Showing 1 - 10 of 60
Memes of dissent
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/08/2023
» It is not as whimsical as it seems. After the onset of the largest pro-democracy movement since the military coup in 2014, university and high school students cuddled hamster dolls and ran around in circles. "Delicious tax!", hundreds of them sang, from a cartoon jingle at Democracy Monument in late July 2020. Crowdsourced from a social media platform, Hamtaro, a shorthand for caged mice demanding freedom, spawned many internet memes, including a greedy caricature of junta leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.
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 sustainable model
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 26/07/2023
» Over a decade ago, Aracha Boon-Long embarked on her first journey to Doi Luang Chiang Dao. No signal. Silence. Sometimes, the forest made strange sounds at night. Only when she made it to the summit, a herd of gorals appeared and lay down basking in the first daylight. It is the moment when life begins. She thought to herself how small she is in the face of nature. What could she do to protect her home?
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.
Temperatures soar, headaches rise
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/05/2023
» Like other early birds, Dao Dul, 35, goes on duty at first light. For her, time is literally money. Her office is not a well-built weather-proof skyscraper. It is a makeshift cart that provides affordable dishes to hundreds of community residents from dawn to dusk.
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.
Giving evidence
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 20/03/2023
» Under authoritarian rule, truths are silenced, censored and mutilated. Yet, many people find ways to tell their stories. It is an irony, though, that a repressive regime is a precondition of creative resistance.
The elusive objects of truth
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 06/03/2023
» The recent shooting down of flying objects, identified and otherwise, over the US and Canada has spurred interest in extra-terrestrial life further afield. Here in Thailand, ufologists have taken to social media and presented evidence of sightings while describing their personal experiences as well as theories about alien lifeforms.
A creative accounting
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/02/2023
» Sophie, a young pianist, dreams of performing at a concert hall. When she gets an invitation letter, she feels overjoyed and begins to prepare for a debut, though with a sense of foreboding. On concert day, the sound of music comes from nowhere. She finds that it is created by the ghosts of past performers, yet continues to play her instrument. Her performance brings the ghosts peace, and they gradually disappear. As time goes by, Sophie becomes a successful pianist, but she never forgets the event.
Exhibit calls into question the ethics of perceptions
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/11/2022
» Chilean artist and architect Marco Evaristti is challenging viewers in his new exhibition "Ethical Reality" in the hope of raising funds for his project in Nepal.