Showing 1 - 10 of 14
The price of progress
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 23/06/2025
» Ongoing construction at the former site of Scala is opposite a major predecessor. Opening in 1985 at the corner of Pathumwan Intersection, MBK Center is located on a plot of land leased to Mah Boon Krong Drying and Silo Co Ltd. It features a 20-storey office building and an eight-storey shopping mall.
Creative destruction
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/06/2025
» Salinee Hanvareevongsilp's family moved home for a job opportunity when she was five and the land was subsequently developed into Siam Square in 1965. Still, it remained her favourite haunt. She frequented three movie theatres in the area -- Siam, Scala and Lido. In Matthayom 3, she protested against Japanese goods on Rama I Road.
Rising rents threaten the vibrant street food scene of the once-booming Banthat Thong Road
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 09/06/2025
» As night fell, neon signs gradually lit up Instagrammable restaurants and cafes. Despite pouring rain, tourists were taking photos of a dessert shop's logo of a boy holding a bun at an iconic intersection. Some eateries were teeming with customers, with a long queue of them spilling onto the sidewalk. Some, less popular, saw staff sitting idle. Others put up advertisement for lease.
A vanishing heritage
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/07/2023
» If it were not for a handful of visitors, the Chao Mae Thap Thim Shrine would completely vanish. Flanked by metal sheet fences, a narrow alley leads to the remnants of age-old communities. An entrance is adorned with red lanterns. A facade is painted with mythological figures. A roof is embellished with tile dolls. The smell of burning incense wafts through the open gate. Inside, deities are worshipped on an altar with a gilded frame.
Letting go is key to moving forward
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 27/02/2023
» Some humans desire to transcend their biological limits. Such pursuit of immortality is expressed through art or architecture, or living through their descendants. I have been in touch with a number of artists who struggle to preserve their craft amid changing times. A succession crisis occurs when one cannot find anyone to continue his or her artistic legacy and only some can let go, though not easily.
Gaysorn bookstore moves stock to Chiang Mai
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 17/06/2022
» After six years, The Papersmith, an independent magazine shop in Bangkok's Gaysorn Village, will close its doors by the end of this month due to a lease expiry.
A natural remedy against Covid-19?
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 26/01/2022
» Short of breath at night, Ekkaluk Thongchan decided to ignore his doctor's instructions and rummage through his bag for herbal pills believed to treat fever and respiratory symptoms. Made of kot chula lumpa (sweet wormwood) and boraphet (heart-leaved moonseed), the temple-grown remedy gave him a new lease of life.
Artists try to show the way
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 03/01/2022
» Last spring, thousands of butterflies fluttered yellow-green wings over the mud fields in Nakhon Ratchasima. The massive outbreak of these chartreuse creatures, though a common sight in the summer, made headlines after officials said the lush forest had nourished and multiplied caterpillars at an unprecedented scale.
Reviving old traditions
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 15/12/2021
» Despite face masks, local artisans put their heart and soul into the annual creative festival amid the rush of the winter breeze. Amid Covid-19, the 7th Chiang Mai Design Week brought the northern city back to life. Shedding its superfluous layers, the subdued event finally came to fruition by exploring its roots.
Will liberal arts perish much like razed Scala?
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/11/2021
» Surrounded by a tall fence, the once-grand Scala, the last stand-alone cinema in Bangkok -- a quasi Cinema Paradiso for movie buffs -- was razed to rubble and thus no more.