Phra Tamnak Yai Mansion, where Queen Savang Vadhana, the Queen Grandmother, lived.

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit will turn 84 on Friday. For the 66 years of her queenship, Her Majesty has worked tirelessly side by side with His Majesty the King for Thais’ better living, and one of her greatest inspirations and role models has been Queen Savang Vadhana, the Queen Grandmother.

The proof of that inspiration is now on full display throughout the month at the “Exhibition To Mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 7th Cycle Birthday” being held at the Queen Savang Vadhana Museum, in Sra Pathum Palace.

“Her Majesty Queen Savang Vadhana, the Queen Grandmother, saw the importance of knowledge and education,” says the presentation’s narration. “She encouraged youngsters and courtiers to study, and supported numerous schools. She had a keen interest in medical science and public health. She commissioned the establishment of Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital in Si Racha.”

To visit the exhibition is also a chance to visit parts of Sra Pathum Palace, a royal compound in Pathumwan near Siam Square, open for the public on this special occasion.

The exhibition is classified into four zones, and in fact the first deals with the life of HM the Queen in relation to Sra Pathum Palace itself. Sra Prathum Palace was the royal residence of Queen Savang Vadhana, and the venue of Their Majesties the King and Queen’s royal wedding on April 28, 1950.

The second section depicts Her Majesty’s work for the people by His Majesty’s side in the fields of social welfare, health, education, natural and cultural conservation and social development. Among her projects is her work with the Thai Red Cross Society. Her Majesty became the president on Aug 12, 1956, the third in Thai history, after Queen Savang Vadhana, who was in charge from 1920-1955.

One of Her Majesty’s most outstanding missions was providing humanitarian aid to refugees fleeing the genocides in Cambodia in 1975 and 1979. Her Majesty travelled by helicopter from Prachuap Khiri Khan to Trat on the eastern border after hearing the reports on May 26, 1979. She instructed related government agencies and her own courtiers to set up an emergency Red Cross unit at Ban Khao Lan, Mai Root. This task was internationally recognised by Tufts University, in the United States, which bestowed on her an honorary doctoral degree in the humanities in 1980.

Queen Savang Vadhana, the Queen Grandmother.

Her work in the fields of natural conservation are also shown, such as her “Forests Love Water Village” project in Sakon Nakhon, her “Return Elephants to Nature” and “Restoring the Source of Elephant Food” projects in Loei, Nakhon Ratchasima, Loei and Buri Ram.

The third zone displays the honours bestowed on Her Majesty by the international community for her humanitarian work. For instance, in 1979, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations awarded HM the Queen its Ceres Gold Medal for her work among rural women that improved their livelihoods and education, resulting in less hunger and poverty among them and their children. In 1986, the World Wildlife Fund presented her with a certificate honouring her as the best forest and wildlife conservationist.

On Her Majesty’s 80th birthday in 2012, the Ministry of Culture presented her with the title “Great Artist Protector of the Arts”. Last year, the “Great Artist Protector of the Arts” medal was presented to Her Majesty on her 83rd birthday.

The fourth and last zone showcases Her Majesty’s kindness and compassion in working for the benefit of the people. The most outstanding is the Support Foundation, which features the Sirikit Institute at Chitralada Palace that offers training to produce artisans. Moreover, Her Majesty has revived khon mask dance as well as the related art of weaving silk brocades, making khon costumes, accessories and masks and royal khon make-up. For a decade, the Support Foundation’s annual Royal Khon Performance, initiated by Her Majesty, has made khon more popular and enjoyable.

In addition, Her Majesty is a role model in terms of fashion among Thai women, especially in the aspect of Thai cultural conservation. She often wears attire tailored from Thai fabrics, including Thai silk and hand-woven cotton textiles.

According to the exhibition, Her Majesty has followed in the footsteps of Queen Savang Vadhana in various aspects. In 2011, Queen Savang Vadhana was named by Unesco one of the world’s great personalities for her contributions to education, applied science (public health), culture, social science and the humanities.

Culturally, the artistic talent of Queen Savang Vadhana inspired HM the Queen to support various forms of traditional art, such as yan lipao (string fern vine) handicrafts, embroidery and beetle wing art, through her many royal projects and the Support Foundation.

Part of the exhibition at the Queen Savang Vadhana Museum.

Back in 1893, King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) permitted Queen Savang Vadhana, the Queen Consort, to organise an exhibition on Siamese arts and culture in the Woman’s Building at the World’s Columbian Exposition, or the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus “discovering” the New World.

The exhibition comprised delicate embroidery using silk threads, gold and silver filaments, as well as other items of Siamese arts and culture and preserved food. It created public awareness for Siam as civilised and sophisticated, as reflected by its skilful craftsmanship.

Among the many handicraft items selected by the queen for display at the fair, 101 won prizes. Among these, 22 were either crafted by the queen herself or displayed her insignia.

To show her appreciation for the success of the expo, Queen Savang Vadhana presented an album of Siamese photographs to Mrs Potter Palmer (Mrs Bertha Palmer), president of the Board of Lady Managers. The cover of the album was embroidered by Queen Savang Vadhana in the image of lotus flowers and leaves, with a silver elephant in the lower right-hand corner. The silver binder and clasp were crafted by Tiffany & Co. The album was later presented to the Chicago History Museum by descendants of Mrs Palmer.

At the ongoing exhibition in the Queen Savang Vadhana Museum, a life-size model of this album is on view. It was embroidered by instructors at the Royal Traditional Thai Crafts School for Women in a frame inlaid with a silver elephant and a silver clasp made by instructors at the Golden Jubilee Royal Goldsmith College.

Other objects to be shown include a wooden and enbroidered silk screen and a yan lipao vine betel nut set with beetle-wing decorative details owned by the former queen, as well as HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s yan lipao vine handbags made with the same technique. Queen Savang Vadhana’s yan lipao betel nut set inspired Her Majesty the Queen to support the art of yan lipao handicrafts at a number of occupational centres.

Other highlights are silver figurines, damascene art, vanashram embroidery from mai noi (fine silk threads) and a wooden and embroidered silk screen by Sirikit Institute craftsmen and khon costumes for Indrajit and Hanuman used in the Royal Khon Performance The Battle Of Indrajit: The Episode Of Prommas, in 2007.

In all, Her Majesty the Queen keeps the legacy of Queen Savang Vadhana alive by continuing and expanding the latter’s work to make people’s lives better and to preserve Thailand’s artistic and cultural heritage throughout the current reign.

The balcony of Phra Tamnak Yai Mansion is where Queen Savang Vadhana presided over the wedding of Their Majesties the King and Queen on April 28, 1950. Queen Savang Vadhana Foundation

The Siamese Album is now at the Chicago History Museum, but a life-size model is on view at the exhibition. Photos courtesy of Queen Savang Vadhana Foundation

Queen Savang Vadhana’s yan lipao betel nut set with beetle wing details. photo: photographer

The wood and embroidered silk screen, owned by Queen Savang Vadhana, is one of the highlights.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Installation view of Wantanee Siripattananuntakul’s video work III. Photos: Tanatchai Bandasak

As the title “Human AlieNation” suggests, the current exhibition at The Art Centre, Silpakorn University, concerns a sense of alienation on many levels, from individually, groups in society, to collectively as a nation.

Co-organised with Thammasat University’s Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, the fact that curator Kamolwan Boonphokaew is an anthropologist has doubly underlined that idea. She is an outsider in the field of visual art yet she sees the commonality in artists and anthropologists in the way they reflect situations and movements that are currently happening in society.

Initially, it was just her interest in art and frequent visits to art openings that led her to observe that, just like society at large, the Thai art scene is comprised of groups of people who are estranged from one another. Her project proposal to the art centre was to invite four artists — Nopchai Ungkavatanapong, Nipan Oranniwesna, Chitti Kasemkitvatana and Wantanee Siripattananuntakul — and ask them to interpret the idea of alienation and create works through their own aspects and means.

“The topic of the dialogue is the current condition of Thai society,” wrote Kamolwan in the exhibition text. “During this time of transformation, a group of people on one side tries hard to hold on to the way things have been, while those on another eagerly anticipate the passing of old days and the arrival of new.”

Kamolwan elaborated further that the outcome of that is how, in this labyrinth of cultural change, people are driven to view those living in the same culture as the other. Wantanee’s three video works reflect that, and they are perhaps the most easily accessible in the show as they speak about the alienation in classes of people which results from prolonged political conflicts.

The first piece, entitled III, features a poorly-dressed labourer sitting on the floor and peeling piles of onions while tears are welling up in his eyes. A video next to that features a woman singing without a voice coming out and one guesses that she represents the middle class when we see that the third and final video is of an elegantly dressed man imperiously conducting non-existent orchestra — obviously a depiction of the elites.

“In both the social and art worlds, there is a current effort to revive the mechanism of peer grouping based on a political ideology,” wrote Kamolwan. “The act of social labelling, categorising, and delineation as ‘friend’ or ‘enemy’ is experiencing a resurgence. The consequence is the promotion of the voice of the in-group to be heard louder, while that of all others is increasingly ignored.”

Also on the ground floor are two of the works by Nopchai Ungkavatanapong. His works feature his usual neon and electronic components and through them, the artist argues that we are alienated from one another simply because of our perceptions and backgrounds.

His installation work Tiptoeing Around The Stars, for example, looks like a bunch of coat hangers chained together, but he is actually referring to the Coathanger asterism, a star constellation. Another piece installed on the floor, entitled Definition, is a plus sign-shaped block which could be a multiply sign if looking from a different angle.

“For Nopchai, stories, statuses and perceptions toward surrounding objects [and, possibly, also people] are the results of social production,” wrote Kamolwan. “Being an object, in his view, engages not only the matter of physicality, but also hidden significance.”

Upstairs, Chitti’s installation works are about bringing historical incidents from other places to be reproduced in this space and through them stories of ordinary people who are disenfranchised from mainstream history are told.

Meanwhile, Nipan’s works use the history of the art space in exploring the sense of otherness in a marginalised group of Burmese people in Thailand. The snaking wood structure on the floor, entitled 2401, for instance, is the small-scale real border between Thailand and Myanmar which is 2,401km long.

Chitti and Nipan’s works in particular are by no means easily and immediately graspable, and Kamolwan said that the unwillingness on the artists’ part to explain their works is why some viewers may feel alienated from art. The archive — photos and interviews with the four artists Kamolwan has compiled after observing closely their work processes for six months — on display for viewers to browse, then, is Kamolwan’s means to destroy that gap between artists and viewers. It’s only when we read the interviews that we make a guess as to, for instance, how the running man in the Nipan video work Signal creates a dialogue with the history of the art space itself.

“All of the sculpture works of Nipan included in this show are a metaphorical visual landscape of a borderline marking the separated areas of those from the inside and the outside, and of those from the same and other group, who share living space in a singular society — a town or even a country,” wrote Kamolwan.

Nopchai Ungkavatanapong’s Tiptoeing Around The Stars. Photo: Tanatchai Bandasak

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

There was a fine sprinkle of rain as the day broke, but that couldn’t deter 3,000 runners from showing up to run for a good cause. Last Saturday, the 8th Bangkok Post International Mini Marathon took place at CentralWorld. The run, as usual, was a fun, healthy and charitable activity: this year the event raised more than 900,000 baht for Bangkok Post Foundation, which provides education scholarships to needy Thai students across the country.

Former Bank of Thailand governor Prasarn Triratvorakul joined Bangkok Post editor Umesh Pandey and editor-in-chief and chairman of Bangkok Post Foundation Pichai Chuensuksawadi to chair the opening ceremony and start the runners.

Over the years, the Bangkok Post International Mini Marathon has also built up a reputation as a favourite fixture of runners who enjoy city runs through some of the usually busiest Bangkok roads. The divisions include the 10.5km, 6.5km and 3.5km run, and the strong turnout on Saturday — from serious racers to families and even some disabled participants — testified to the popularity of the activity.

For the 10.5km mini marathon, the course began at the plaza outside CentralWorld, turning into Phetchaburi Road, Banthat Thong, Rama IV, Henri Dunant, then making a U-turn back to Rama IV, Ratchadamri Road and onto the finish line at CentralWorld.

Runners gathered to warm up from before 5am. At around 5.30am, as first light was about to break — and following the previous night’s heavy rain — we felt a fine sprinkle coming down. But thankfully it soon stopped, and the runners went out with confidence and enthusiasm.

The winner of the 10.5km run was Sutat Kalayanakitti, clocking in at an impressive 35.35 minutes.

But of course the more impressive performance was that of all runners who contributed to Bangkok Post Foundation. Established in 1982, the foundation has provided scholarships to over 600 students. Currently 234 students are receiving support. To date, 97 have graduated from university. The funding comes from readers’ donations and charitable events, including the mini marathon. There are no strings attached to students who receive support — except the hope that they will give back to Thai society.

See you at our next mini marathon. In the meantime, train!

Runners in the 3.5km run at the start. photos: THANARAK KHUNTON

Runners in the 3.5km run at the start. photos: THANARAK KHUNTON

 

 

 

Runners in the 3.5km run at the start. photos: THANARAK KHUNTON

Sutat Kalayanakitti, winner of the 10.5km run, rejoices on reaching the finishing line.

A fun run for the family.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Vegan desserts are seen at Cafe Gratitude on August 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (AFP photo)

LOS ANGELES – Vegan diets are considered by most as healthy and environmentally responsible, with celebrity poster children touting benefits like weight loss, clear skin and increased energy.

But even vegans — who eschew all animal products like meat, eggs and dairy — crave junk food.

As the movement becomes more and more popular, temptations including donuts, pizza and mock hamburgers allow vegans to eat just as badly as everybody else.

“There are a lot of unhealthy options. It’s hard to resist at first,” Jessica McCully, 28, said at a vegan food festival in the Los Angeles area, a fake chicken taco in her hand.

McCully is a new convert to “mock meat” thanks to her girlfriend, and says that in just two months of adopting a vegan diet, she feels happier and “more energetic.”

A baker makes vegan desserts at Cafe Gratitude on August 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, California

According to a Harris Interactive study, between seven and eight million Americans identify as vegan, especially in the US epicenter of clean eating, California.

Today’s animal product-free diet goes beyond the stereotypical lentils and granola, with restaurants offering gourmet vegan dishes like watermelon salad with almond cheese and toasted pistachios, or zucchini flowers stuffed with macadamia ricotta.

Of course, the diet is not all haute cuisine — there are also plenty of restaurants serving “comfort” vegan food, including tofu or mock meat that has been breaded and fried.

Los Angeles even holds an annual “Vegan Oktoberfest” — allowing vegans to imbibe while sampling from an assortment of indulgent snacks.

– Not just carrots and celery –

At the vegan food fair in Anaheim, a suburb of LA, bowls of quinoa are hard to find.

Lori Whitaker, a long-limbed blonde with a golden complexion, stood in line at one stand to buy a pizza.

“I like my junk food; I won’t lie,” the 54-year-old said. Today, she said, “you can get a vegan pizza, a vegan taco — I think this is great because a lot of people think vegans eat only celery and carrots.”

In LA’s hipster Silver Lake neighborhood, Donut Farm sells sugary, fried confections just like every other donut shop — but their treats in trendy flavors like green tea and salted caramel are vegan.

“I think a vegan option is still going to be a bit more healthier,” said sales person Chris Boss, who said the bakery’s recipes call for organic flours and sugar, and ingredients like coconut milk.

The treats do have less cholesterol and no trans-fats, he added.

But at the end of the day, “it’s a ball of fried dough with lots of calories,” Boss said.

– ‘Horror and compassion’ –

Many converts to veganism cite health reasons, but support for animal rights remains a key motivation.

“Usually it’s with horror at how our factory farming works,” said Annie Jubb, a vegan lifestyle consultant. “It’s motivated by horror and compassion.”

But Jubb admits that not all vegans are healthy.

“They could be eating chips and fried food,” she said. “Eating soy burgers, soy bacon three times a day… soy is not a health food.”

The orthodox vegan, who counts Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio as one of her past clients, allows herself the occasional indulgence, ordering in a comfort food staple — vegan mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy.

“We’re in this business to provide people healthy, nourishing food,” said Ryland Engelhart, co-owner of Cafe Gratitude, a California chain of “plant-based” restaurants serving dishes like faux chorizo sandwiches and chocolate-pollen smoothies.

“But you can’t expect people to jump overnight to a diet of kelp noodle salad with bean sprouts and sauteed tempeh,” he said.

Still, Engelhart said, vegans need to be careful to maintain a balanced diet just like everyone else.

“It can get to a point where we’re not just transitioning people, but maintaining them into being satiated by non-meat junk food,” he said. “It is still junk food.”

The Cafe Gratitude team, though, leans medicinal: at its sister restaurant, the Mexican-themed Gracias Madre, cocktails include ingredients like essential oil of cannabis.

“We are all about plants, right?” said Engelhart with a smile.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

CELEBRATING “The Glorious Beauty of Textiles” last Friday as part of national observations for Her Majesty the Queen’s 84th birthday tomorrow, designers from 10 fashion houses put together a glamorous runway show inspired by her enduring efforts to preserve and promote traditional textiles and weaving skills.

The outfits modelled in the show will remain on display at Central Embassy through next Wednesday alongside seven gorgeous gowns worn by the Queen and stunning examples of embroidered fabrics.

Meanwhile people can send their best wishes to Her Majesty by adding stitches in gold thread to a seven-metre-long bolt of silk, forming the words “Long Live the Queen”. That’s in the Event Hall at Central Chidlom until Wednesday and on Level G at Central Embassy until August 21.

The exhibition “The Glorious Beauty of Textiles: Her Majesty the Queen’s 84th Birthday Celebration” is a combined undertaking by the two malls, the Support

Foundation (formally the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques), the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles and Siam Commercial Bank.

Its opening last Friday saw models present 18 outfits created by Tirapan Wannarat of Tirapan, Pichitra Boonyarataphan of Pichitra, Nagara Sambandaraksa of Nagara, Anchalee Vikasitnakakul of Anchavika, Polpat Asavaprapha of Asava, Apisada Nimitvanich of Calista, Karatphet Issara of Kemissara, Mollika Ruangkritya of Kloset, Patinya Kyokong of Patinya and Teerut Wongwatanasin of Vickteerut.

Drawing admiring gasps from the crowd, the clothes comprised a beautiful tribute to the Queen’s dedication to preserving an important part of Thai heritage, including centuries-old skills that might have otherwise disappeared with the passage of time.

The outfits will go on sale following the exhibition, with all earnings pledged to the Support Foundation.

“The glamour of Thai textiles is all about hand-crafting and the fact that no two patterns are alike,” said Tirapan, whose eponymous brand has risen to the peak of Thai fashion over the course of 39 years. The individual care and attention that goes into each fabric is clear in every stage, from the dyeing to the weaving, he said.

“This is what turns a simple hand-made cloth into a canvas that reflects its makers’ identity and sentiment. For my costume I used Mudmee silk ikat from the foundation as the base and then crafted up an artificial butterfly, lacework and beading as decoration.”

Pichitra has 37 years’ experience handling traditional fabrics and has worked with Her Majesty on several occasions.

“The fabric and embroidery selected for these costumes are of the highest quality and very valuable,” she said. “The refined piece I designed is very elegant, in keeping with the quality of the hand-woven fabric. Every step in the production process is very delicate, dif

ficult and time-consuming, so every costume becomes haute couture by default – one-and-only creations available nowhere else in the world.”

Nagara has been in the business for 34 years and is renowned for his “contemporary Thai” silk gowns that are as simple as they are breathtaking, perfectly blending Thai and Western sensibilities. His brand has long been a mainstay on catwalks around the globe, and last Friday offered further evidence why that’s so, with an outfit in patterns richly painted by hand and delicately embroidered.

Anchalee presented two costumes, “Diamond” and “Rose Gold”, which she said recalled her fond memories of seeing the Queen wearing wonderfully updated traditional clothing and accessories.

Polpat, who is president of the Bangkok Fashion Society as well as creative director at Asava, said Her Majesty’s beauty, talents, gentle character and diligent attention to people’s needs provided all the inspiration he needed. To these he added his brand’s signature feminine tenderness and masculine strength.

Apisada took her cue from the many overseas trips Their Majesties the King and Queen made in their younger days. “The costumes the Queen wore while travelling were created by both Thai and foreign designers. I studied their shapes, concepts and detailing to find my inspiration,” she said.

The seven royal gowns on display in the exhibition were made by the great Pierre Balmain and superbly embroidered in silk thread by the House of Lesage in Paris. This is the first time the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles has granted permission for their public display.

The exhibition has eight parts, beginning with an outline of how the show was conceived as a demonstration of gratitude for the Queen’s devotion to the people and her stated belief that everyone is an artist at heart.

On a jigsaw-puzzle map of Thailand, each region is represented by one piece of the puzzle, made of the fabric for which it’s best known. It’s a remarkable aid in learning how the Queen went about promoting the various textiles to bolster local pride and income and preserve age-old skills – all the while enhancing Thailand’s international stature.

The section titled “Royal Khon Embroidery” recounts Her Majesty’s initiative in having fresh costumes made for the classical masked dance while resurrecting near-forgotten stitching techniques and giving them a contemporary application.

In the “Embroidery” segment, marvellous samples are on view along with the equipment used and Support Foundation photos of the actual process. And if the perseverance required isn’t evident enough in the pictures, there are also live demonstrations.

The exhibits in “Thai Hill Tribes” cover six different groups – the Karen, Lisu, Mien, Akha, Lahu and Hmong. Each produces its own unique fabric, but here samples from all six are also combined in a collage effect. You can see the satchels they all make too, again widely varying in aesthetic elements.

Her Majesty’s stunning outfits made overseas are presented in “The Royal Gowns”, all marvellous in the way they’re cut, stitched and embroidered.

“The Support Foundation” section pays tribute to the organisation. Other royal agencies have collaborated in depicting the Queen’s various duties and her efforts to improve people’s lives.

Finally there is the “DIY” zone, where anyone can try their hand at embroidering bags and T-shirts, using ready-made fabrics or creating their own with prepared patterns. Naturally, you get to take your creations home with you.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

Gorgeous jewellery worn by Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Grace of Monaco and Princess Faiza of Egypt line up with a four-billion-year-old rock in the exhibition “Van Cleef & Arpels: The Art & Science of Gems” at Singapore’s ArtScience Museum.

The French maker of luxury jewellery is the star of what’s being billed as Southeast Asia’s largest-ever gems exhibition. More than 400 stunning creations currently on the market, borrowed from private collectors or plucked from the firm’s archives are on view through Sunday.

Also on view, for those who appreciate the gems in their raw state, are 250 mineral samples from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.

For Van Cleef & Arpels president and chief executive Nicolas Bos, the show fulfils a long-held goal. “Since the very early days our purpose has been to bring the world of jewellery and the creative arts to a wider audience,” he says.

This they’ve achieved in remarkable fashion, taking visitors on 4.5-billion-year journey to see how precious stones and metals are formed and how they end up glittering on the necks and ring fingers of the rich and famous.

“Sixty of the pieces come from private collections in Dubai, Kuwait, Monaco, England, the US, Italy, Switzerland – all around the world,” says Catherine Cariou, the firm’s heritage director. “The owners are generally inclined to loan because they’re very proud to be part of our beautiful retrospectives.”

Museum director Honor Harger points out that the exhibition – designed by architects Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku – perfectly fits the facility’s mission to match artistic and scientific endeavours. Its themes are Couture, Abstractions, Influences, Precious Objects, Nature, Ballerinas and Fairies, and Icons.

A tour begins with suitable dazzle – a bird carrying a 96.62-carat briolette-cut yellow diamond in its beak, one of the most striking custom orders Van Cleef has ever received. In the 1930s opera singer Ganna Walska wore it as a pendant, though it can be adapted as earrings or a brooch.

Elsewhere is the largest crystal ever found in the Alps, a 1,765-pound quartz, along with “the world’s oldest rock”, age four billion years.

“We also have rare minerals with strange names, such as corindon and pyroxen, which are raw materials for jewellery makers,” says Bruno David of the Museum of Natural History. “An exhibition like this, where the paths of science and art intersect, is ideal for illustrating the hybrid field we could call ‘geo-jewellery’.”

In the Influences section, Van Cleef’s fascination with Asian and Egyptian motifs becomes apparent. On show are a gem-studded platinum bracelet it created after the 1922 discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb, and a “Siamese head clip” made in 1968, incorporating gold, sapphires, emeralds, rubies and diamonds.

Chinese motifs like dragons appear on many pieces, including an antique scent bottle in red lacquer that also bears a Bird of Paradise, and a Chinese Hat Set of gold necklace and earrings.

Van Cleef’s admiration for Japanese culture is reflected in many items. A sabre-hilt bracelet in woven gold, platinum and brilliant-cut diamonds from 1958 pays homage to Japanese sword-makers. In 2014 it hid a watch inside a bracelet shaped like a carp, all adorned with yellow and orange garnets, spinels and tourmalines.

A clock made in 1957 features two Japanese maidens carved in rock crystal, complete with traditional hairstyles and kimonos. They hold the clock itself, made of gold, sapphires and diamonds, above a crystal table embedded with sapphire and diamond “flowers”.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

Beyond museum stores, there are also lots of art-inspired home decorations at the mall if you know where to look. The name to keep in mind is Jonathan Adler, for his eccentrically glamorous pieces that usually come in gold — but are not gaudy. The lifestyle and furniture brand, which hails from New York, offers a handful of Jackson Pollock-inspired items this month, from neat porcelain pieces to pillows for dressing up your couch. If you like the American painter’s works, which influenced the abstract expressionist movement, you’ll love Adler’s more colourful and modern interpretation of Pollock’s iconic paint splatters. See how the hand-painted paint splats fare when paired up against the opulence of 24-carat gold — a quirky but elegant frill for any dining or living room.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Skip the fresh flowers this year and get mum a symbol of love that she can keep forever. Besides hearts and flowers, non-figurative motifs such as love knots and things she likes can also celebrate the bond that ties your relationship together. This is Life’s guide to a sophisticated selection of jewellery, accessories and kicks any mum would be thrilled to receive. Even better, take mum out shopping this weekend, with these promotions that we’ve rounded up before they end on Sunday.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

The Collector’s Villa at Phangnga’s Iniala Beach House features the Campana Brother’s Aster Papposus sofa for Edra and walls lined with Thai crockery. Photo: KURT ALAN HECK

Though oceans apart, Bangkok and Brazil’s city of Sao Paulo have much in common. Both are cities of extremes where scattershot urban planning and stark economic disparity have resulted in a wild patchwork of affluence and squalor.

Both are the main driving cogs in emerging economies where industry and the provision of services have all but eliminated craft. Both are also informal recycling centres where, for those on the lowest income rungs at least, a survivalist ingenuity compensates for a lack of material possessions — and results in often unthinkable and spontaneous marriages between them.

What Bangkok lacks though is anybody quite like the Campana Brothers, a design duo for whom the western hemisphere’s biggest megacity is their greatest muse.

“Sao Paulo is a great source of inspiration because it’s a place where people recycle bottles, old cars, everything,” says Fernando Campana, alluding to the makeshift style of problem solving that is so ubiquitous in Brazil that they even have a word for it: gambiarra. “I haven’t been to Bangkok but I think there are clear similarities in terms of the improvisation.”

Out of a two-storey warehouse in Sao Paulo’s Santa Cecilia neighbourhood, Fernando, 55, his older brother, Humberto, 63, and their team of assistants hand-craft furniture out of found materials: PVC piping, felt, cardboard, anything at hand. They’ve become exceptionally good at it, earning accolades and industry acclaim in a career that spans over 30 years.

One of Estudio Campana’s most famous chairs is 1991’s Favela. Comprised of pinewood offcuts and broken planks — the materials used to construct Sao Paulo’s rickety shanty towns — it’s been hailed as a Brazilian design classic (along with Havaiana flip-flops, the sensual wood furniture of José Zanine Caldas, and modernist buildings by Oscar Niemeyer) and made it into the permanent collection at the MoMA.

Another highly collectable hit chair, the Vermelha, is upholstered using 450 metres of wrapped and woven coloured rope. On its debut at Milan’s annual furniture fair, the Salone del Mobile, in 1998, this “homage to chaos” raised a few eyebrows, but also did what so few products nowadays manage to do: stand out.

Like Sao Paulo’s poorest, Humberto and Fernando starting using found objects out of necessity.

Fernando and Humberto Campana. Photos courtesy of The Campana Brothers

“Gathering scraps was a substitute for more technical and technological ways of making furniture,” Humberto has said. “Early on, we didn’t have money to invest in an injection moulding machine or other things.”

Today they are no longer hard up, but a sustained fascination with smart, poetic solutions and desire to reflect Brazil’s social fabric in a forthright and engaging manner has kept them on the gritty hunter-gatherer path.

“We always try to make portraits of our environment,” explains Fernando. Back in the 80s, their environment, Sao Paulo, was — like Bangkok — undergoing rapid transformation, not all of it positive. Skyscrapers were being built but the slums expanded. Inequality was becoming more pronounced, not less. It was a city of scavengers as well as social climbers.

Tactile and humorous, their work also betrays an interest in indigenous crafts, or rather the decline of them in a globalised industrial economy where nearly everything is now machine-made.

“We like to use old techniques from our roots,” explains Fernando, “and that have almost disappeared because no one wants to do them any more: embroidery, weaving, etc.” Take the Multidão, a seat comprised of traditional cotton dolls sewn together in a higgledy-piggledy manner (and thus serving as a metaphor for Sao Paulo itself). Women in the northeastern state of Paraiba make the dolls and then send them to Sao Paulo for stitching onto a canvas backing.

History, memory, nature and happenstance also inform their work. The swirling patterns and leather panelling of their recent Cangaço collection pay homage to the loud leather clothing worn by the poor nomadic bandits, or Cangaceiros, that roamed northeast Brazil in the 19th-century. And 2015’s Candy collection for Czech lighting company Lasvit reveals a clear-eyed inquisitiveness that extends to the clients.

“It was inspired by the abundance of colours the glassmakers at their factory have in their palette, while some wild mushrooms we saw growing in the basement led to our Fungo chandelier,” says Fernando.

In their universe, context always informs content. This was the case when they took on their first and only hotel project in Thailand: Phangnga’s exclusive Iniala Beach House. Each of the three private villas at this luxury retreat is a compendium of world-class design, and their contribution to the Collector’s Villa is among the most extravagant. As it was a new build project with few reference points close at hand, they opened up their cultural lens wide.

“The colours, shapes and materials they chose are all deeply related to Thailand,” says Iniala’s head of design, Florencia Nahmad. “It was very interesting to share in their creative process as for them it’s extremely important to understand the local culture, environment and traditions.”

The private cinema, with its furry green Campana Brother Cipria chairs, was soundproofed using local coconut skin. And in the living room, a starfish-shaped blue leather Edra sofa and walls covered in blue and white Thai ceramics transport you to their surrealist vision of the ocean. Its Tropicália meets seabed.

“Contamination” is the word they keep coming back to when describing what drives them. Movies contaminate them. Music contaminates them. Sao Paulo never stops contaminating them. Even their working relationship entails a level of cross-contamination.

Disagreements are vital to how the two brothers, who both grew up larking around the streams, waterfalls and fruit orchards of Brotas, a bucolic rural town near Sao Paulo, like to work.

“I am an architect by training and my brother a lawyer,” says Fernando, “and there are no filters between us. We speak the truth and that makes working together a lot lighter and easier.”

Such is their influence that they are now contaminating others. You can see it in the less pared-down and less po-faced furniture designs that stand out like sore thumbs at the Salone del Mobile each year, the iconoclastic and fun designs of the likes of Spain’s Jaime Hayon, among others. But more excitingly for Humberto and Fernando, you can also see it in their homeland, where they are rightly hailed as the front runners in a new wave of Brazilian design: material-led, craft-based, environmentally sustainable and often bordering on social activism.

“One of our old students Pedro Franco is now producing our first collection for a Brazilian company under his own label, A Lot of Brazil,” says Fernando by way of example. “When someone from one of our workshops starts making our stuff, that too is a kind of contamination.”

Multidao Chair. Photos courtesy of The Campana Brothers

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Good Witch Glinda, the Flying Monkey and the Wizard of Oz. Photo courtesy of Thong Lor Art Space

Everybody knows about Dorothy Gale and her adventures in Oz, but L. Frank Baum also has a bevy of other characters just as endearing and unique as the little girl who got tornadoed into the magical land away from her home in Kansas. If you’ve never heard of Tik-Tok before, Thong Lor Art Space offers you the chance to get up real close to what is possibly the world’s first robot character portrayed in literature in The Adventures Of Tik-Tok, Man Of Oz this month. The first half will recount the adventures of the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy, before heading towards the land of Ev, where the “mechanical man” who was forgotten in a cave is later found by Dorothy.

It’s not the most expensive-looking of productions, despite the requisite of magic and marvels that the tale describes. The stage is set in an immersive layout that has audiences seated along three walls, in zigzagged stands where no two pairs of seats are at the same level. Actors, all dressed in baggy white, perform in the centre and will usually run under your seats for a prop change or to signify entering a different location. This would not have worked elsewhere had the tale not been home to such iconic symbols and shapes, where the mere addition of a broom, top hat or starry wand convincingly transforms each person into the Wicked Witch of the West, the Wizard of Oz or the Good Witch Glinda. It all feels a little cheapo that the actors plainly change a hat to change characters, but then it becomes apparent that the play’s comedy springs from its bareness: cross-gender actor Sathasai is hilariously the Flying Monkey (thanks to the furry ears) one second, and the vampy witch Evanora the other.

It’s a little weird that they all talk in third person rather than to each other, but after a while, you get used to it and the whole production feels like sitting in to listen to a fairy tale more than watching a play. The twinkly percussion sounds from xylophones and chimes too give a quaint and charming ambience to the story. The Thai cast’s accents may get distracting, but surtitles in three languages offer some solace. Clearly, James Laver, who plays Tik-Tok, is the liveliest and less contrived performer because there are no language barriers, but his round-bodied suit that makes him clack around like a robot also make things more convincing.

As a robot who supposedly has no feelings and needs to get wound up every now and then, it’s cute to watch how Tik-Tok’s metal moustache move about and how he evolves more sentimentally after meeting Dorothy. Despite its shortcomings, there’s lots of laughs here (look out for Billina the talking chicken). Tales of friendship will always stir up some mushy moments and this Oz adventure of a mechanical man made of copper will whisk you back to a wistful world of childhood imagination.

Dorothy and Tik-Tok. Photos courtesy of Thong Lor Art Space

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Caption goes here photo courtesy of Big Bad Wolf

The true country of readers is the library. If not, then a book shop. If not, then a bookselling event.

Running from tomorrow until Aug 21 at Impact Muang Thong Thani, Hall 9, the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale, billed as the world’s biggest jamboree of discounted books, is in Bangkok for the first time.

Something to take note here: The Big Bad Wolf is different from the book fairs organised a few times a year in Bangkok in that it offers only English-language books — fiction, nonfiction, biographies, cooking, history, art, children’s books and more — at what looks like a big discount of 60-80%. Rare and limited edition books are said to be available, as well.

Also, the main feature of the event is a marathon book shopping. On the two weekends, the fair will open for 60 hours, meaning bargain hunters can shop for books as if they were going to 7-Eleven.

The market of English-language books in Thailand is growing but naturally limited, and the idea of a large English-language book fair is a welcome but also challenging move.

“The main objective is to encourage Thai people to learn more English, as well as to gain more readership in general,” says Surachet Worawongwasu, managing director of Ready 2 Read. “By offering quality books at low prices, we hope to get more people to start reading.”

In fact, Big Bad Wolf originated not in the strictly English-speaking country: the founder is Andrew Yap, a Malaysian businessman who saw need for quality English books in Malaysia and he went on tour to source books at great prices from various suppliers. At the first edition of the sale in Kuala Lumpur in 2009, there were 150,000 books. In 2015, there were 3.5 million books and 500,000 visitors to the fair.

Besides selling books, the fair also initiates the Red Readerhood Project to share books to underprivileged readers. One thousand books will also be presented to HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for use in her royal initiatives.

So clear your shelves and head to Impact Muang Thong Thani.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

For all the computer-generated wizardry of Bay’s live-action movies, the films were soulless and empty, with too much emphasis on the humans, and not enough of the character personalities that most fans love about the original Transformers cartoons.

What the live-action films lacked, however, Transformers: The Movie had in bucketloads.

I remember watching it on VHS as a 10-year-old in the 1980s, and it completely changed my life. It was not only a movie about my favourite cartoon ever, it was also one of the most emotional and powerful memories I have as a kid. I’ll never forget the soaring glory of Optimus Prime’s final stand against the Decepticons, and the gut-wrenching feeling I had when the Autobot leader died.

To this day, Transformers: The Movie stands tall as probably THE greatest feature-length Transformers movie ever made. It even had a voice cast that boasted the likes of Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron, Orson Welles as Unicron, as well as Eric Idle, Judd Nelson and Casey Kasem!

In celebration of the movie’s 30th anniversary, we’ve decided to recall the 10 greatest moments from Transformers: The Movie.

1) The arrival of Unicron

If you had grown up watching Transformerson TV, you’d be used to the constant fighting among the Autobots and Decepticons. The movie changed all that, giving both factions an enemy to unite against in the form of one of the deadliest Transformers ever – Unicron.

Unicrons attempt to make a snack out of Cybertron wasnt going so well.

Introduced in deadly fashion in the prologue, which saw Unicron (in planet form) devouring an entire planet, it was the first of many momentous and frankly, scary moments in the movie.

2) The attack on Autobot City

As if the sight of Unicron eating an entire planet wasn’t shocking enough, the filmmakers decided to start off the film by essentially killing off most of our favourite Autobots. Starting out with a shuttle hijack that kills off Prowl, Ironhide and Ratchet, among others, they then descend upon Autobot City and send in Devastator to destroy the Autobots’ defences.

As the battle rages, the sight of favourite characters like Wheeljack and Windcharger lying battered and lifeless on the ground was a truly traumatic moment for young fans.

It was later revealed that the decision to kill off what would be fondly known as the Generation One (G1) Transformers was a decision made by toy-maker Hasbro, which wanted to replace them with a new line of Transformers toys and characters. That the decision was motivated by marketing and profit makes the scene even more cold-hearted and painful, even to this day.

3) You’ve got the touch!

Ask any Transformers fan what is THE greatest Optimus Prime moment ever, and chances are this will be top of their list.

Surveying the damage dealt by the Decepticons on Autobot City, Optimus declares that “Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost.” Transforming into his truck mode (to the soaring You’ve Got The Touch by Stan Bush), he single-handedly turns the tide by mowing down several Decepticons, and then, transforming in mid-air, continues to kick Decepticon butt with his blaster before challenging Megatron in a one-on-one battle with the immortal words “One shall stand, one shall fall.”

To this day, the awesomeness of this scene still brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it, and it’s not because of what happens next…

4) End of his Prime

Although he manages to deal Megatron a whole lot of hurt during their fight, he also sustains heavy damage, which proves to be fatal. As Optimus lies on his deathbed in Autobot City surrounded by Autobots, he brings out the Autobot Matrix Of Leadership to pass on to his second in command, Ultra Magnus. However, the weakened Autobot accidentally drops it, and the young Hot Rod is the one who catches it instead, a moment that would have great significance later on.

Then, in one of the saddest scenes involving a robot ever filmed, the light in Optimus Prime’s eyes flickers out, and the Autobot leader’s body turns grey. And with that, millions of little boys’ hearts around the world broke.

5) Bah-weep grah-nah wheep nini bong!

On the run from Decepticons, the remaining Autobots crash-land on the planet of the evil Quintessons. Kup and Hot Rod are separated from the rest, and when they are confronted by a horde of robot-eating Sharkticons, the grizzly veteran decides to break out the now famous “Universal Greeting”, which roughly goes, “Bah-weep grah-nah wheep nini bong”.

What it really means, no one knows, but hey, apparently it works.

6) The rise of Galvatron

Unceremoniously tossed out by Starscream and the surviving Decepticons, Megatron, Thundercracker, Skywarp and a few others drift through space until they meet Unicron, who decides to turn them into his own personal army. Megatron is reborn as the evil Galvatron.

7) The final (Star)scream

With Megatron seemingly out of the way, Starscream decides to crown himself as the leader of the Decepticons, literally, with a coronation ceremony and an actual crown. His reign is short-lived, however, as Galvatron’s first act is to return to Cybertron and turn Starscream into dust with one blast from his cannon!

8) Me Grimlock no bozo, me king!

The Dinobots really were kings in this movie. Although the stars of the movie were pretty much Hot Rod, Ultra Magnus and his small group of surviving Autobots, it is the Dinobots that really steal the show, from their heroic stand against Devastator in Autobot City, to their rescue of Hot Rod and Kup on the Quintesson planet. And they do love listening to Kup’s war stories too.

Supremely powerful and with plenty of hilarious one-liners from Grimlock, the Dinobots added humour and lots of butt-kicking awesomeness to the movie. Their best scene? In the final battle with Unicron, the Dinobots fly out of the Autobot shuttle to tear holes in the giant robot, roared on by another classic Grimlock line: “ME GRIMLOCK KICK BUTT!”

9) Daniel saves the day!

In the movie, Spike Witwicky is a grown man, and his son Daniel is the one who takes over the “annoying little kid” role. Spike, along with several other G1 Autobots, are captured by Unicron early in the movie, and when the Autobots enter Unicron’s body in the finale, Daniel happens upon a room where his father and the captured Autobots are about to be dropped into a vat of boiling acid. Of course, Daniel saves the day, and the sight of fan favourites like Jazz and Bumblebee surviving the great G1 cull was a welcome sight indeed.

10) Arise, Rodimus Prime

Separated from the rest of the Autobots, Hot Rod confronts Galvatron, who is in possession of the Matrix. After a heated battle, the tide turns when the young Autobot finally gets his hands on the Matrix of Leadership (which had been stolen by Galvatron), and is revealed to be the chosen one, the one who will “light our darkest hour”. Opening the Matrix, he is transformed into the new Autobot Leader, Rodimus Prime, and makes short work of Galvatron while the power unleashed by the Matrix destroys Unicron from the inside.

After the heartbreaking death of Optimus, the rise of a new Prime was bittersweet for fans. This scene will forever be Rodimus Prime’s finest moment – in the cartoon series following the movie, he and the new “Generation 2” Transformers just could not capture the glory and wonder of the G1 characters.

This source first appeared on The Nation Life.

Spot-on horoscope for work, money, coupled & single life from famously accurate Guru’s fortuneteller. Let’s see how would you fare this week & beyond!

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

SYDNEY – The Sydney Opera House is set to undergo a multi-million-dollar overhaul, with an emphasis on improving its acoustics, once described as worse than an aircraft hangar, officials said Thursday.

Visitors walk around the outside of the Sydney Opera Houseใ

The A$247 million (US$190 million) revamp is the biggest since Australia’s most recognisable building opened in 1973 and includes other upgrades to the main concert hall and the foyer, along with a new function centre.

Describing the landmark as a “symbol of modern Australia”, New South Wales state deputy Premier Troy Grant said the renovations were necessary to help the Opera House — the country’s busiest performing arts centre — meet demand.

The refurbishments in the concert hall will involve the installation of a new acoustic ceiling, specially designed acoustic reflectors, automated draping, and a 3D surround-sound system.

The second-largest performance space, the Joan Sutherland Theatre, is also being redeveloped.

There has long been criticism of the acoustics of the concert hall, which is located inside the largest roof sail of the Opera House.

US actor John Malkovich in 2014 said the acoustics were so hideous they “would do an aeroplane hangar a disservice”.

“It’s lovely to drive by on a motor boat and it has a very nice crew, and very capable, but the acoustics are hideous,” the American star told a local newspaper then.

In 1999, Sydney Symphony Orchestra chief conductor Edo de Waart threatened to boycott the venue during the 2000 Olympics, calling its acoustic reflectors “a joke”.

“The doughnuts (clear, circular reflectors above the platform) are a joke. They might as well be toilet seats. They do nothing whatsoever,” de Waart told the ABC then about his frustrations, which were shared by his predecessors.

“It’s very frustrating. You get no help from this hall. It actually takes away from the sound the orchestra makes.”

Danish architect Jorn Utzon began work on the harbourside structure in 1957 but quit the project in 1966 during construction following a storm of controversy over budget blow-outs and his artistic vision.

Changes to the interior design after Utzon departed left the building — which was placed on the Uneso World Heritage list in 2007 — with acoustics criticised as inadequate for international opera standards.

Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s managing director Rory Jeffes said his musicians were excited about the improvements, adding they would deliver the “true ambitions” of the original creators.

The concert hall revamp is expected to start in mid-2019 and last for 18 months.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Thai Mother’s Day is upon us again! It’s time to celebrate the most important woman in your life and repay her for all the years she put up with your dirty room, crazy shenanigans and the numerous episodes of trouble you found yourself in.

And because we understand that everyone has different stories with their mae, mum or mama, we’ve come up with fun Mother’s Day cards to help you celebrate and truly convey what is in your heart (or come clean in some cases).

We’ve drawn scissor lines around these cards so you can just cut one that’s relevant to you and present it to your mum, on top of the big gift you’ve already prepared. Happy Mother’s Day, everyone!

Warning : you may go awww over some of these cards.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Lady Hideko and Sook-hee in Ah-ga-ssi (The Handmaiden).

Lies, deception, crazy men and hot lesbian sex. What more could you ask from a movie? Throw Oldeuboi’s (Oldboy) director Park Chan-wook into the mix and everything gets a whole lot more interesting in this Korean adaptation of Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, now known as Ah-ga-ssi (The Handmaiden).

The setting shifts from Victorian England to 1930s Korea, where we find young pickpocket Sook-hee (Kim Tae-ri) who, upon being hired by con man Count Fujiwara (Ha Jung-woo), enters an aristocrat’s manor as its new maid.

Sook-hee is instructed to help Fujiwara’s seduction of the heiress Lady Hideko (Kim Min-hee), a porcelain faced woman who seems disturbed. The plan is to get the lady to fall in love with Fujiwara — who is posing as her art teacher — so that they can get married. Fujiwara plans to put Hideko in a mental institution and seize her inheritance. The plan seems to be going well, except for one small glitch no one could’ve foreseen: The heiress and her handmaiden are falling in love with one another.

The film is divided into three acts in which the first is told from Sook-hee’s perspective, the second from Hideko and the third part concludes the fate of those involved — the fate of two women that become entangled due to the devious acts of men.

Along the way, we learn that Hideko is very much a prisoner in her own home; kept on a leash by her creepy uncle Kouzuki (Cho Jin-woong). And, boy, is he a sick one. This Korean aristocrat could very much find his own spot in a Marquis de Sade’s S&M shenanigans and doesn’t feel out of place in the least.

At times, the characters are on the verge of descending into madness, or perhaps they’re already there. In the end, the two ladies struggle to emerge from the snake pit of misfortune and turn tables around on the men.

Then there are the sex scenes. This is something we just can’t not talk about as it’s all anyone will want to talk about after watching the movie: the arduous, excessive, slightly absurd and yet strangely mesmerising lesbian sex. What’s not to love, really? But we’re at a divide here.

The two actresses clearly didn’t shy away from the physical proximity of their entwined bodies and we didn’t mind it. Bring on whatever you have in mind — “69”, “the scissors”, kinky sex toys — and don’t forget the eroticised bath scene.

Yet, at the same time, the overdone girl-on-girl love scenes seems more like an exploitation of straight men’s wildest fantasy that almost leaves Hideko and Sook-hee’s intimacy — and their relationship — as just pure lust rather than an expression of love as it should be. It’s quite a reminder of the lesbian sex in the French film La vie d’Adèle (Blue Is The Warmest Colour), another work from a straight male director dealing with lesbianism.

How is homosexuality represented in films under the helm of straight people, and how does that differ from LGBT films made by LGBTs themselves? Try watching Todd Haynes’ Carol from last year.

Fans of director Park from his violent Vengeance trilogy will probably be satisfied and satiated. The set and costumes are lavish and detailed, and the cinematography immaculate. The violence is however, toned down from the iconic hallway hammer-fight of Oldboy. There are still random absurd moments of dark humour the director is known for. And the man sure loves his twists in the tale.

Try your best to erase your knowledge of the source material — both the Fingersmith book and its BBC miniseries — or it will take away the impact of the twists, though not by much.

Park’s adaptation of the story has its own unpredictability. And while it’s still largely the same story, there are points where this new interpretation takes its own direction and charges ahead without so much as a look behind.

Ah-ga-ssi (The Handmaiden)

Starring Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Ha Jung-woo and Cho Jin-woong. Directed by Park Chan-wook.In Korean with English and Thai subtitles.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

In Japan, a young person dressed in full traditional kimono in the big city on a regular day is no spectacle. Nor does there need to be a special occasion in India or Bangladesh to don a vibrant saree. So why in a country that far from lacks traditional culture and a city that loves fashion, have we shied away from the beauty and uniqueness of Thai fabrics and traditional style? I mean when was the last time you wore a proper pha nung or chong kraben?

The good news is that a rebirth of interest in Thai textiles and Thai traditional fashion is underway in this city. We’ve been seeing, for instance, the growing popularity of period dramas in Thai lakorns, as fans realise how dreamy their television heartthrobs look as classic Thai ladies and gents. Several art events in the last month have also highlighted the craftsmanship of woven Thai silks and other symbolic fibres, and all this has led up to the ultimate form of expression for Thai textiles: fashion.

In commemoration of the Queen’s 84th birthday and Thai Mothers’ Day, four renowned Thai designers have taken up the Ministry of Culture’s challenge to bring national textiles into 2016. Here’s who they are and what their ideas for modern traditional Thai outfits look like.

Chai Jiamkittikul

Creative director of Chai Gold Label

As a designer of luxe eveningwear, Chai was naturally drawn to Thai mudmee silk as a source of inspiration for the special project. It’s a collection to be admired both close up and from afar. Chai essentially creates new fabric by stitching small swatches of mudmee together like a mosaic. From a distance, the pattern looks so uniform, it takes you a minute to swallow that each inch is actually unique from the rest. Working around golden tones, the Chai Gold Label signature also prevails in gorgeous and occasionally avant-garde draping techniques and the overall red carpet flair.

Palath Palathi

Creative director of Realistic Situation

Palath Palathi was also inspired by the regality of mudmee, highlighting lavender as the thematic silk colour of his collection. Palath uses the textile more recognisably as panels of uncut fabric, however offers us something rather edgy and a little rock n’ roll. Conservative silhouettes like bateau dresses are instantly turned up with simple additions of a huge black bow and bold beading. Realistic Situation also gives the collection a few darling Thai silk pant looks, styled perfectly with shiny, clunky black oxfords. Love.

Sirichai Taharanont

Creative director of Theatre

Sirichai Taharanont’s collection of reinvented Thai menswear has us smiling with awe. Who would have thought that the Thai traditional pha khao ma would mesh so elegantly and interestingly with Western suits. There is so much dapper and fabulous hybridisation going on in each of the looks, from kangkeng lays featuring suit pockets on a peplum to pha khao ma-patterned bowties — a definite must-have! Aside from breaking the mould on formal menswear silhouettes, we also applaud the designer for not holding back on colours. You’ll see dark, masculine mudmee paired with flamboyant brights or the flatness of pha khao ma gingham paired with light-reflecting silks and bead embroidery. It’s all so fresh.

Wisharawish Akkarasantisuk

Creative director of Wisharawish

Finally, here’s a collection that’s more wearable on a daily basis. Wisharawish, a Buriram native, was inspired by the lively culture of Northeastern Thailand to produce a collection of Thai outfits that is vibrant, bubbly and most of all, fun. The designer didn’t have to alter much to make a statement. He adds subtle modernity via colour-blocking, texture and augmented volume to the progressiveness that already existed in Isan fashion. The end results are outfits that are inseparably modern and classic — exactly what this royal project aimed to achieve. g

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

The contemporary food hall offers comforting local flavours with a world-class vibe.

A dynamic crowd of diners packing the 300-seat Eathai on an ordinary weekday may be beyond the expectations of those who’ve yet to visit this two-year-old upmarket food court. But it is a common sight, regulars say.

Since it first opened mid-2014, the venue has been a popular dining spot among aficionados of Thai food. The clientele is a mix of casual tourists, international executives, local families and radiantly clad socialites and A-listers.

Clients are drawn in by an astounding array of local gourmet at affordable prices, enjoyed in a contemporary atmosphere with live-cooking stations and sophisticated food kiosks.

There, more than 500 options of food, including regional dishes from all over Thailand, fresh-from-the-ocean local seafood, palace-style Thai cuisine and locally cherished street treats, have been carefully selected by the management from very famous eateries, as well as best-kept-secret culinary masters across the Kingdom.

To celebrate its second anniversary, Eathai introduced last month its fresh new look, more extensive dining space and, of course, a wider range of victuals and dining styles.

Today the 3,500m² food hall boasts as many as 13 zones, offering different genres of culinary bliss. It also includes a local-style grocery, fresh market, cooking studio and proper cafe.

The contemporary food hall offers comforting local flavours with a world-class vibe.

One of the new additions, called Little Chinatown, offers Chinese-Thai cuisine from long-cherished, five-decade-old Sanyod restaurant. Famous for its traditional Cantonese dishes, the restaurant’s all-time best-selllers are stir-fried noodles (150 baht), roasted duck (175 baht), barbecued pork (150 baht) and tofu clay pot (250 baht).

For those who love the pungency of Southern Thai cuisine, I highly recommend the khanom jeen nam ya pu, or Thai-style fermented rice noodles in spicy crab curry (210 baht).

Representing the fresh and tasty seafood from the East Coast province is kuaytiew kang Ban Phe, or mantis prawn and crabmeat in spicy noodle soup (250 baht), from Rayong.

Other worth-having dishes include palace-style sweet crispy noodle (120 baht) from Khrua ML Nuang, and wok-fried rice vermicelli with water mimosa and seafood (145 baht) from Je Oy Talat Phlu.

Red curry with super-tender beef ribs.

There are two new corners showcasing a wide range of Thai desserts. One is called Baan Khanom Wan, offering warm and comforting classic Thai desserts (55 baht per order). The 15-item selection includes braised mung bean in coconut milk, braised sago with young coconut flesh, sticky rice with black bean in coconut milk, khanom khrok (crispy rice flour cake) and khanom bueng (Thai-style crispy pancakes).

The other corner, called Wan Yen, indulges diners with old-fashioned ice cream (70 baht), old-fashioned popsicle (12 baht) and other icy sweet delicacies (45 baht). There’s also a corner dedicated to pop-up kitchens of famous eateries, which, by invitation, take turns to showcase their signature dishes.

Meanwhile, located on the west side of the spacious hall is a new dining-venue addendum called Eathai Cafe, ideal for diners who’d like to order from the menu and not to roam the food hall.

The 80-seat zone, covers 150m², offers an all-day dining concept, with breakfast dishes, snacks, soups, curries and a single-dish menu. Not to be missed are the red curry with beef rib (240 baht), deep-fried river prawn with tamarind sauce (480 baht), stir-fried cowslip creeper blossoms with minced pork (149 baht) and durian with sticky rice and coconut cream (130 baht).

The palace-style sweet crispy noodles.

Mantis prawn and crabmeat in spicy noodle soup.

Eathai

Central Embassy, G levelPhloen Chit Road Call 02-160-5940 Open daily 10am-10pm Park at Central Embassy’s car park Most credit cards accepted

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

Flower display at the Museum of Floral Culture. photo: Sunan Lorsomsap

Today is the National Mother’s Day. Let’s take this celebratory opportunity — at least a public holiday for Thais of course — to just indulge in interesting and fun activities that are organised for mums around town. Here are some of our picks.

The Museum of Floral Culture founded by renowned florist Sakul Intakul is holding “A Flower Garland For Mum” exhibition. This aims to promote Thailand’s floral culture.

The exhibition features exquisite flower garland and floral displays, as well as garland-making workshop, which will be held from today until Sunday. The Museum of Floral Culture is on Samsen 28. Admission is 150 baht.

Call 02-669-3633/34 or visit www.facebook.com/TheMuseumofFloralCulture.

The Queen Sirikit Park in Chatuchak district is holding the “10th Colours Of Flora In Honour Of HM The Queen” fair. The event will be held from 8am-9pm until Sunday.

The fair features a wide variety of activities, including royal project exhibitions, displays of rare animals, butterfly tunnel, concerts in the garden by Academy Fantasia singers, floral competitions, as well as free animal health check-ups. Fresh produce from farmers, plants, flowers and gardening tools are available for sale.

Call the Crown Property Bureau on 02-787-6911–4.

The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Narit) invites all Thai star gazers to witness Perseid Meteor Shower or “Mother’s Day Meteor Shower” tonight. Named after the shooting stars that can usually be seen during this time of the year.

The Perseid meteor shower consists of bits of dust from comet Swift-Tuttle, which burn in Earth’s atmosphere. It stretches along the orbit of comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids are thought to be the second brightest meteor shower after the Leonids. This year, up to 150 shooting stars are estimated to be seen within an hour, with the highest number of stars expected from 2-3am.

Call 1313 or visit www.narit.or.th.

Major Cineplex offers free tickets for Skiptrace (featuring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville) and Thai film Prik Gaeng (Senses from Siam) only for mothers today. Conditions applied and seats are limited. Also women above the age of 60 who hold M Gen Freedom cards can watch any movie for free at participating Major Cineplex cinemas today.

Check conditions at www.majorcineplex.com.

SF Cinema also has “SF Love Mom 2016” campaign, inviting movie enthusiasts to post a photo of themselves and their mothers with a message of apology they wish to send to their mums. The photo is to be posted on their Facebook timeline with hashtag #Sorrymom #SFlovemom followed by their name, last name and ID number. Twenty-five photos will be selected to win four movie tickets. Application ends today. Winners will be announced on August 25.

Visit www.facebook.com/WeLoveSF.

— Arusa Pisuthipan

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.

A ‘Pokemon Go’ player shows his screen at Government House, one of the sites the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has demanded the game’s developers remove. (Bangkok Post file photo)

Parents should let their children play the non-violent Pokemon Go game as it could help bring family members together, a child psychologist says.

Speaking at a seminar titled “Where will Pokemon Go lead Thai society?” Thursday, Panrapee Suttiwan, child psychologist and early interventionist, said many parents dislike the game because of a few reports of accidents and players being robbed.

Parents have grown concerned about the safety of their children as players have to roam the streets to “catch” the digital Pokemon characters with their smartphones.

The game’s lack of violence is a bright spot, she said, adding the game may also encourage families to take part in outdoor activities together.

She also suggested parents join their children in Pokemon hunting expeditions to encourage family bonding.

Joining their children also gives parents the chance to set rules to avoid possible risks and accidents, Ms Panrapee said.

Puchong Laurujisawat, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s Department of Psychiatry, said the Pokemon craze should not take flak over a few accidents.

“If children fall down a sewer while playing the game, it could mean that our pavements are not safe enough for people to walk on.”

He also said attention deficit hyperactivity disorder existed, and been caused by video game addiction, long before the arrival of Pokemon Go.

Some parents are concerned the game would make their children want to stay out late, but they never ask themselves if they have taught their children about self-discipline, he added.

Meanwhile, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) sent an e-letter demanding that Pokemon Go developer, Niantic, set four no-go zones for players in Thailand.

It said the developer must not place Pokemon characters and items around state property, religious sites, private and “dangerous” areas.

The NBTC does not have the authority to ban the game in the country but will send another e-letter if there is no feedback from the developer.

This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.