Showing 21 - 30 of 38
Masters of puppets
Life, Apipar Norapoompipat, Published on 22/08/2018
» To the younger generation of Southeast Asia, shadow puppetry may seem like a bygone form of entertainment. Held outdoors at night in temple compounds, rice fields or the royal court, the performance traditionally unfolds behind a stretch of white cloth illuminated by oil lamps. Puppet masters manipulate the intricate and painstakingly handcrafted puppets to local music, narrating and acting stories from the Ramayana or the Mahabharata epics peppered with improvisation in between. A shadow theatre performance, in some cases, can last up to seven hours long.
Being human: Antony Gormley's new bodies
AFP, Published on 28/03/2018
» HONG KONG - Some of the figures seem to be concentrating on yoga poses. One is standing on its head, another lies down with its upper back and legs lifted, its "core" apparently hard at work.
Renewing Mali's musical traditions
Life, John Clewley, Published on 17/10/2017
» The landlocked West African country of Mali has produced some outstanding singers and musicians in the past 40 or 50 years. Think of Mali's most famous musician, Salif Keita, and great dance bands like the Super Rail Band, Zani Diabate and his Super Djata Band, the late Ali Farka Toure… and the list goes on.
Southern discomfort, by those who live it
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 04/08/2017
» 'I'm not really a photographer. In fact I hated photography," said photographer Mumadsoray Deng from Pattani.
Narongrit to premier new Asean-inspired piece
Life, Tretip Kamolsiri, Published on 19/07/2016
» This Thursday, composer Narongrit Dhamabutra will premier his new piece, Quintet For The Spirits Of Asean, to be performed by the top-notch musicians of the Pro Musica Ensemble. The performance, open to the public free of charge, will take place at 6pm at the Music Hall, Art and Culture Building at Chulalongkorn University.
A world-music classic returns
Life, John Clewley, Published on 24/05/2016
» The Malian singer Oumou Sangare burst onto the West African music scene when she released her first album, Moussolou, on cassette in 1990. I was living in Tokyo at the time and African friends told me about a new singer rapidly rising to fame on the back of an album that had already sold a quarter of a million copies. A kind soul bought me the cassette from a trip to Mali so that I could review it for the Japanese newspaper I was writing for. I still have the original.
Molecular interpretation of traditional cuisine
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 04/04/2016
» Local foodies will not be able to comprehend why Michelin-starred Thai restaurants are located overseas -- such as Nahm at The Halkin Hotel in London, and KIIN KIIN in cold Copenhagen, Denmark, and Thais will keep busy comparing the taste authenticity. The question, perhaps, does not need an answer. Food should not have a racial barrier, and Michelin-star standardisation helps notch up Thai cuisine into the territory of haute cuisine.
Culture on a string
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 29/10/2014
» While the epic Ramakien is told through nang talung, the art of shadow puppetry from southern Thailand, a shadow puppet from Hamburg, Germany, will portray a child waking up in the middle of the night.
The Karnatik Story should be heard by all
Life, John Clewley, Published on 23/09/2014
» I was recently in Bangalore in Southern India on a business trip. It was my first visit and I thoroughly enjoyed the city. It was, first of all, delightful to be in a big city which has lots of tree-lined boulevards and roads, although like Bangkok they always seem to be bumper to bumper with all kinds of vehicles. The food was terrific, the tea delicious and people everywhere were very friendly.
Mavericks meet their match
Life, Published on 22/09/2014
» The winners of the SEA Write Awards, the region's most distinguished literary prize, will be announced early next month, the category to be judged in this year's competition being the short story. In the run-up to that glittering event, we talk to the six Thai finalists, all unconventional individuals in their own way, asking them about their work, their favourite authors and why they prefer to express themselves in the short-story format.