The activities aim to enhance environmental sustainability by minimising waste from the community, efficiently utilising local disposed materials, and driving consumption sustainably.

In Thailand, Pernod Ricard launched the water hyacinth, soil and recycling-bottles wall projects at Baan Saladin in Nakhon Pathom.

“We are very proud to show the energy of our people dealing with environmental issues. We hope this event will be a part of solving the sustainable environment issues to our community and our world, together with the participation of our staffs for the social responsibility activity,” said Quentin Job.

Sitting on the banks of Mahasawat Canal, Baan Saladin is growing fast as the popular agricultural-tourism spot and now its environment are destroyed.

Waste is disposed into the canal and water hyacinth obstructs the canal, which directly effects life.

Pernod Ricard’s project helps the residents remove hyacinth from the canal. It’s then transformed into planting soil. They together planted canna flowers along the canal to reduce pollution and beautify the scene.

“We live under the sufficiency economy theory of the late King Rama IX. Baan Saladin does not have only water and soil pollution but also a hyacinth problem, and we’d better figure out how to utilise it,” said Saraleewan Thuptawee, sheriff of Phuttamonthon subdistrict.

With a battery life of up to four hours on a single charge and performance boosted by up to 18 per cent compared to benchmarks of the prior generation, the new T and X series offers feature upgrades without compromises in hardware security or manage-ability.

“These new series mark the first time AMD benefits are inside our thin and light T, Ts and X laptops,” says Worrathep Chakravalvibul of Lenovo Thailand.

“With these ultra-mobile systems, users will experience premium, first-class computing.”

As workspaces evolve, endusers want smarter, more secure devices that provide features and benefits that are core to what makes a laptop central to their everyday lives.

Whether on the job or on the go, the ThinkPad T495 (14-inch, starting at Bt26,950) is designed to boost productivity, enhance multimedia and improve energy efficiency. Radeon FreeSync technology ensures gorgeous pixel quality and a fluid frame-refresh rate, virtually free of screen stutters.

New to the AMD series, the 14-inch Full HD (1920×1080) display at 400 nits makes text and icons easier to see in dim surroundings even at a lower power setting than other PCs its size.

Group calls can often be laden with issues such as poor audio, garbled voices and distracting background noise. To reduce frustration, ThinkPad’s dual farfield microphones on AMD models are improved for 360-degree reception to enhance VoIP conferencing performance, especially for participants in noisy environments.

The X395 (13-inch, starting at Bt39,190) promises greater peace of mind with just a slide of the ThinkShutter. The all-in-one integrated camera security-cover that physically protects users from the view of malicious webcam snoops.

For an extra layer of security, the company has also integrated an optional ePrivacy filter, the ThinkPad PrivacyGuard on both the T495s and X395, aimed at shielding screen content from unwanted side glances from prying onlookers.

Users wanting an early warning if someone might be “shoulder surfing” only need to wait a few months for the added ThinkPad PrivacyAlert5 feature that automatically enables the PrivacyGuard.

The T495s (14-inch, starting at Bt26,950) is protected by one of the most comprehensive end-to-end security platforms on the market, Lenovo ThinkShield.

Data and device loss or identity theft can happen at any time, costing companies millions in recovery. ThinkShield has enterprise-level CTOs covered during their product’s entire life-cycle, from development and supplychain to essential updates.

Visit http://www.Lenovo.com/think.

Even though 15 years have passed, my memory of watching Japanese theatre collective Dumb Type’s “Memorandum” at the Bangkok Playhouse, as part of the Southeast Asian tour supported by Japan Foundation, is still fresh. I remember how they pulled off this technologically demanding work at a time when video and stage technology was not as completely digital as it is now and how the human performers worked cohesively with the video images and were rarely upstaged by them.

It was no surprise, then, when Southeast Asian performing arts critics attending the recent Asian Arts Media Roundtable (AAMR) in Singapore were given the choice between a new local play and “ST/LL”, a 2015 work by Dumb Type’s Shiro Takatani at the Singapore International Festival of Arts (Sifa), almost all of us chose the latter. We went to the Esplanade Theatre with high enthusiasm, also in part because the music composition team was led by Ryuichi Sakamoto, and we were not disappointed.

“ST/LL” was more contemplative, and less visually overwhelming, than what we have learned to expect from Dumb Type. That meditative pace, while risking boredom, was a delightful surprise and gave us more time to carefully look at each component of the stage visual meticulously crafted like paintings that came alive like dancers. It also afforded us plenty of time to feel and to think, a rare treat in our overly mediatised lives. With more careful and selective use of video technology, Takatani and his production team allowed us to see different dimensions of humans, objects, images, reflection and the relationship among them, and as a result feel more than we usually do in plays whose words sometimes restrict our imagination.

A week earlier, at the festival’s hub Arts House, Sifa audiences had another special treat as sound artist Asuna presented his installation performance “100 Keyboards”. As the title suggests, 100 battery-operated keyboards, of various sizes and styles, were assembled in a large circle in the middle of the room where audience members could sit on the floor or on the chairs. Later on, the artist turned them on one by one and used a popsicle stick to help hold the keys down while encouraging us to walk around the room to hear how the sound differed from one corner to another, or when standing or sitting down, or even when putting our hands behind our ears.

It reached a point of sonic overload and I had to resort to the toilet, before the artist repeated the process, backwards, turning the keyboards off one by one until complete silence reigned and our loud applause rang out for his unique experimentation.

Putting them together in our mind, our experiences of both “ST/LL” and “100 Keyboards” also felt like media art installations, proving that when artists go beyond artistic genre boundaries, creativity is limitless.

A large number, if not most, of international arts festivals around the world feature a wide variety of contemporary Japanese performances and audiences always look forward to experiencing them when and where they can. And with Tokyo as the host of the Olympics next year, we can anticipate plenty more.

The writer’s trips were supported by Arts-Equator and Sifa. Special thanks to Kathy Rowland, Denise Dolendo, Juliana Tan and Charmaine Lau for all assistance.

– “Sifa 2020”will run from May 15 to 31. Keep your eyes on http://www.Sifa.sg.

Part of the Legend of Organic collection, this new facial oil comes in three formulas –Deep Hydrating, Ultimate Revitalising and Perfect Clarifying.

The products feature four main types of organic oil: Organic Virgin Sunflower Oil to help improve skin health, protect the skin against damage and lighten dark spots; Organic Water Lily Oil Extract that gives a smoother touch and moisturising effect to the skin; Organic Argan Oil to hydrate and soften the skin, and prevents pimples from forming; and Organic Sea Buckthorn Oil has skin-healing and rejuvenating abilities.

Dermatologically tested by Dermscan Asia, each formula can be used for day-to-night skin care and is suitable for all skin types including dry and sensitive skin.

Find out more at http://www.Harnn.com.

Popular actor Jesdaporn “Tik” Pholdee has been named as the Campaign Champion and will be travelling to the hardest-hit areas in Mozambique next week to visit some of the affected communities and see first-hand Unicef’s relief efforts there.

More than three million people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe are currently affected by the aftermaths of Cyclone Idai and Cyclone Kenneth, the most devastating disasters to hit southern Africa in the past 20 years. Homes, health facilities and schools have been destroyed, leaving thousands sheltering on rooftops, and thousands more crowded into camps and schools and other public buildings. Three months on from the first cyclone, and more than 1.6 million children are still in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, including healthcare, nutrition, protection, education, as well as water and sanitation.

The devastated infrastructure has left communities in a race against time to prevent the spread of diseases. In this image, Lucio Carlos, a volunteer social mobiliser, carries Luisa Daniel, 5, suffering from fever and vomiting to a medical tent where she was tested for Malaria.

“Many children have lost their homes, schools, friends and loved ones. The cyclones took everything away from them,” said Juan Santander, deputy representative for Unicef Thailand. “Over the past few months, Unicef and partners have been racing against time to provide urgent assistance to save children’s lives. The needs remain urgent and massive, as any prolonged interruption in access to essential supplies and services could lead to disease outbreaks and spikes in malnutrition, to which children are especially vulnerable.”

Last month, Unicef Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom visited Mozambique, the country most affected, where more than 1.1 million of children are severely affected by the cyclones.

Displaced people rest at the Samora Machel school in Buzi, Mozambique, where children and families were brought to after their homes were destroyed and flooded.

Following Bloom’s mission, Tik Jesdaporn, will be travelling to Beira, the worst affected area where he will meet children and families at temporary shelters to learn more about their urgent needs.

“I heard heartbreaking stories of many children who have lost everything,” said Jesdaporn. “Although they survived the cyclones, many aspects of their lives have been wrecked. While the crisis is happening far away from Thailand, I want to tell their stories and speak out about their needs. I truly believe that the support from Thai people in times like this will become a vital force that could save thousands of children’s lives. Together, we can help the survivors overcome obstacles and return to normal life again.”

Unicef is supporting children and families affected by the cyclones, so they can return home or relocate to safer places. Unicef is also providing healthcare, nutrition, education, water and sanitation and protection services. Shortly after the disaster hit, Unicef and its partners restored water supplies to thousands of people in Beira and procured and administered 1 million doses of cholera vaccine to curb the disease outbreak.

Unicef and its humanitarian partners are working hard to implement solutions – such as establishing temporary learning centres – to get children back in school as quickly as possible. In this picture, a Unicef staff interacts with children in a temporary classroom in Chipinde.

In Thailand, Unicef hopes to raise a total of Bt25 million, in contribution to the organisation’s global funding appeal which has been set at US$122 million to deliver humanitarian assistance to children and families affected by the cyclone. The donations will be used to provide safe drinking water, vaccines, treatment for malnutrition, as well as quality education and psychosocial support.

To help children and families affected by Cyclone Idai and Cyclone Kenneth:

SMS: Type 100 and send SMS to 4712225 (Bt100 per one SMS) or visit http://www.unicef.or.th/cyclone.

Bank Transfer: Bangkok Bank Account no 2013013244.

Please send your contact information (name, address, mobile phone number) together with pay slip to Unicef and indicate “Cyclone” to unicefthailand@unicef.org fax: (02) 356 9229.

The American fashion brand has just launched its re-imagined mascot in a collection dubbed “Rexy Remix”, for which it collaborated with four contemporary creatives based in China. First seen on the runway during Coach’s Pre-Fall 2019 show in Shanghai, the collection, available in Coach stores globally and on Coach.com, fuses the creative energy of the city with the bold attitude of New York. Sui Jianguo’s T-Rex sculpture is photographed to create a distorted photo print. Music collective Yeti Out incorporated Rexy into their signature graphic round face. Zhu Jingyi playfully recontextualized the brand’s mascot in an authentic ink drawing and graphic artist Guang Yu reinterpreted Rexy in a fierce hand-drawn graffiti print.

In celebration of summer

Finnish brand Marimekko recently launched its pre-fall 2019 collection that explores different interpretations of boldness and empowerment through joy and self-expression. Inspired by the great female authors of the 20th century, the new styles shout out creativity, open-minded and fearlessness. In the collection’s prints, two counterforces create an interesting dialogue: freedom meets regularity. The colour palette of the season blooms in blue, pink and green with Marimekko’s signature flower prints by Maija Isola, Unikko (poppy, designed in 1964) and Juhanas (midsummer, designed in 1966) coming alive on dresses and sun hats. Artist jackets with a meaningful message of “love” and head-to-toe looks in scribble prints tell a story of boldness.

Shades of good fortune

Japanese beauty brand Jill Stuart celebrates its third anniversary in Thailand with the launch of three new collections. “Pink Bling” lipsticks present a pinkish sparkle that dazzles with a hint of sexiness and comes in ten colours and two limited editions. “Diamond Time” made with such ingredients as kiwi, lemon, avocado, coconut oil, and coco-butter offers body jelly and body milk that give a glorious glow to the skin while also moisturising it, while “Something Pure Blue” is a special limited-edition collection featuring the blue butterfly to bring good luck, especially to bride. The collection includes an eau de perfume with the pure floral fragrance of little spiderworts and forget-me-nots. The cap is decorated with a bouquet of three crystal blue flowers, each with five petals and has a light sapphire Swarovski crystal in the centre.

A younger you

A complete anti-ageing product that plumps, smoothes, hydrates, nourishes and protects while combating dark spots, Sisley’s new Anti-Ageing Concentra SPF30 Concentrated Firming Body Cream is packed with active ingredients including Persian acacia and lindera extracts, yeast and soy protein complex that help restore optimal cell life. A lightening action acts deep down within the melanocyte to target melanin synthesis, while also protecting against pollution.

Find out at your nearest Sisley counter today.

A FREQUENT visitor to Chiang Rai, a province rich in art and history, Kreingkrai Kanjanapokin, chief executive of Index Creative Village, often finds himself standing in front of the central clock tower, admiring National Artist Chalermchai Kositpipat’s stunning Buddhist contemporary art and its magical night lights.

A creative figure, Kreingkrai has always wanted to take this magical illumination further afield so that others might too enjoy the exquisite works by the national artist, who is known the world over for his masterpiece, Wat Rong Khun or the White Temple.

Chalermchai has long been an inspiration to the new generation through his unique creations of Thai visual and Buddhist contemporary arts. They include the murals at Wat Buddhapadipa in London and his drawings illustrating the “Mahajanaka” story, written by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

So last year, the owner of the world-renowned creative event organiser, decided to approach Chalermchai with a view to experimenting with 3D mapping to illuminate the temple and bring its story close to the hearts of all those who visit it.

“My temple is all white, as if it had been waiting for magnificent lights to paint my art and the story of my life. It might be a contemporary art expression that will not last for long, but the world will be stunned and remember,” said Chalermchai.

With the artist’s agreement for the Wat Rong Khun Light Fest project, Kreingkrai gathered a number of artists from various fields to help create this contemporary masterpiece. They included Scenario’s renowned writer/composer Sarawut “Nann” Lertpanyanuch, whose work has brought to many musicals to life, among them “Banlang Mek the Musical”, “Si Pan Din” (“Four Reigns”), and “Tawipob”, and Nipon Wannamahin aka “Jo Variety Dance”, an internationally-acclaimed dance director and choreographer who was behind “Mahajanaka”, a live show honouring His Majesty the King.

Also brought on board was LightSource, a leader in the entertainment lighting industry with 30 years of experience in handling such talk-of-the-town events as Mahanakhon Bangkok’s “Rising: the Night of Light” and Show DC’s grand opening.

Their creations combined with 3D mapping technology from Panasonic have been under preparation at the temple for months and will be ready to present to visitors by the end of this year.

“I fell in love with Chiang Rai Province when I laid eyes on this magical temple, which has become the pride of Buddhist art. That feeling inspired me to create this project, which has been in the pre-production phase for more than a year,” said Kreingkrai, adding that thanks to the use of new technology, it would be totally immersive for children as well as adult arts.

The world-class, Bt100-million multimedia show titled “The Illumination of the White Temple” will feature more than 100 lasers as well as 3D mapping. The story of Chalermchai’s life and his world-class art pieces will be told through both the multi-coloured laser lights and a troupe of performers moving around the White Temple.

At the pre-show event held in the temple grounds last weekend, participants were able to enjoy the magnificent laser light performance against the night sky with Wat Rong Khun as the backdrop.

Two of six scenes in the Wat Rong Khun Light Fest’s episode “Begins” were presented, starting with “The Sins”, which dwells on the horror of hell before crossing the overpass to gleaming heaven through the spectrum of laser lights. Only those with enlightenment attained in their mind are destined to journey towards the place beyond all suffering.

“The Way to Heaven” is a replica of the exquisite heavenly land of Dhipaya Viman, welcoming those who have discarded lustful greed like a lotus rising out of the water. The pre-show then took spectators to the grand finale “Wat Rong Khun Begins” at the Ganesha Hall, where spectacular multimedia light shows through water curtains portrayed the inspiring story of Chalermchai in pursuit of his great dreams and path to becoming an internationally renowned visual artist.

SEAWrite Award poet and writer Chiranan Pitpreecha, who also attended the pre-show event, described it as an integration of art that delivered the delicateness of Chalermchai’s art and his Buddhist beliefs and philosophies with the help of technology. Unlike other light shows, this integrated art piece could be expressed with delicacy because the technology of lighting is today highly advanced and sophisticated.

“Thanks to all these materials, we can all appreciate this delicate artwork and gain a more comprehensive knowledge of what art appreciation really means,” Chiranan said.

Chalermchai agreed, commenting that while the show was unlike to make a substantial profit given the cost involved, he was hopeful that the work that invested in art would generate a greater value of art appreciation in people’s hearts.

“Let’s think of it this way: we are creating a great art piece and we are doing this to boost art appreciation among our people and our children. Let’s them enjoy the masterpiece, If people see that it’s great, then I believe support will follow,” the artist said.

Wat Rong Khun, which Chalermchai designed, decorated and runs, is among the most popular tourist attractions and is listed as one of the top 10 Thai landmarks, as well as one of the 10 Most Beautiful Temples in the World.

The artist said earlier that millions of tourists visit the North and the temple gets 10,000 visitors a day, averaging two million a year.

The Wat Rong Khun Light Fest will mark the first time the temple will be open at night.

ALL AGROW

– The Wat Rong Khun Light Fest runs daily from November 22 to December 22.

– Tickets costing from Bt400 to Bt1,150 are now on sale at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

– Part of the proceeds will go to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital.

– For more information, visit http://www.WatRongKhunlightfest.com, and keep up with the latest news and updates at Facebook.com/Watrongkhunlightfest and Instagram: Watrongkhunlightfest.

 The 255-square-metre store has been fully renovated to celebrate the arrival of the first Bottega Veneta collection

designed by creative director Daniel Lee. It has a new sense of openness and modernity, with the interior designed

around the theme of lightness.

Walls are painted bright white or covered in plaster with a Roman travertine texture. The floors are covered with dark

ivory limestone and pale carpets, while the ceiling is pure white.

A pale-hued Antique Oak is used throughout the store to create linear shelves and glass-topped display tables.

Distinctive visual elements such as brushed brass racks, colourful jelly cubes and cement pillars for product display

and vintage-inspired leather seating complete the renewed decor.

Bottega Veneta established its presence in Singapore by opening its first store at Takashimaya Department Store in

2009. It now has four branches in the city state.

JUST AN hour’s drive from Lausanne, the Vallee de Joux, Le Brassus and its forests, lakes and the magnificent Jura mountains, is home to Audemars Piguet, a highly regarded watch manufacturer whose passion and craftsmanship have ensured for more than 144 years. This year, the skilled craftsmen are busy mastering their latest innovation, the Code 11.59, which is already one of the most discussed watches of all time.

Winderen at work in the Vallee de Joux that connects listeners to the sounds, both accessible and in accessible to the human ear, of the ecosystems at Vallee de Joux.

Writing a new page in the manufacture’s long history, the new collection represents its genetic code, which stands for challenge, own, dare and evolve. The brand offers 13 models, including five complications and six calibres of the latest generation in one go, with Code 11.59 representing one of the most important and comprehensive launches ever.

“The idea is to craft the round watch but not the round watch,” says Olivia Giuntini, chief brand officer.

“It comes with an unconventional design, which proposes a new language of the former design yet still bears our history. That’s why we named it Code 11.59. The C is for ‘Challenge’ because we always challenge the limit of our craftmanship, the O stands for ‘Own’ because we own our roots and we are really proud that our business is still in the hands of the founding family and here in Le Brassus, the ‘D’ is for Dare and represents our mission to create bold and unique complicated watches, while ‘E’ is for Evolve because we never stand still. We propose a special design and unique materials with highly technical insights that means our watches appeal to the connoisseur. Code 11.59 is another way of telling who we are and where we are now. It is being talked about because no one expected it,” she adds.

While the new collection is very different in many ways from Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak timepieces, Giuntini stresses that they share the same DNA. Both push the limits in terms of technological innovations, new movements, and the play on shapes at the very core of the watches. Royal Oak uses steel as a new material while the Code 11.59 is about the precision in the details.

“The more you look at it, the more you see the details in this watch, and the more your appreciation grows. For example, the collection is immediately recognisable. Its case boldly embeds an octagonal middlecase within a round case, and the upper part of the open-worked lugs is welded to the extra-thin bezel, while the lower part leans delicately against the caseback in perfect alignment. The double curved glare-proof sapphire crystal has a tense, arched profile like a dome, playing with depth, perspective and lights to give a visually extraordinary optical effect. Meanwhile the 3D logo created by Atom and applied by hand. Each letter is connected with links approximately the size of a hair and placed by hand on the dial with tiny legs that are almost invisible to the eye,” she explains.

Fernando Mastrangelo

Faithful to its legacy since 1875, Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watch-making manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families – Audemars and Piguet. To underline its commitment to craft, creativity and innovation, in 2013 the brand entered into partnership with Art Basel to support the world’s premiere contemporary art show held annually in Hong Kong, Basel, and Miami Beach. For each of the Audemars Piguet Art Commissions, an artist-curator duo is selected to explore the link between the traditions of Haute Horlogerie and Art, namely complexity and precision while enlisting contemporary creative practice, mechanics, technology and science.

Art Basel 2019 was held recently in the Swiss town for which it is named and Audemars Piguet used the occasion to unveil a new site-specific sound installation by Norwegian artist Jana Winderen at the brand’s stand in the Art Basel’s Collectors Lounge known as “The Vallee”, designed by the Brooklyn-based artist Fernando Mastrangelo.

Winderen’s sonic artwork “Du Petit Risoud aux profondeurs du Lac de Joux” takes visitors on an acoustic journey across the Vallee de Joux from sunrise to sunset in a symphonic collage of interwoven layers. It explores what she refers to as the “disharmony” between the audible and the visible and results from two comprehensive visits to the Vallee de Joux forest and lake region. Windersen, who thrilled art lovers here in Thailand last year with “Through the Bones” presented at the International Art Biennale in Krabi, used hydrophones, an ultrasound detector and other highly sensitive tools to amplify these sounds, making a new dimension of the environment accessible to all.

The work encompasses the indigenous sounds of the Vallee de Joux, from the 300-year-old slow-growing spruce trees of the Risoud forest, known for their excellent sound transmission properties, to a plethora of mammals, birds, fish, insects and plants living in the valley. The piece also notes the inescapable sound of human activity, highlighting the fragility of the environment, as well as humanity’s part in its gradual degradation.

The Optical Crystal Experience: The Manufacture has created a complex double curved glareproof sapphire crystal, whose tense, arched profile embodies the watch’s contemporary design.

Winderen gave a live public performance at Art Basel organised in collaboration with the House of Electronic Arts.

Lakes in the mountains, says Winderen, create enormous, overwhelming noise, “I share with watchmakers a fascination for and attention to the very smallest of details. When you listen to the environment, it is the sound of protecting a habitat, So when you put the headphones on here in the lounge, it takes you somewhere very different, a place where you can relax and be nothing but yourself. It resonates with the materials used in the craft of watchmaking, a frequency you can hear but can’t see. Through this focused listening, I can sense my immediate surroundings. Watchmakers, too, have increased sensitivity to sound. The watch comes alive with its ticking.”

Mastrangelo’s design, The Vallee, was also inspired by Audemars Piguet’s origins. First unveiled at Art Basel in Hong Kong earlier this year, it will continue its evolution in Miami Beach and into 2020. It symbolises a journey across the Vallee de Joux with each part of the journey punctuated by sculpture and furniture. Visitors walk through the spruce tree forest, watch the sunset from the Vallee and feel the texture of the Vallorbe Caves. Each part is handmade and cast using materials as a metaphor for the awe-inspiring landscape. The design element that debuted in Basel was a chandelier made of crushed glass, referencing the limestone stalactites in the Vallorbe Caves suspended above the watchmaker’s desk.

“The space for me is about the journey across the Vallee de Joux,” Mastrangelo explains. “We all have different ways of thinking about time. For me it was geological time, so I translated the idea to rocks, the layers of the strata, the earth and the cave, all elements that take millions of years to develop. I want to approach time in the geological sense and create a metaphor about how time allows things to grow bigger.”

Both artworks blur the boundaries between contemporary art, design, and craft and, through their creative interpretations of the geographic origins in the Vallee de Joux, perfectly mirror the technical mastery at the heart of Audemars Piguet’s fine watchmaking.