made a triumphant return in 1980, setting up its first Chinese bottling plant in Beijing. Nation/Adisorn Chabsungnuen

Coca-Cola was banned in China under Mao, but made a triumphant return in 1980, setting up its first Chinese bottling plant in Beijing. Nation/Adisorn Chabsungnuen

From left, a Western-style fashion shoot generates surprise, China's first transgender ballerina, an opera star at home, and folk dancing at the Peking Theatre. Nation/Adisorn Chabsungnuen

From left, a Western-style fashion shoot generates surprise, China’s first transgender ballerina, an opera star at home, and folk dancing at the Peking Theatre. Nation/Adisorn Chabsungnuen

Liu came across a queue of young couples waiting their turn for some private cuddling in a public park in 1978. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

Liu came across a queue of young couples waiting their turn for some private cuddling in a public park in 1978. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

mural of Mao and Hua Guofeng towers over a passerby. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

mural of Mao and Hua Guofeng towers over a passerby. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

Contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang, here posing with his wife, fetches millions of dollars for his paintings. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

Contemporary artist Zhang Xiaogang, here posing with his wife, fetches millions of dollars for his paintings. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

The ladies of China’s nouveau riche are seen at play in the modern urban landscape of Shanghai. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

The ladies of China’s nouveau riche are seen at play in the modern urban landscape of Shanghai. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

Students hit the books under the streetlights of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, at the time the best-lit spot in the capital. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

Students hit the books under the streetlights of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, at the time the best-lit spot in the capital. Photo/ Liu Heung Shing

8

Bangkok gets a look at Liu Heung Shing’s remarkable photo record of historic change

Born in Hong Kong, Liu Heung Shing studied political science in the United States and soon after began working as a photojournalist for Time magazine out of New York. Then he got his “dream assignment” – he was to return to China to record the astonishing changes taking place following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976.

That original assignment grew in scope to include features for Associated Press on the rapid growth initiated by Deng Xiaoping beginning two years later.

The fruits of Pulitzer Prize-winning Liu’s labour have been compiled in the exhibition “China’s Dream 1976-2015”, which is now showing at the China Cultural Centre in Bangkok until August 21. It’s the first time he’s shown his work in Thailand.

With Associated Press, Liu was also posted in Los Angeles, New Delhi, Seoul and Moscow. He’s currently an adviser to China Daily and last year founded the Shanghai Centre of Photography.

//

“I arrived in China right after the death of Mao, which marked a whole new beginning – though the Chinese didn’t yet realise it,” the 62-year-old told The Nation at the show’s opening last week.

“But the moment Mao died I just felt an immediate change in the ‘body language’. I said, ‘A-ha, maybe this is a new dawn.'”

Most of the works on view were initially published in the 1983 Penguin pictorial book “China after Mao”, and the show itself appeared in the China Pavilion at the 2013 Shanghai Expo. The Bangkok edition is smaller – just 41 photos – but ably covers Deng Xiaoping’s dramatic economic reforms that gave the country modernity it has, quite literally, capitalised on ever since.

The images are mainly black and white from the mid ’70s to early ’80s, but colour shots befit China’s rise to wealth in more recent years.

One of the more memorable pictures features an enormous mural that was displayed on the Shanghai Bund. It shows Mao handing power to Hua Guofeng, the reformer subsequently sidelined by an even greater reformer, Deng.

The mural towers over a pedestrian on the street below it. Liu said the sense of disproportion was deliberate.

“It captures the relationship between the private individual and the state government. That’s how China seemed when I arrived in 1977.”

The show is arranged just as deliberately to illustrate the rapid pace of China’s development over the course of 30 years.

“The first part covers the mid ’70s to early ’80s. I was there again from 1983 to 1989, when the Tiananmen Massacre too place, and returned again in 1997 to take in more of the progress that had occurred.”

The changes he witnessed included the return of Coca-Cola (banned

under Mao), the first Sony advertising billboard in Shanghai, and the first time a fashion shoot took place on the street, the model clad in Dior. Capitalism had found a fresh marketplace – or rediscovered a lost one – as is clear enough in Liu’s 1981 shot of a young man flaunting a bottle of Coke in front of Beijing’s Forbidden City.

With economic and political change came shifts in social behaviour. Liu photographs the first transgender to become a popular television personality and peeps at a couple being clandestinely affectionate amid city park shrubbery.

“It shows how little privacy Chinese couples had – this was the only place they could go on a date. What you don’t see are other couples nearby, waiting for their turn!” he laughs.

Three men in modern attire, complete with sunglasses, were spotted near the Thai border in 1980. “As a result of the open-door policy,” the caption explains, “from the late 1970s, modern fashion began to influence China’s youth. Here, ‘cool’ Yunnan style, as three hip young men in Kunming capture the trend of the moment.”

Liu said such images illustrate “people coming out from under Mao’s shadow”.

Again, the metaphor becomes literal in a shot of high-school kids study

ing for their university entrance exams under the streetlights in Tiananmen Square, the best-lit spot in the capital in 1980. Electric lighting in homes was still rare.

No one took college entrance exams during Mao’s suppressive Cultural Revolution, Lui pointed out. “To get this shot I lay on the ground and had to use a 23-second exposure because the light was so dim.”

Liu said China is filled with “very complex truths”.

“I came to understand China better when later on I watched the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989” – for the coverage of which he shared the Pulitzer. His book “USSR: Collapse of an Empire” was published in Thai in 1992.

“I realised how political Chinese society was, where ideology predominated so much that it interfered with people’s daily lives, and yet the people had grown inured to it.

“The changes came very rapidly. The rest of the world wondered where all the energy came from. If you look at these photographs spanning 30 years, you can see that the Chinese had little room for personal aspirations. So, once the gate was raised, they all started running.”

The closing section of the exhibition captures in colour the startling rise in wealth in what had been an impoverished nation.

Liu took portraits of artists such as Zhang Xiaogang, Liu Xiaodong and Ding Yi, who have become internationally acclaimed and whose work sells for millions of dollars. He has pictures of the urban nouveau riche, like the women yuppie cruising along “the Wall Street of Shanghai” in a sports car and another woman talking on her mobile with the soaring Shanghai Tower in the background. The wife of China’s wealthiest man poses in an evening dress of shocking pink.

“I titled the show ‘China’s Dream’ because a big portion of the population has achieved its material dreams, though not yet the spiritual dream, which will take a longer.”

THE SWEEP OF HISTORY

– The exhibition “China’s Dream: 1976-2015” continues at the China Cultural Centre, next to the Thailand Culture Centre on Rachadaphisek Road, until August 21.

– The show is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8am to 5pm.

– Find out more on the “cccbkk” page on Facebook and from the Shanghai Centre of Photography at http://www.SCOP.org.cn.

 

Getting creative with drama

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Getting-creative-with-drama-30292826.html

STAGE REVIEW

Pawit Mahasarinand
Special to The Nation August 15, 2016 1:00 am

3

The Thai adaptation of a contemporary American play is a charming treat

We take swimming classes in order to be able to swim and driving lessons to be able to drive but of course we don’t aim to win an Olympic gold or an F1 race when we sign up. But what about acting classes? In fact most of those who have taken acting classes are not working as professional actors and several of the TV and movie superstars we know today might never have taken one. Many acting coaches, meanwhile, are running personality development classes, applying acting techniques and exercises for non-performers.

In 2009, American playwright Annie Baker won Obie Awards’ best new American play for her “Circle Mirror Transformation”, which was staged across the Pond at London’s Royal Court Theatre a few years later. Thai playwright, director and actor Jaturachai Srichanwanpen watched the AEC premiere last year while pursuing his graduate degree in Singapore and asked his long-time collaborator Parnrut Kritchanchai to translate it and give it a Thai context.

The result is “Lapta hen thungya khiaokhachi mi wua neung tua”, or “The Moo Moo Field”, in which Jaturachai directs a strong ensemble of five thespians: Kittiphon Udomrattanakulchai, Kriengkrai Fookasem, Khalid Midam, Punika Rangchaya, and Nualpanod Nat Khianpukdee.

The latter two have less stage experience than the former three and yet this play looks and sounds as if they have spent a great deal of time together. Credit is due to Jaturachai who deftly hones their acting style and unifies them here.

//

Khru Matthani, played by Kittiphon in a rare speaking role considering her butoh and physical theatre credits, runs a six-week acting class involving exercises to hone relaxation, imagination and characterisation. Her husband Samat – Kriengkrai in yet another memorable performance – is a member of the class. Other participants are divorced carpenter Chat, played effortlessly by Khalid, former actress Sarin, portrayed by Nualpanod, who delivers an engaging performance, and high-school student Tuabung (Punika in a convincing portrayal) whose class fees are still due,

For audience members who haven’t been to acting classes, this is an eye-opening experience. For those who have, the play will recall fond and heartfelt memories. For all those watching, this is a charming evening at the theatre that doesn’t aim for a strong climax but lets the audience take it in slowly, subtly and yet passionately.

The problem is that acting classes in the US, which is the original script are referred to as “adult creative drama” class”, differ a great deal from their Thai counterparts. Tuabung even asks Khru Matthani whether, with all these exercises, she will get an opportunity to really perform and, in another scene, questions the purposes of the exercise.

I wish Parnrut and Jaturachai had taken the adaptation further – the way Parnrut usually does in her adaptations of western plays. The result might have been an acerbic commentary on theatre education and actor training here.

With three lamps hanging from the ceiling, a standing mirror and a soft floor, Jirakit Sonthornlarpyod creates a simple but believable acting classroom. I especially enjoyed the moments when they’re in-between classes and their similarities and differences in and out of the classroom reconfirm that acting is simply doing and being in the moment, and not creating someone who’s larger than life.

What can you see?

The last show of “The Moo Moo Field” is tonight at 7.30pm, at Democrazy Studio, a 5minute walk from MRT Lumphini station, exit 1.

It’s in Thai with no English surtitles.

Tickets are Bt 550 at (086) 899 5669.

Next up is “Happy Hunting Ground”, Democrazy Studio’s collaboration with Germany’s Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, with four Thai and two German actors.

The world premiere is at Sodsai Pantoomkomol Centre for Dramatic Arts from September 13, before touring to Burapha University, Karlsruhe and Bern, Switzerland.

For more details, check Facebook.com/DemocrazyStudio.

 

Illusions and camouflage

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Illusions-and-camouflage-30292820.html

CONTEMPORARY ART

Lee Wooyoung
The Korea Herald
asia news network August 15, 2016 1:00 am

Emma Hack draws on a model during a live performance that recreates a painting by the 18th-century genre painter Kim Hongdo at Savina Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo/Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

Emma Hack draws on a model during a live performance that recreates a painting by the 18th-century genre painter Kim Hongdo at Savina Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo/Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

'Vreeland’s Cockatoo – Birds of a Feather' by Emma Hack. Photo/Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

‘Vreeland’s Cockatoo – Birds of a Feather’ by Emma Hack. Photo/Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

'Oriental Bouquet Cradled Finch – Utopia' by Heck Photo/Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

‘Oriental Bouquet Cradled Finch – Utopia’ by Heck Photo/Savina Museum of Contemporary Art

3

Body painter Emma Hack covers her models in wallpaper art

Australian artist Emma Hack paints on a model’s body until it perfectly aligns with the intricate, colourful patterns of the wallpaper behind the model.

In other work, she perfectly adjusts the contours of her models to match the detailed patterns of flowers and animals.

The artist’s work – captured in photographs -has been exhibited in major cities around the world, including New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. She is holding her first solo exhibition |in Korea at Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul until |Oct. 30.

Hack rose to international fame in 2011, when she collaborated with Belgian musician Gotye on his music video “Somebody That I Used to Know.” The music video, which has amassed more than 803 million views, features Gotye body-painted by Hack to match the colour block patterns of the background wall.

//

For the opening of her Seoul show, Hack spent seven hours demonstrating her art and recreated a lotus painting by the 18th century Korean painter Kim Hong-do with a Korean contemporary dancer.

“It was an honour to recreate Kim Hong-do’s work. The result was beautiful and my model was perfect as the lotus,” the artist said later.

A former makeup artist, Hack took her makeup skills to a new level when she won a body painting championship in 2001. Inspired by a German model and artist called Veruschka, who depicted herself body-painted against a series of rustic wall settings, Hack began painting on bodies based on wallpaper designs by the late Australian interior designer Florence Broadhurst.

“I love Broadhurst’s oriental and Australian designs,” she explains. “I feel connected to this style of painting and find oriental mythology very interesting. I have travelled throughout Asia and love the motifs and designs.”

The Savina exhibition features a total of 49 photographs by Hack that represent major series by the artist from 2005 to 2010. In the “Wallpaper” series from 2005, Hack made her models stand out visually by leaving a few parts of their bodies unpainted, which gave off a fashion photo vibe. In the following series, she began to hide her models by completely blending them into the wallpaper backdrops.

In her “Birds of a Feather” series, the contours of her models are difficult to make out against the strong, bright flower-patterned backdrops. Upon closer inspection, the models can be seen holding exotic birds such as peacocks, cockatoos and crows.

Hack frequently features birds in her series as an environmental statement that emphasises harmony between life and nature. In her 2009 “Native Mandala” series, she featured Australia’s best-known animals -kangaroos, lizards and cockatoos – held by her models who are perfectly blended into the wallpaper.

Looking at the final images, it’s hard to estimate how many hours have been put into the body camouflage painting they depict. But the work process is very labour-intensive, and requires the artist and the models to stand from eight to 15 hours. It takes a lot of patience for a model to stand still for many hours while the artist applies paint with brushes and checks to see that each brushstroke matches the wallpaper through the camera lens.

“Fatigue and working with animals and birds always offers a challenge. I do enjoy challenging myself though, it’s important for growth as an artist,” she says.

Hack prefers to work with the same models, pointing out that they know what to expect from the long creative process. She has a few models in Australia she works with regularly.

“The first few hours pass then we break and chat. It helps to know the girls well. It’s a good catch-up and they are keen to do a great job for me, so it’s never a boring time!” she says.

 

Bagism is back, sort of

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Bagism-is-back-sort-of-30292819.html

CONTEMPORARY ART

Zhang Kun
China Daily
Asia News Network August 15, 2016 1:00 am
The exhibition 'Bagism: We Are All in the Same Bag!' showcases historical pieces and iconic handbags, as well as creations by contemporary Chinese artists. Photo/China Daily

The exhibition ‘Bagism: We Are All in the Same Bag!’ showcases historical pieces and iconic handbags, as well as creations by contemporary Chinese artists. Photo/China Daily

A Shanghai art museum puts handbags on a pedestal in a bid to mirror social change

“Bagism: We Are All in the Same Bag!” is the name of an exhibition at the chi K11 Art Museum in Shanghai and not quite what John Lennon and Yoko Ono had in mind when they coined the term in 1969. On display through October 10 are more than 300 handbags dating back 400 years.

Celebrity-owned totes are represented among the antiques, historical pieces and very modern bags created by 15 contemporary artists. If Lennon and Ono, in the midst of their peace campaign, were trying to show the futility of race, class and gender stereotyping, well, at least the Shanghai show is diverse in its wares.

Co-curator Penny Liu says she utilised the term “bagism” to address the social and cultural significance of bags. She and Frenchwoman Elisabeth Azoulay have borrowed handbags from more than 70 museums and private collections around the world, including the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, Palais Princier de Monaco and the Simone Handbag Museum of Seoul. Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermes have also contributed pieces.

Azoulay notes that the handbag first appeared as an accessory in the 1600s, at the beginning of the Renaissance. “Aristocratic people wanted to keep their secrets,” she says, meaning their political correspondence, love letters and so on.

The earliest bags were made of fine fabric with lots of embroidery, jewellery, lace and other decorations, reflecting the owner’s wealth and status. But when the French Revolution made everyone equal, men began relying on pockets integrated into their garments, leaving women holding the bag, as it were.

In modern times women began wearing less jewellery, hats and gloves and hid less behind fans or umbrellas. The handbag is a “survivor of the period”, Azoulay says, in fact more in demand than ever as women entered the workforce and had to travel more.

In terms of standout bags, Azoulay says, French couturier Coco Chanel was the first to give a bag a name. In February 1955 when she was 72 years old, she designed the “2.55”, so designated for the month and year.

Only in the early 20th century did firmer, more durable leather begin replacing silk and other fabrics as the bag material of choice, and Chanel used quilted leather and lambskin in hers, inspired by the jackets worn by stable hands – and the stained-glass windows she remembered from convent school.

More “iconic” bags followed, often named after royals or celebrities, such as the Kelly bag honouring Princess Grace (nee Kelly) of Monaco.

In recent decades, as clothing became more unisex and featured less colour and decoration, the handbag was the holdout in signifying social status and style choices. The luxury fashion brands began producing “it bags” bearing their logos. “You can make a good impression with a nice bag even if you wear cheap clothes!” Azoulay says.

And, as handbags became more expressive, new possibilities arose. Artists participated in designing them, such as surrealist master Salvador Dali to acclaimed architect Zaha Hadid, samples of whose work is included in the exhibition. You can even see a bag used by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

Among the contemporary artists featured are Zhang Enli and Xu Zhen and younger talents Pixie Liao and Peng Wei. They’ve used various media and styles, projecting the handbag as a vessel for desire, a metaphor for the human existence, even a demonstration of values and ideas.

K11 Art Mall founder Adrian Cheng says the exhibition is likely to trigger a trend in fashion-and-art crossover shows. “We hope people get inspired to know more and talk more about the concept of art and the history of fashion design and see the relationship between the two, and how it inspires Chinese contemporary artists and society.”

Great washes for a rainy day

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Great-washes-for-a-rainy-day-30292792.html

CITY SCENE

The Nation August 13, 2016 1:00 am
pic

Samsung introduces a new front loader that allows you to add clothes during the wash cycle

The rainy season is often a headache for busy mothers, as they struggle to keep up with the endฌless washing generated by young kids.

Samsung, a world leader in innovative digital home appliances, has come up with the solution to these problems with the introduction of its state-of-theart front-loading washing machine, which boasts a dedicated door allowing users to add extra pieces of clothing to the wash compartment while the machine is in use.

Mothers attending the recent launch event were happy to share their experience and explain what they wanted from a washing machine. Said Jannis Yangpichit, a mother of twins: “For me the pleasฌure and the chores are double. I seem to be constantly bombarded by dirty clothes and have to wait for hours if I want to do a second wash as I cannot interrupt the cycle of my front-loading washing machine.”

Actress Nana Rybena, mother of Bena and Brooklyn, adds that she feel lucky that today’s mothers have lots of appliances to facilitate their daily chores. “I use a front-loading washing machine but often end up hand washing extra dirty outfits. I really wish that every front-loading washing machine were equipped with a time-saving tool so I could add the muddy clothes to the wash while the machine is still in use. I remember when a complete washing course took two hours. At least today, a cycle is completed in just an hour.”

Fashion designer Monlada Pongpanich knows the importance of a good washing machine, explaining that all her outfits and accessories need gentle handling. “A washing machine has a serious flaw – everything put in the same wash has to go through the same cycle, which can damage some delicate articles. This new machine can both reduce detergent stains and preserve the quality of the fabrics.”

Modern laundry is much more convenient with the addition of another door, allowing the new Samsung Addwash to take in additional outfits during the current washing cycle, says Saowanee Sirariyakul, the brand’s digital appliances business director.

Moreover, the proprietary Eco Bubble technology uses both air pressure and water pressure to turn detergent into a delicate foam so it can easily pass through layers of fabrics. This technology helps retain the quality of all fibres and eliminates detergent stain formation on the surface of washed items.

Truly fit for a Queen

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Truly-fit-for-a-Queen-30292756.html

ARTS & CULTURES

Kupluthai Pungkanon
The Nation August 12, 2016 1:00 am

Balmain and master embroiderer Lesage together created this variation on Thai national dress for Her Majesty to wear during a state visit to Iran in 1967.

Balmain and master embroiderer Lesage together created this variation on Thai national dress for Her Majesty to wear during a state visit to Iran in 1967.

This dress, one of the most formal of Her Majesty’s wardrobe, clearly shows Balmain’s love of eighteenth-century style.

This dress, one of the most formal of Her Majesty’s wardrobe, clearly shows Balmain’s love of eighteenth-century style.

The black-and-white polka dots outfit comes with a jacket open at centre back from shoulder blade to hem, offering glimpse of the fitted dress beneath.

The black-and-white polka dots outfit comes with a jacket open at centre back from shoulder blade to hem, offering glimpse of the fitted dress beneath.

Louis Vuitton's trunk with the Queen's cipher.

Louis Vuitton’s trunk with the Queen’s cipher.

Their Majesties with singer/actor Elvis Presley at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, June 21, 1960. (Courtesy of QSMT)

Their Majesties with singer/actor Elvis Presley at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, June 21, 1960. (Courtesy of QSMT)

Pierre Balmain ushers Her Majesty Queen Sirikit to a fashion show staged in her honour at Maison Balmain in Paris, October 12, 1960. (Courtesy of QSMT)

Pierre Balmain ushers Her Majesty Queen Sirikit to a fashion show staged in her honour at Maison Balmain in Paris, October 12, 1960. (Courtesy of QSMT)

6

Elegant outfits designed for Her Majesty by couturier Pierre Balmain go on show

WHEN THEIR Majesties the King and Queen embarked on a six-month state visit to 15 Western countries in 1960, the Queen was quick to recognise that the tour would offer an unprecedented opportunity to promote Thai textiles to the world.

She chose to do so through elegant Western-style attire, commissioning leading French couturier Pierre Balmain to design a regal wardrobe using mainly Thai silk. Balmain proved an excellent choice and Her Majesty garnered tremendous interest and acclaim, which contributed greatly to the tour’s success. Indeed, the trip established her as an international tastemaker and the era’s epitome of royal style with newspapers and magazines scrambling to publish photographs of the Royal couple.

Some of those elegant outfits are now on show in a new exhibition at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles titled “Fit for a Queen: Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Creations by Balmain”, which celebrates the auspicious occasion of Queen Sirikit’s seventh-cycle birthday.

“Fit for a Queen” focuses on the 22-year working relationship between Her Majesty and Balmain and showcases more than 30 of Her Majesty’s most stylish daytime, cocktail, and evening dresses, plus related accessories. Also on display are several pieces of the luggage custom-made by Louis Vuitton for Their Majesties along with nine design sketches and embroidery swatches on loan from Balmain SA and the House of Lesage in Paris to help illuminate the design and creation processes. Period footage and photographs further enrich the show.

//

“Balmain had to design all the dresses as well as the Queen’s hats and furs. It was cold in Europe and he made them in-house. He contracted well-known shoemaker Rene Mancini, who made a lot of shoes for couture houses including Maison Balmain and the footwear he designed is also on show here,” explains the museum’s consultant Melissa Leventon.

“Balmain went to Louis Vuitton for the trunks that would be required to transport the dresses and ensure they looked just like they had come fresh from the couturier. They are 24 in all, each with Her Majesty’s cipher and numbered so that her two wardrobe attendants could make sure that all the dresses were ready upon notice.”

Balmain chose to make Her Majesty visible to the crowd by using bright colours – Queen Elizabeth II’s couturier’s use the same technique.

“When Her Majesty arrived in a new city, she would disembark from the plane or car attired in a Thai silk suit in what we call jewel colours like emerald, ruby and garnet. These Balmain contrasted with patterned blouses and customised with a little bow that washis signature. He coordinated the whole outfit very neatly,” Leventon continues, adding that she thinks both Balmain and Her Majesty loved black-and-white polka dots because the Queen bought several polka-dots outfits over the next couple of years.

Balmain, along with Francois Lesage, who provided the embroidery for Her Majesty’s formal clothes, remained closely involved with the development of the Queen’s style.

As Her Majesty felt very comfortable with Balmain, she decided to continue to use him as her couturier. In 1963 Balmain and Lesage started to make the Thai national dress in eight styles and from the early 1970s their |work was further extended to developing strategies to transform Thai village silks into fashionable Western attire, which were |worn by Her Majesty to promote the work of the Support Foundation.

For an official visit to Iran in 1967, Her Majesty wore an evening dress in the Thai national style. The dress made from European silk and metal brocade connected beneath a layer of Lesage’s lavish and complex embroidery.

Also on show is an evening dress that Leventon says meets the European and American notion of a dress fit for a queen.

“This, for the West, is the quintessential royal gown,” she says, gesturing towards a dress made of silk satin with metal and iridescent-thread and crystal embroidery by House of Lesage.

The dress is one of the most formal Her Majesty owned and clearly shows Balmain’s love of 18th-century European style.

Silk by Design

“Fit for a Queen: Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Creations by Balmain” remains on display through June 2018 in Galleries 1-2.

A second exhibition “Dressing Gods and Demons: Costume for Khon”, (see sidebar) is on display until May 2017 in Galleries 3-4.

The Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles is inside the Grand Palace and open daily from 9am to 4.30pm. Ticket sales close at 3.30pm.

 

Secrets of tradition

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Secrets-of-tradition-30292755.html

ARTS & CULTURES

Kupluthai Pungkanon
The Nation August 12, 2016 1:00 am
pic

A new exhibition at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles looks at the history of khon and its more modern presentation

Back in 2005, when Her Majesty the Queen set about organising the revival of khon, one of Thailand’s oldest narrative dance forms, one of her first initiatives was to assemble a research team to discover what the costumes might have looked like in the past. Once this historical evidence had been collected, she selected specialists to design new costumes to fit contemporary body forms and set in motion a series of weaving, embroidery, mask and jewellery-making workshops so that all aspects of khon costumes could be produced.

The exhibition “Dressing Gods and Demons: Costume for Khon”, currently showing at the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, describes the origins of khon and its historical presentation and also highlights the modern khon costume created for the revival of this high art form. More than 100 items are on view, many of them on loan from collectors and making their first public appearance.

On entering the galleries, visitors first learn about the early history of khon through one of the oldest panels still in existence. Painted in black and gold lacquer and used in performances from 1851 to 1868, it depicts a royal rite called “The Churning of the Ocean” ceremony and is usually on display at the museum of the Emerald Buddha Temple. There is also a reference costume on a doll-like model that is thought to show what a khon costume might have looked liked early in the reign of King Rama V.

Because so little visual evidence has survived, khon under the royal patronage of Her Majesty uses modern versions of the ritual dress of King Rama V’s court, which are abundantly documented through photographs.

Today, as they did in the past, artisans from different fields work together as they create masks, weave textiles in different patterns and styles for particular characters, and add intricate embroidery to the magnificent costumes and sets that have been adapted to suit modern staging and the proportions of performers.

Visitors can take a rare close look at the costumes of role-specific motifs such as flowers (worn by monkeys) and demon faces (worn by demons), which are incorporated into the embroidery. The jewellery is also custom-made and handcrafted in one of several workshops with the same casting and repousse techniques used in creating the real thing, so that even on careful examination, the modern khon costumes are as beautiful close up as they are from far away on the stage.

Through the Support Foundation, Her Majesty commissioned a new theatrical interpretation based on what was known about earlier court versions of khon. The first show in 2007, “The Ramakien Performance Episode of Prommas”, was so well received that the Queen requested it be an annual event. Her Majesty thus gave new life to the design of khon costumes and provided employment for craftspeople, dancers and musicians.

Handmade finery

“Dressing Gods and Demons: Costume for Khon” will be on display until the end of May in Galleries 3-4 of the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles.

The museum is inside the Grand Palace and open daily from 9am to 4.30pm. Ticket sales close at 3.30pm.

A cut above the rest

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/A-cut-above-the-rest-30292683.html

AFTER DARK

The Nation August 12, 2016 1:00 am
Hams from all over Europe are up for tasting in the special promotion.

Hams from all over Europe are up for tasting in the special promotion.

Hams from all over Europe are up for tasting in the special promotion.

Hams from all over Europe are up for tasting in the special promotion.

The open kitchen at Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant

The open kitchen at Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant

3

Restaurant assembles delicious hams from across Europe to satisfy taste buds of most discerning carnivores

Meat lovers yearning for a feast can indulge in a selection of fine cured ham from all over Europe at Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant’s “Around Europe in Eight Hams” event until September 25.

Located on the 37th floor of the Pullman Bangkok Hotel G on Silom Road, with trendy decor, exquisite cuisine and an impressive wine list, Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant is the perfect venue for a relaxed dinner with the city sky¬line providing a stunning backdrop.

Guests can choose to dine alfresco on the terrace or in airconditioned comfort.

For a limited time, French Executive Chef Sylvain Royer is offering a culinary journey with a selec¬tion of premium quality cured hams served as delicious cold cuts.

//

The choices include two French hams; Jambon de Paris, a delicately spiced and lean slow cooked ham which usually slow cooked for seven to eight hours in a vegetable soup stock and wrap in its skin. Originally from Paris, it is considered the best Parisien style ham, and is available at Bt300 for 100 grams.

Another is Jambon de Bayonne (Bt3,050 for 100 grams), a sweet tasting airdried ham from southwest France which holds Protected Designation of Origin status.

Only two breed of pigs may be used. Most will be a pie noir breed of Basque pig that is allowed to roam free in the forests and hills. They are fed on acorns, chestnuts and natural cereals for a balanced diet. The ham is salt cured for 10 days, then air-dried for at least seven months.

Full-flavoured hams from Spain; Jamon Iberico de Bellota and Jamon Pata Negra, are also available, at Bt650 and Bt850 per 100 grams respectively. These two hams are cured from two to four years and are regarded as two of the world’s finest hams.

Produced across Spain, especially in the southwest regions, the hams are made from free-range pigs that wander freely among oak forests feeding on acorns which give the meat its exquisite flavour. The ham itself has an intense flavour with a note of sweetness, a little nutty but not too salty.

Other special cold cuts include Prosciutto di San Daniele, a prized Italian ham only produced in the hilly Friuli Venezia Giulia region around the town of San Daniele. At Bt300 per 100 grams, the ham should be bone in with rosy red meat that is nicely marbled with white fat. It is usually air-dried for at least 20 months to yield a sweet and aromatic flavour and is best served with bread, mild fruit such as melon or fig and slightly aromatic white wines.

The ham is also recognised by its typical guitar-like shape.

Black Forest ham from Germany is also on the menu. It has a distinctive aroma which is created by gentle smoking over fir and spruce wood, and is available at Bt350 per 100 grams. As well, the succulent Ardennes ham from Belgium, which is produced using the rare Mangalica breed of pigs from Hungary, is offered at Bt500 per 100 grams.

Rounding off the selection is the Mangalica ham from Hungary, priced at Bt650 per 100 grams. A chef’s recommendation, this rare delicacy is made with meat of the Hungarian breed of domestic pig which has a thick woolly coat similar to sheep. Sensational and hearty, the rich and strong ham has a pleasant chestnut taste.

Little porkers

>> Around Europe in Eight Hams promotion is being held at the Scarlett Wine Bar & Restaurant at Pullman Bangkok Hotel G on Silom Road until September 25.

>> The restaurant is open daily from 6pm till 1am. Call (02) 238 1991 and (096) 860 7990.

 

Club Scene

Posted on by
Reply

ศาสตร์เกษตรดินปุ๋ย : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/life/Club-Scene-30292682.html

AFTER DARK

The Nation August 12, 2016 1:00 am

Pangina Heals

Pangina Heals

Find good parties in Bangkok

Spinners on the Lam

Enjoy a night of eclectic sounds at Studio Lam on Sukhumvit Soi 51 tonight. Bangkok’s best spinners – Boogie G, Dangdut Banget, and special guest NK Chan from Giant Swing – will take turns delivering sensational flavours of modern funk, boogie, disco, electro and more. Entry is Bt100 before 11pm and Bt200 thereafter.

Rietze set to Glow

German spinner, Florian Rietze, is manning the decks at Glow on Sukhumvit soi 23 tomorrow. As half of the Mjutah duo, the renowned producer and DJ is packing some deep house and electronic sounds for Bangkok fans, supported by DJ Jack Haze. Entry with a drink is Bt250.

Party in the House

Trasher is back with its latest party concept tomorrow at GMM Live House on the 18 floor of CentralWorld. Don your torn jeans and dance your heart out to the Luk Thung sounds, put together by Trasher DJs. Entry is Bt500 with a drink. Visit www.Facebook.com/ TrasherBangkok.

Easy Rider’s battle plan

Dickinson’s Culture Cafe on Phra Atit Road is hosting a techno party tomorrow. Treat your ears to some of the best tunes out of Detriot and the UK in a battle of sounds by DJs Damon Rider and GRTH. Expect some of the finest deep, soulful and uplifting tech house sounds. Entry is free. Call (089) 497 8422.

Dragging her Heals to Japan

Bid farewell to Pangina Heals, Bangkok’s most-loved drag artist, on Sunday at Maggie Choo’s on Silom Road. After two years of weekly rowdy appearances, Miss Heals is heading east to Japan for a new adventure. The “Sayonara” party entails the usual jaw-dropping performances and open bar from 8-10pm at Bt500.