The luxury hotel owner and management company currently operates two 5-star hotels in Thailand – one in Bangkok, the other in Chiang Mai – with a luxury resort in Phuket in the pipeline. Further properties, both at home and abroad, are expected to be announced in the near future.

Chris Stafford, chief operating officer of 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts, said: “A day does not go by without us learning more about the damage that plastic, especially single-use plastic, has on the environment. We have long had a strong sustainable policy and we are now taking that to the next level. It’s vital as a company, and as human beings, that the impact we have on the environment is as minimal as possible. What we are doing won’t solve the global problem, but if we all play our part and take responsibility for our choices, then we will eventually overcome this and create a better world for future generations.”

The Chiang Mai property has been widely praised for its many different environmentally friendly initiatives. For example, for the past two years, the resort has concentrated on reducing the amount of waste it generates and now separates, recycles and sells any waste paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminium.

Almost all organic waste from the gardens is either made into compost or turned into biochar – charcoal that is added back into the compost to make it richer and more nourishing for plants. The compost is then used to make the landscaped gardens and grounds even more lush and beautiful. The property also has an ever-expanding vegetable and herb garden, which produces more and more of the food used in the restaurant and bar.

For waste collection, instead of plastic garbage bags, 137 Pillars House uses reusable woven bags, and, with the exception of the front office and hotel cars, water is presented to guests in recycled glass bottles.

The hotel has also replaced plastic straws with paper straws and these are only offered to guests on request. The take away breakfast choices are presented in natural woven containers and wooden utensils are provided in lieu of plastic ones.

An intelligent AC system, which automatically turns off the air-conditioning in the suite if the patio doors are opened, has also helped to reduce wasteful electricity consumption. And guest linens are only changed daily if guests request, otherwise it’s every third day.

One of the most important initiatives that many guests won’t even be aware of, is that the luxury boutique hotel has hired an internationally acclaimed mosquito expert who has shown the property how best to sustainably eliminate and limit mosquito breeding areas without the use of chemicals so that fogging is required a lot less frequently.

Anne Arrowsmith, General Manager of 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai, said, ”We are very pleased with the results so far, but there is still a lot to do. Our next objective is to eliminate individual plastic shampoo, conditioner and lotion containers. It is important that we do this in a calculated manner to make sure that the changes we put in place are safe and suitable for guests and that they really do make a difference to our goal of a more sustainable future. We need to find an option that ticks all the boxes, and that can take time.”

In Bangkok, 137 Pillars Suites & Residences already has an ongoing sustainable policy in place and has unveiled plans to expand this to more areas of the hotel – especially front of house.

The hotel, which opened in 2017, uses LED lights throughout the property to save energy, the air conditioning units in the room are also controlled by sensors so that when the doors to the very large balconies are open, the AC automatically turns itself off. The room key cards have a green function that can control what power is used when nobody is in the room, and motion detectors help to save electricity by turning off unneeded lights. The 2-step toilet flushing system helps to save water as does the high-tech sprinkler system in the gardens and the innovative pool treatment system. The advanced Heat Pump System not only helps keep the property nice and cool but has also been designed to save energy.

By this time next year, the hotel plans to have eliminated the use of plastic straws from all of its F&B outlets, replaced plastic water bottles in the rooms with glass bottles, replaced the plastic containers for shampoo, conditioner and body lotion with suitable dispensers, expanded its purchasing policy to more sustainable suppliers in Thailand and maximised its recycling efforts for any waste paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminium.

Bjorn Richardson, General Manager, 137 Pillars Suites & Residences, said, “We already have a solid foundation in place when it comes to sustainable best practices, but we are now taking this a step further. As a luxury hotel, our clients want to know that we are doing as much as we can to ensure that their stay is as sustainable as can be and our goal is to not only meet those expectations but to surpass them.”

The group will also be conducting training sessions with its associates to ensure that not only are the hotels as sustainable as possible but that they take these best practices home with them. Associates will be encouraged to take their own bags to the shops, to say no to straws and plastic spoons when they are not needed, and to be much more proactive in their own daily lives.

Chris Stafford said, “This involves us all, and the solution has to start with education. If we can change the mind-set of a few people so that they adopt more sustainable practices in their daily lives, then all of us will benefit.”

Find out more at http://www.137PillarsHotels.com.

In partnership with Betagro, the company has funded the buildingnine barns costing more than Bt1.8 million in total or Bt200,000 each, includes materials, cages, troughs and utility systems, 100 hens and four months of food stock. The hens and food stock were purchased from Betagro in order to have antibiotic-free, hormone and accelerator-free hens and eggs. The company also provides staff for surveying and supervising construction. Betagro will provide the knowledge on hen-keeping and organise training workshops on operational systems and quality controls, which include how to feed and set up appropriate lighting systems. Health care and disease inspection is also provided at least once a month.

“The project aims to stimulate good hygiene, generate various sources of revenue from the model, and support sustainable self-reliance for teachers, students and the community,” says Pichai Chirathivat, executive director of Central Group

“This pilot phase will cover to two schools in Ranong, one in Phuket, one in Nakhon Si Thammarat, three in Krabi, and two in Trang, involving 2,000 students and 180 teachers in total.”

The project hopes that this model can further adapt to other fields such as vegetable farming, rice growing and fisheries. The company plans to expand the project to four more provinces including Saraburi, Chiang Mai, Utaradit and Ubon Ratchatani.

Nepalese men and women born and raised at 3,500 metres (11,500 feet) and up are more likely to have curtailed forearms compared to people of similar ancestry from lowland areas, scientists reported in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

Intriguingly, adjoining parts of the anatomy — the upper arms and hand — remain the same for both groups.

A similar pattern was uncovered in earlier research among Peruvian children, reinforcing the notion that harsh mountain conditions were somehow responsible.

“It was interesting to see that they both followed the same growth patterns,” lead author Stephanie Payne, a biological anthropologist at the University of Cambridge, told AFP.

The findings raise a host of questions, starting with this one: What is it about an high-altitude living that makes the body shape-shift?

“This is most likely an adaptation to improving oxygen uptake,” said Payne.

For similar reasons, indigenous peoples of the Himalayas and Andes often have barrel chests, the better to expand lung capacity and take in more oxygen.

Although air contains 21 percent oxygen at all altitudes, it feels as if there is less of it in the mountains due to lower air pressure.

Using the measure of “effective oxygen”, the level drops by just under 40 percent at 3,500 metres compared to sea level.

In high-mountain regions, low oxygen availability results in inefficient conversion of food into energy, which means that there is less energy available for growth.

This become especially true when combined with a nutrient poor diet.

Not evolution

But what possible advantage is there to diminished forearms and lower legs, which also tend to be foreshortened among mountain-folk? And why not other parts of the body?

It is not so much that there is something to gain, but more that there is nothing lost, the study conjectured.

“The human body prioritises which segments to grow when there is limited energy available for growth, such as at high altitude,” said Payne.

“The full growth of the hand may be essential for manual dexterity, whilst the length of the upper arm is particularly important for strength.”

But a shorter lower arm is apparently something humans can live with.

To conduct the study, Payne and colleagues from Nepal and Canada trekked for two days — with yaks hauling scientific equipment over mountain passes — to Namche Bazaar on the Everest Trail, getting more than a taste of altitude sickness along the way.

Humans, like all living creatures, change in response to evolutionary pressures through the process of natural selection. Chance genetic mutations that turn out to confer an advantage enhance the chances of survival, and of being passed along to offspring.

But Payne doubts that evolution is at work in this case.

Rather, she said, the bodies of people born into the rarefied atmospheres of the Andes or the Himalayas react and adapt in real time, probably from the foetal stage.

The exact biological mechanism, however, resulting in shorter forearms remains a mystery.

“It might be related to temperature changes or altered blood flow down the limb during growth, or differences in nutrient delivery between limb segments,” said Payne.

Some 250 people gathered together in the outdoor plaza near Siam Discovery mall and waited with anticipation as day turned into night, signalling the start of the hour-long dance party. Virgin Active transformed the outdoor venue into a nightclub and participants partied and danced through two energetic and heart-thumping high energy workouts, with flashing light sticks in hand whilst being led by Virgin Active’s group of enthusiastic instructors on stage.

Pound is a brand-new workout that combines drumming with movements choreographed to music for a high-energy cardio workout set to the pulsating beats of its soundtrack. Designed for everyone and for all fitness levels, Pound strengthens and sculpts infrequently used muscles for a leaner, slimmer physique, and is the perfect workout for people who want to let loose and party, while getting a full-body workout at the same time.

“Virgin Active has always been at the forefront of introducing innovative exercises and workouts, and we take pride in our extensive offering of group exercise classes for our members, After bringing our members on exhilarating journeys to new and imaginative worlds with The Trip and pushing them to be fitter than before with HEAT, we felt that Pound was the workout to introduce to Thailand, where members can simply have a great time listening to rhythmic, pulsating beats of the music and leave the class knowing that they just finished working out their entire body,” said Vutravee Charuvatana, country manager, Thailand.

The new programme complements other dance and high energy fitness workouts like Zumba as well as Les Mills’ Body Jam and Sh’bam. All the classes are led by professional instructors who make sure that these workouts are fun and full of energy, while still challenging enough for members.

A FAMILY-OWNED multinational conglomerate founded in 1878 and active in everything from healthcare to real estate, e-commerce, and transport; B Grimm is celebrating 140 years of success with a series of initiatives, among them an exhibition and a book.

The oldest German business in the country, the company uses as its logo the Phra Prang of the Temple of Dawn in a nod to its first location overlooking this splendid landmark of Thailand’s capital.

The exhibition, “In the Kingdom, 140th Anniversary of B Grimm” at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre finishes its run tomorrow, but has drawn thousands of visitors for its collection of all things postal in honour of the close relationship between Thailand and Germany and the close ties of the Link family with their adopted country.

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously presided over the opening ceremony.

Curated by Somsuda Piamsumrit, the show “Postal History of Thai-German relations and 140 years of B Grimm”, presents the postal history from the reign of King Rama V to King Rama IX and includes more than 50 originals from the total 232 postal items in B Grimm’s collections. Collector Grittip Sirirattumrong also loaned his collection to the exhibition in the hope that it would garner interest from the digitally inclined young generation.

Presented in chronological order, this part of the exhibition features the first sea mail missives, evidence of the first airmail correspondence – introduced in Siam in 1922 – and a range of envelopes, seals, stamps, postal stationary, and picture postcards.

The second part, “Contemporary Art Exhibition”, sees the work of 15 contemporary artists presenting issues central to B Grimm’s philosophy of “doing business with compassion”. They include Pinaree Sanpitak, Tawatchai Puntusawasdi, Wantanee Siripattananuntakul, Imhathai Suwatthanasilp and Kata Sangkhae and all proceeds from sales of the works have been earmarked to support the BACC.

B Grimm’s story began back in 1878 when German pharmacist Bernhard Grimm and his Austrian partner, Erwin Mueller, started a pharmacy, the Siam Dispensary, on Oriental Avenue off New Road, which is today known as Chareon Krung. The shop prospered and it was soon appointed official pharmacist to the Thai royal family

By 1900, the company had secured a partnership with Siemens Corporation and Adolf Link, grandfather of the current chairman Dr Harald Link, came out to Bangkok to manage this aspect of the business.

“My grandfather had to close down the company twice because of the two World Wars. All our assets were seized and our documents confiscated,” he says.

After the war, Adolf and his wife, Erma, and their two sons, Herbert and Gerhard, returned home to Bangkok and quickly settled down. They knew the Thais had not taken away their assets on their own initiative and the strong relationship with the Thai royal family continued as before.

Over the next decades, the brothers expanded the business in Europe and Thailand. Gerhard was also appointed Thailand’s honorary consul general in Hamburg. By 1964, B Grimm’s business included divisions dealing with engineering and equipment for healthcare, power generation, telecommunications, air-conditioning, and mechanical engineering.

The company’s new office and warehouse on New Phetchaburi Road was opened by Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra, the late Princess Mother, and Herbert’s wife, Alma, was the first foreign women to be bestowed the title of Khunying by His Majesty King Bhumibol in recognition of her tireless work for various charitable foundations.

Harald Link, Gerhard’s son, joined his uncle in 1978 and under his leadership, the group has expanded into power generation, manufacturing, real estate, as well as joint ventures with some of the world’s largest corporations.

This story and much more is told in the book released to mark the 140th anniversary. Titled “In The Kingdom” (“Fak Wai Nai Pan Din”), the Thai-language work has been penned by celebrated author Yuwadee Tonsakulrungruang and is published by Nanmeebooks. It took her 10 years to complete.

“A decade ago, we had the great honour to follow Princess Sirindhorn to the Frankfurt book fair. Suwadee Chongsatitwatana, president of Nanmeebooks, suggested that a book be written about B Grimm in the context of its history in Thailand. I was doubtful at first, wondering who would read a book that sounded more like a company profile.

“But we decided to go ahead with the book as a novel that’s based on our true story. Yuwadee went deep into our story here and now readers can enjoy her work,” Link adds.

“B Grimm and our family feel the deepest gratitude to all the Chakri Kings and the royal family of Thailand. Our founder, Muller, did a lot of great things and King Rama V bestowed him with the title Phra Patibatrajaprasong in recognition of his work. We have always remained true to our compassionate business approach and our social and cultural engagement, and the development of civilisation in harmony with nature.

“For example, we built Wat Mun Jindaram, which King Chulalongkorn visited.

“And despite the problems we faced by being forced to close twice, we have returned here every time. We love Thailand. My uncle lived here from his 20s until he died at 82 years old.

He wanted to prove that Thai people always accord a warm welcome to foreigners and can live comfortably in the country.”

Link also points to B Grimm’s love for art and the environment.

“We like to support aspects that are is overlooked but have a great impact such as wildlife,” he says.

Two years ago, B Grimm established the “Gross National Happiness” Centre in Thailand, the first in the world located outside Bhutan. The aim is to construct an economy based on basic Buddhist spirituality, which is in harmony with the sufficiency economy, the philosophy developed by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Spotted in the audience were such big names as Sinjai “Nok” Plengpanich, Hattaya “Ple” Wongkrachang, Cindy Sirinya Bishop, Vuthithorn “Woody” Milintachinda, Madame Mod, Sarai Watcharapol, Yossinee Nanakorn, Sushar “Aom” Manaying, Khemanit “Pancake” Jamikorn, Sutatta “Punpun” Udomsilp, Kasama “June” Silachai, Methanee “Nino” Buranasiri, Kejmanee Wattanasin, Sirin “Chippy” Preediyanon and Antuan Siangboxing, Nalin Hohler, Pataratida “Tangmo” Patcharawirapong, Mariam Grey, Uthai “Cake” Poonyamund, Chaiyapol “New” Pupart, MR Mannarumas Yukol, Mallika “TubTim” Leekpai, Pheera Thetwisaan, Jintanutda “Pango” Lummakanon, Hansa “Nuclear” Wattanawongsiri, Wichian “Petjah” Kusolmanomai, Katreeya English, Supachaya “Bell” Lattisophonkul, Atchariya “Joy” Angkasuwansiri and Nong Elle, Anusorn “Yong Armchair” Maneetes and Walailak “Koy Saturday Sayko” Musikpodok, and Nakorn Silachai’s four children August, Orca, Allgood and Allgrace.

This live immersive experience also bears the distinct signature of directors and multimedia innovators Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. It is a living ode to the Na’vi’s symbiotic coexistence with nature and their belief in the basic interconnectedness of all living things.

“Toruk – The First Flight” is a mythical tale set thousands of years before the events depicted in the film “Avatar”, and before any humans ever set foot on Pandora. When a natural catastrophe threatens to destroy the sacred Tree of Souls, Ralu and Entu, two Omaticaya boys on the brink of adulthood, fearlessly decide to take matters into their own hands. Upon learning that Toruk can help them save the Tree of Souls, they set out, together with their newfound friend Tsyal, on a quest high up in the Floating Mountains to find the mighty red and orange predator that rules the Pandoran sky. Prophecy is fulfilled when a pure soul rises among the clans to ride Toruk for the first time and save the Na’vi from a terrible fate.

“Cirque du Soleil Toruk – The First Flight” continues at Impact Arena from now until June 24.

Tickets are from Bt1,000 to Bt4,000 at Thai Ticket Major (02) 262 3456 and visit http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

“In Bang & Olufsen, we believe that music and arts make the bridge across the world, where nothing else can. The ambition of this collaboration is to present a mood-changer with our Beoplay A9 that delights both the ears and the eyes,” says Duangkamol Vephula Waagensen of B&O.

Romhild’s flowing compositions reinterpret and blur modern European art genres with Oriental mystique. From a successful career in unica painting and sculpturing, she has now also embarked on showing her style as design, through Elizabeth Romhild Design, which all depicts from her earlier works of women and sensuality.

“Creativity is a journey and music is an important part of this journey. The choice of brush stroke and colour all depends on that exact being I am at that exact moment, and music can play have a big part in the choice of colours I use. When I need an extra zap of energy, I turn on my A9 B&O loud speaker in my studio, and enjoy being one with my brush,” says Romhild.

For “La Boheme”, Romhild playfully expresses the independence of feminine sensuality, control and role playing. Bursting with tongue in cheek innuendo and subtle allegory, she details the flamboyance of society’s elite, where the heady world of intoxicated flirtation and lust are under ridden by sexual control and illicit liaisons, through the influence of musical instruments.

The disc-shaped A9 speaker calls to mind a satellite dish. Perched on a wooden tripod or wall-mounted, it will wirelessly stream audio from a phone, Wi-Fi, DLNA or Apple AirPlay. A swipe of the hand across the back adjusts volume, switches tracks or mutes the sound.

The A9 can be set up to play different music in different rooms – or one song throughout the home.

Bang & Olufsen Concept Store is on the first floor of Gaysorn Village, Bangkok.

YOGA CLASS starts shortly, the pristine massage centre is open for business and cheesecake is served on a platter of pastries and fruit.

And then the muffled cry of a baby emerges down the hallway.

The setting may resemble a five-star hotel, but this is a “sitting centre” on Shanghai’s outskirts where mothers pay up to 70,000 yuan (Bt350,000) a month to stay with their newborns.

Chinese culture dictates that mothers confine themselves after giving birth, also known as a “sitting month”. Such confinement was once widely practised in many areas of the world and continues to be popular in other parts of Asia.

But as incomes rise in China, the sitting month no longer means being cooped up at home without bathing or visitors.

New mothers do yoga exercises under the instruction of an instructor./AFP

“We prefer to find a professional facility to take care of our baby. We have no experience in taking care of the baby or ourselves after birth,” says Yu Xueting, 34, a first-time mother, her weeks-old son “Kangkang” lying contentedly beside her.

Both appear well looked-after at the private Lake Malaren International Postpartum Care Centre in a modern building embellished with turrets and intended to mimic old northern European architecture.

Mother and son are accompanied at all times by a nanny who sleeps in the same room. Numerous specialists, nurses and cooks are on hand.

A photography studio captures those precious early days of life, while a “Mother’s Classroom” runs lectures for new mums to learn how to care for their baby – and themselves.

Dads can stay too, but usually just visit.

The Lake Malaren International Postpartum Care Centre in Shanghai may resemble a fivestar hotel, but this is a “sitting centre” on Shanghai’s outskirts where mothers pay up to 70,000 yuan (Bt350,000) a month to stay with their newborns. /AFP

Yu, who works for IT firm Hewlett-Packard, says the lengthy stay “liberates our family”.

“If we do it at home (take care of the baby), then the whole family can’t sleep well. I can take maternity leave, but my husband needs to go to work.”

“Sitting month”, or “Zuoyuezi”, stretches back to about 200 BC and the Han Dynasty, says Elizabeth Hui-Choi, a lecturer at Hong Kong University’s School of Nursing.

Empresses would be well looked-after following childbirth, including a special diet and lifestyle to restore their “broken” body and prevent future illness, Hui-Choi explains.

“They believed that treating the mother well would also bring good things to the baby, and it is still believed to be that way.”

A Chinese staff member prepares a meal for a mother./AFP

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) “also plays a very important part” in how most Chinese women still think after childbirth, dictating they should eat more of certain foods, such as ginger, and cut out others such as fruit, she says.

Some stop showering, washing their hair, or even brushing their teeth for the month, and won’t venture outside – TCM says these can upset the body’s balance.

Yu did not wash her hair for a week, but doctors told her that was unnecessary and the centre recommends a more scientific approach that blends TCM and Western medicine.

Hui-Choi, a registered midwife trained in Western medicine, says some of the old rituals are unhygienic and that studies suggest strict observance of tradition can make women feel isolated, risking post-partum depression.

Xu Jingfang takes care of her baby./AFP

According to the Legal Daily, a state newspaper, the number of sitting centres in China has “exploded” from dozens in 2000 to more than 4,000 in 2017.

One reason is that Chinese today are now giving birth later in life – meaning grandparents are older and may not be able to help as much.

And Chinese are increasingly able to afford places like the Shanghai centre, where staff fuss over every baby sniffle.

Demand has also ramped up since China began phasing out its one-child policy in 2015. Families can be too stretched with their first child to cope with a second, especially if there is no extended family to help out.

Sitting centres or self-proclaimed experts in “Zuoyuezi” are found almost anywhere that ethnic Chinese are found, including in North America, making it a big business with global reach.

However in Britain, doctors recently warned about the dangers of Chinese mothers locking themselves away after childbirth, fearing post-natal depression may go unnoticed or mums may avoid seeing a doctor for physical problems.

Xu Jingfang, baby son Kirk gurgling away beside her, says her British husband was initially sceptical.

“At first he thought it was a weird idea. He said, ‘You’re having a baby, not heart surgery,’“ giggles the 30-year-old Xu, one of about 80 other mums at the Shanghai establishment.

Xu scouted similar centres including one in a high-end hotel, saying “all our friends and relatives” now opt for such care.

“It’s much easier. Here, you’ve got 24-hour care for the baby and someone to cook for you six meals a day,” adds Xu, a phalanx of carers on hand to whisk away Kirk at the first hint of a whimper.

Xu adds that while her parents and grandparents did not wash for weeks after birth, they accept that times have changed.

So will it be a shock to finally go home?

“I’ve hired a nanny at home. I guess life will be more interesting than here – sometimes I do get a bit bored – but also tougher.”

CONSOLE MAKERS long at the centre of the video game universe are adapting to an exploding constellation of ways to play, with the cloud looming on the horizon.

Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony remained stars, with rival Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch gaming hardware respectively, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) show floor that opened in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

But the premier industry gathering was very much focused on games themselves, and the idea they can be played as a service hosted in the internet cloud using an array of devices from smartphones to personal computers.

The annual E3 event “occurs against a backdrop of disruption in the console market,” according to IHS Markit games technology research director Piers Harding-Rolls.

“As the market becomes more digitally enabled and service based, console companies and publishers are starting to map out their longer-term strategies including the building out of subscription cloud gaming services,” says Harding-Rolls.

 Companies interested in cloud gaming see it as a way to reach broader audiences. /AFP

Companies interested in cloud gaming see it as a way to reach broader audiences, adding to console businesses instead of taking away from them, according to the analyst.

“I see consoles being around or the foreseeable future,” Harding-Rolls added.

But the competitive landscape will tilt away from console-market leading PlayStation to terrain more favourable to Xbox, he reasons.

Microsoft has built a powerful platform for hosting computing in the internet cloud, making such service a thriving part of its business.

“We commit and harness the full breadth of our resources at Microsoft to deliver on the future of play,” Xbox team leader Phil Spencer said during an E3 briefing.

The Redmond, Washington-based technology veteran has also invested heavily in machine learning, naming its Cortana digital assistant after an artificial intelligence character in blockbuster Xbox video game “Halo”.

Spencer also said that Microsoft is working on a cloud service for streaming console-quality games to internet-linked devices.

“If you agree that the eventual future of games consumption is through cloud gaming services, then those companies with a strong position in cloud are likely to be best placed to benefit from the transition,” Harding-Rolls says.

“In this context, Microsoft’s cloud division gives the company a natural advantage when trying to build a profitable business.”

Console video game titan Bethesda is unabashedly bridging the divide between console and mobile play with versions of blockbusters “Fallout” and “Elder Scrolls” for play on smartphones or tablets. /EPA-EFE

Sony and Microsoft have each put out word they are working on next-generation consoles, but planned capabilities have yet to be revealed.

PlayStation 4 has dominated the current console generation, briskly outselling Xbox One.

But if the video game world shifts to Microsoft’s strengths, its new competition in play could become cloud and AI titans such as Amazon, Google, Tencent, and Alibaba, according to Harding-Rolls.

The video game industry is seeing its biggest investment ever, with the three big consoles “very healthy”, according to Electronic Software Association chief executive Michael Gallagher.

The ESA trade group organises E3, with 60,000 industry insiders and gamers from some 100 countries attending the three-day gathering.

Video game industry revenue worldwide tallied about $116 billion (Bt3,733 billion) last year, according to the ESA.

Console makers have been taking lessons from mobile games, building online communities of players who provide feedback; stream play; subscribe to services, and spend money on digital content such as dance moves or funky clothing for characters.

“Mobile has been a fantastic growth point for the industry,” Gallagher says.

Console video game titan Bethesda is unabashedly bridging the divide between console and mobile play with versions of blockbusters “Fallout” and Elder Scrolls” for play on smartphones or tablets.

“I can’t wait to play it,” Gallagher says of “Elder Scrolls: Blades” that will be available free for iPhones or Android-powered mobile devices when it is released later this year. Another sign of console-quality play making its way to mobile devices came in the form of telecom giant AT&T showing off ultra high-speed 5G wireless data capabilities on the E3 show floor.

Super-fast internet service is seen as key to rich, seamless game play.

“Exponential increases in computing power, storage and speed will lead to the streaming of realistic, systemic, densely populated and persistent game worlds to any screen,” noted Yves Guillemot, chief executive of French video game powerhouse Ubisoft.

Wandering through the exhibition “Gender Illumination” at Museum Siam, Kanasit Puangampai comes to a sudden stop in the “Scene of Life” zone. More than 100 items contributed by LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning) people are displayed here along with a note of what the particular item represents. Kanasit doesn’t go anywhere for a while then asks his friends to take a photo of him with a flannel shirt that has ruffles around the collar.

“It’s mine,” says the young man proudly. A working member of the Non-Binary Thailand group, Kanasit is eager to share the story of his shirt, telling me that it marked the beginning of his coming out to society.

His message beside the shirt reads: “I am very happy that I was encouraged to wear this outfit. In the past, I could only look and thought I shouldn’t be wearing these clothes because society doesn’t deem it appropriate. I had to put up with wearing outfits that people said are appropriate for me. Every time I looked in the mirror I saw someone who looked appropriate but it never was me.”

Kanasit Puangampai and his shirt.

Kanasit spotted the shirt while walking in the market with some of his college friends who encouraged him to buy it.

“It is not the most expensive shirt I own but to me, it is the most meaningful. And even though I now have plenty of favourite shirts with a ruffle, I asked the exhibition organiser to take care of it because I want it back,” he says with a smile.

Thai-African American actor Rusmeekae Fagerland has selected three pieces to tell his story – two photographs and a pair of sneakers. The two photographs show the scar on his back. “It’s a reminder that I was tortured when I was young. I want to keep it to remind me about the nightmare even though it can be removed with plastic surgery,” says the 31-year-old. He also apologises that his priority in choosing these three items had less to do with the gender issues highlighted in the exhibition than discrimination because of his colour, explaining that he has experienced racism for as long as he can remember.

The sneakers have a slightly happier story behind them: they’re the ones he wore to run 200 kilometres alongside Artiwara “Toon Bodyslam” Kongmalai during his charity marathon from the country’s southernmost corner to the northernmost tip to raise funds for state hospitals.

“With my Afro-American looks, I was constantly bullied and teased about my colour. And even now that I’m an actor and people recognise me, I still get discriminatory comments. While I was running in the charity run, spectators called me katoey (ladyboy) and ‘dam’ (black), I just don’t get it. We are in the year 2018 yet we might as well be back in the middle ages where people were constantly bullied because of their colour and gender. I don’t have the answers. My question is: when we confront this racism and discrimination, should we respect each other’s difference in race or gender or use the eye for an eye approach towards those who show racism and discrimination?”

Rusmeekae Fagerland’s collection 

“Gender Illumination” is spread over 715 square metres of the exhibition area, both indoors and outdoors, and features well-rounded contents about sexual diversity such as history, social norms, context, circumstances and society’s perceptions.

Curator Chonchanok Phonsing says that she has opted to move away from the norms of curatorship and adopt a different approach. “Usually the curator manages the project from his or her own perspective but this is a collaboration with ordinary people in our society. It took more than 19 months to complete this exhibition. We connected with people through our campaign and social network, asking them to submit any items that told their own stories,” she says.

The team then undertook some research, interviewed prospective contributors and gathered collectibles from people all over Thailand so that the exhibition truly reflected the diverse stories, perceptions, feeling and attitudes of society at large.

Visitors are invited to take time in the various zones starting with the Gender Maze in the outdoor area where people can walk through a maze of questions and rethink their perceptions of gender stereotypes generated by Thai and English slang including such commonly used works as “gentlegay”, “brawny”, “camp”, “dad bod”, “50 shades of gay” and “arm candy”.

The first zone looks at the Genderless Restroom, asking whether the standard men and women images are essential in this day and age and if it might be better to introduce gender neutral restrooms. The Siam Gender Record zone chronicles the history of sexual diversity in Thailand, from Ayutthaya to the present through a timeline of significant circumstances, and examines how print and social media have given rise to LGBTQ expressions. Here we can see how some of the slang words came about, for example tua dam, which emerged from news about a boy’s brothel in 1935. Literally translated as black bean, it has become slang for the performance of anal sex on a male by a male. The mezzanine is home to paintings by children depicting their perception of gender and leads to an exhibition of LGBTQ social activities.

The video installation portrays LGBT life in the south of Thailand.

The Scene of Life zone is on the first floor and is itself divided into three parts covering everything from family life to debatable topics. Along with the collectibles and collections of photos and items, everyday objects tell the story, value and significance of LGBTQ expression, acceptance, and even rejection within both public and private spaces. There are also short films explaining sexual diversity, teen artworks reflecting sexual diversity issues and the story of social movement in Thailand.

Chonchanok explains that some of items submitted have not been included, among them sex toys, as she felt these could overshadow the other items, such as Kanasit’s shirt, a school report and a cassette tape, and a photograph of a kindergarten lad wearing makeup. She also worried that they could be misleading.

The Gender Bread Model is a corner where visitors can gain a better understanding of what “gender” is through a body scanner model that describes the differences between gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation and emotional attraction, and explains a person’s gender can be changed and is fluid, not following the stereotypes of society.

Cover Up takes visitors deeper into the life of sexual diversity. Designed like the backstage of a theatre, here people can freely experiment with gender-neutral clothes and LGBTQ’s wearables such as wigs and makeup.

The final zone, Draw your Dream, polls opinions on the rights of the LGBTQ in Thai society today. Visitors are asked to vote yes or no on such as issues as: “Should we have genderless restrooms in our country?”; Should same-sex couples be able to legally marry?’; and “Would you mind your family members being gay?”.

And there’s also a wall that allows people to share their gender spectrum by painting a paper gender ticket.

 The Gender Illumination exhibition is open daily Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Admission is free.

 Museum Siam is at Tha Tien, Bangkok.

 For more information, call (02) 225 2777 or visit http://www.museumsiam.org.