Showing 1 - 10 of 96
Micro oases in the concrete jungle
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/08/2023
» Created from a scrap of land, a pocket park is a micro oasis of landscaped nature that can breathe new life into grey Bangkok. Spread across a lawn, flowers, shrubs and trees provide respite from the hustle and bustle. The use of solar cells does not cause any pollution. Its universally designed walkway is well-catered to all groups of visitors, including the disabled and elderly. Inside, there is a small space for exercise and leisure.
A bitter farewell
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 15/05/2023
» The Robot Building on Sathon Road is a childhood superhero that comes to life. Standing on staggered floors, the chunky android is studded with nuts and bolts. Its head boasts metallic-lidded eyes and two communication antennae and its frontal body is outfitted with black glass and blue stripes like armour. It is ready to fight a monster in the urban jungle.
Overcoming the odds
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 27/04/2023
» Simple, thoughtful, delicious and intelligent.
Pin-up stars
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/04/2023
» In the erotic novel Hom Dok Praduan (1968), Rong Wongsawan hints that a teenager fondled his flesh in front of her. “On the door is a cover photo of a socialite in Bangkok. Clad in her swimsuit, she allows waves to break on her thighs. But someone with restless hands drew overgrown grass so that he can rub it gently until it is torn. (In Mathayom 4, he often fantasised about her. The first syllable of her name begins with the mor letter. He feels thankful whenever she comes into his mind [...]).”
The many tastes of rice
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/04/2023
» For several decades, cracked ground in Isan or the Northeast of the country captured the public's imagination. In the 1970s, readers submitted their poems to Satri Sarn, the country's first women's magazine, recounting tales of drought, crop failure and hardship. Some were forced to eat leaves and grasshoppers, not rice, while others who fled their villages in search of jobs in Bangkok were duped or exploited by agents.
The coming storm
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 20/02/2023
» Climate change is an invisible killer. A family that lived in a hill station in India, an area known for its colder climate, took their sick child to the hospital. Nobody thought of dengue until a diagnosis confirmed it. Warmer temperatures in India and elsewhere make conditions more favourable for mosquitoes.
Imagining a new world
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 17/01/2023
» A few days after the dawn of the new year, I found myself on the move earlier than usual. It is not usually until the second week we hit the ground running. After all, who would fly to Singapore just for an art exhibition? But I took it on because, given the pandemic, its theme seemed timely and powerful. Despite a brief downpour, it was a rewarding experience. Made of earthy materials, some pieces evoked a refreshing sense of self-renewal.
Challenging the norm
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/11/2022
» Yaoi or Boys' Love (BL) has grown from an underground to mainstream fictional genre. It emerged from women's manga comics in Japan in the 1980s, which portrayed the relationship between young boys based on the seme (active) and uke (receptive) dichotomy. Through an informal fan network, the transnational phenomenon came to Thailand in the early 1990s and a subculture was formed online.
Nationalism is not the answer to land woes
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/11/2022
» Resistance to the controversial foreign land ownership bill is giving rise to the term khai chat -- used to denounce traitors who sell the motherland -- being used in political discourse. Whether a person is a government critic or supporter, he or she believes their ancestors fought very hard to protect our land and it should not be given away to foreigners.
Bangkok serves as inspiration in new show
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/10/2022
» After British artist Andrew Stahl set foot in Thailand, he spent much of the day exploring Bangkok. It is a jumble of many buildings from modern high rises and bright neon signs to rickety shophouses and temples that never cease to amaze him although he is a frequent visitor. It has provided inspiration for his latest exhibition "Sparkling City".