Invisible Things

Exhibition co-curated by Very Thai author opens in TCDC Bangkok.

The exhibition Philip Cornwel-Smith co-curated, Invisible Things, will open in TCDC Bangkok after its successful first run in TCDC Chiang Mai last cool season. 

The show revolves around everyday objects of the kind found in Very Thai that are so familiar they go unnoticed. Yet because they are so accepted, they tell us a lot about cultural values. 

In a cross-cultural contrast, we chose 25 Thai and 25 German objects, along with videos and photographs of everyday life. The Thai photography is by Dow Wasiksiri. 

Philip and his co-curators Martin Rendel and Piboon Amornjiraporn will join a panel talk at the opening in June 13. The show will run at the Grand Post Office Building in the Charoenkrung Creative District from June 14-September 15. See you there – or be Invisible… #tcdc #invisiblethings#creativedistrict #verythai #verybangkok

Invisible Things

Exhibition of ‘Very Thai’ style everyday objects from Thailand paired with ordinary objects from Germany. TCDC Chiang Mai’s show during Chiang Mai Design Week 2018. Running November 24-2018 till 3 February 2019.

Very Thai Photo Exhibition

ZEN Department Store outdoor gallery, Ratchaprasong, Bangkok

Outdoor exhibition of 122 photographs on 2-metre long panels. Most by me, with invited work by Dow Wasiksiri, John Goss and Austin Bush.

24 Sept 2012-Feb 2013

Literally millions of Bangkokians and visitors will have passed by and seen this exhibition, which was visible both at ground level on the plaza on Bangkok’s busiest corner, and also from passing vehicles and from the overhead walkway beneath the SkyTrain.

Here I Like

“VERY THAI” นิทรรศการภาพถ่ายแบบ Thailand Only

http://hereilike.com/siam/home/detailnewarticle.aspx?newsId=156

Trip Advisor

“Very Thai” Review of Central World Plaza

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293915-i3686-k4472797-Books_about_thai_culture-Thailand.html

By Globetrottinggourmet on 23 October 2012

‘A vast mall, rebuilt after the recent riots. But worth a detour this month, just to see Philip Cornwel Smith’s massive photos of everyday life gracing the mall exterior. Go in the evening when they are lit. (I also liked his book, same name: Very Thai).’

Thailand Travel Forums

Books about Thai culture!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293915-i3686-k4472797-Books_about_thai_culture-Thailand.html

Kauai1234 (PA) posts: 114, reviews: 4

May 12, 2011, 2:15 PM

Anyone have any recommendations about good books about Thai culture? Ever since I have returned from Thailand I am fascinated with this country and want to learn more about the people, their culture, etc.

Let me know:)!

6. Re: Books about thai culture!

iwsteve1 (Isle of Wight) posts: 28, reviews: 3

May 13, 2011, 9:10 AM

‘Very Thai’ published by River Books

Gives a good insight into modern Thailand & what makes it tick

also answers a lot of those questions you wonder about but don’t know who to ask

7. Re: Books about Thai culture!

ctrunfree (Melbourne, Australia) posts: 2,266, reviews: 93

May 13, 2011, 11:14 AM

+1 for “Very Thai”- very informative, and funny!

Culture Ministry: Office of Contemporary Art

นิทรรศการภาพถ่าย “VERY THAI”

http://www.ocac.go.th/calendar-detail-471.html

ArtBangkok

VERY THAI : Everyday Popular Culture

by TUL on OCTOBER 15, 2012

http://www.artbangkok.com/?p=8320

นิทรรศการภาพถ่าย “VERY THAI” ที่ได้แรงบันดาลใจจากหนังสือขายดี “VERY THAI: Everyday Popular Culture” จัดแสดงภาพสวยๆ สะท้อนวิถีชีวิตในสังคมไทย ผ่านเลนส์ของช่างภาพชื่อดัง

นิทรรศการภาพถ่าย “VERY THAI” จัดแสดงตั้งแต่วันนี้-6 ธ.ค.นี้ ที่ ZEN Outdoor Arena ศูนย์การค้า CentralWorld ชมฟรี

จัดโดยสำนักพิมพ์ River Books, Serindia Gallery และ ZEN

รายละเอียดเพิ่มเติมเว็บไซต์ : http://www.facebook.com/ZENMegaStore

A Woman Learning Thai… and some men too ;-)

Very Thai Photo Exhibition: Bangkok

By Catherine Wentworth • October 1, 2012

as PDF: A Woman Learning Thai… and some men too ;-)Very Thai Photo Exhibition: Bangkok | Women Learn Thai

http://womenlearnthai.com/index.php/very-thai-photo-exhibition-bangkok/#ixzz362CEpoTn

Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture…

As a tourist to Thailand I enjoyed experiencing a country so very different from where I was living at the time, Brunei Darussalam. Being able to buy booze without leaving the country was also an attraction.

But when I finally moved to Thailand I switched from a carefree tourist mindset to expat mode. The country around me, previously a kaleidyscope of sounds, smells, and clashing colours, started to come into focus.

Along with the focus came questions. Like, why do Thai taxis have those dangly bits hanging from their mirrors? And why do beggars crawl face first along the sidewalk? And why are Thai police uniforms so darn tight?

When I asked other expats their answer was always the illuminating (not) “I dunno”. Being me, I needed more, so I started my own search into the why’s of Thailand. Hit and miss, the answers to a few Thai quirks are discussed in posts on WLT.

Then I found Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture, by Philip Cornwel-Smith. Very Thai answered many of my “why” questions, and some I hadn’t thought of yet. And now I hear there’s a Very Bangkok in the works. Excellent!

These days, when a new expat breezes into Thailand, I don’t arrive at their housewarming party with the obligatory bottle of wine and chocolates. I gift them with a copy of Very Thai instead.

Very Thai Photo Exhibition…

On Sunday I jumped into a taxi to view the Very Thai Exhibition in front of ZEN in Bangkok.

You really can’t miss it as the presentation is well placed.

It’s a small exhibition with larger than life-sized photos from Very Thai.

I wasn’t the only one curious, a stream of viewers kept popping in front of my camera.

Many found it easy to walk along the exhibition slowly, savoring the eyecandy as they went.

This photo was my favourite eyecandy of all.

While there it came to me that the photos from the exhibition would be the perfect backdrop for smartphone snappers in Thailand. Because, except for in grocery stores (where it’s off-limits to take photos of veggies) you’ll find people posing in front of just about anything. And I still don’t know why that is.

To get all the lastest news about Very Bangkok and Very Thai, follow Philip on Facebook at VeryThaiBook or on twitter @verybangkok, or bookmark his website: Very Thai.

Sidenote: the editor of Very Thai is Alex Kerr. You might remember the review I wrote of Alex’s excellent Bangkok Found awhile back. And seriously, if you want to know more about Thailand, you couldn’t go wrong with both Very Thai and Bangkok Found on your bookshelf.

10 Responses to “ Very Thai Photo Exhibition: Bangkok ”

1. 
   Catherine Wentworth Oct 1st, 2012 at 9:27 am

   Disclaimer: The last photo has been doctored. The lovely Thai lass generously posed in front of a different set of photos but I felt driven to move her back a bit (all the way to the beginning of the exhibition).

2. 
   Danyelle Franciosa Oct 2nd, 2012 at 6:29 am

   That was extremely beautiful and great photo exhibition in Bangkok. The place are great and good for relaxation. Thanks a lot for sharing this!

3. 
   Catherine Wentworth Oct 3rd, 2012 at 8:55 am

   Thanks for stopping by Danyelle 🙂 The exhibitions is so colourful and fun, I’m expecting to see photos on FB with different people posing in front of the posters.

4. 
   Amy Oct 4th, 2012 at 3:22 am

   Love that exhibition! I have not yet read the book, though I really REALLY would love to get my hands on a copy. I plan to buy one when we visit again.
   Another book with great photos is Bangkok Inside Out by Daniel Ziv and Guy Sharett, but I think it is out of print. It caused a stir with Thailand’s Ministry of Culture with the photos of some of the sex workers in the red-light district.
   Amy recently posted…Modifying food choices even further

5. 
   Catherine Oct 4th, 2012 at 5:33 am

   Hi Amy. It if you enjoyed Bangkok Inside Out, you are going to be blown away by Very Thai. Philip has a passion for hunting down the tiny details of the popular culture and history of Thailand and it shows in the book. You can get Very Thai on amazon.com but if that’s what’ll take you to get back here, even for a visit, then I’m all for it 🙂
   Catherine recently posted…Thai Navy Dances Gangnam Style: Youtube Sensations

6. 
   Martyn Oct 4th, 2012 at 6:54 pm

   Catherine – Thailand has many strange ways and many unanswered questions including the one shown in your bottom photo. Why do Thai women make the Thai two finger salute when posing for photos and what does it mean? I tried to answer that one myself a couple of years back and came to the conclusion it dated back to Siam’s war with Burma in 1767 and their(Siam’s) soldiers index and middle fingers used to draw a bow. If taken prisoner the Burmese would cut them off. However, right or wrong there’s still many answers to Thais strange quirks I’d like to know.

   Nice post.
   Martyn recently posted…The Sea Side 2 Restaurant in Udon Thani

7. 
   Catherine Oct 5th, 2012 at 6:48 am

   Thanks Martyn. I remember when you wrote the article about the two fingered salute. When I went to Burma early this year I took a photo of a Burmese girl who gave the same. As soon as I pointed my camera at her, just like the gal in the photo above, she whipped out those two fingers. So perhaps it’s doesn’t have anything to do with Burma vrs Thailand? Or… it could be that she knows nothing of the history behind the finger salute. An unsolved mystery.

8. 
   Martyn Oct 5th, 2012 at 2:39 pm

   Catherine – Perhaps the Burmese archers made the same sign back to the Siamese. Here’s the link to the post;

   http://www.thaisabai.org/2009/09/the-thai-two-finger-salute/
   Martyn recently posted…The Sea Side 2 Restaurant in Udon Thani

9. 
   Catherine Wentworth Oct 6th, 2012 at 7:42 am

   Martyn, that could be it. Back then armies fought mostly close together (unlike now). So both sides taunting each other makes sense. I need to reread Very Thai to see if there was a mention anywhere (it’s been years).
   Catherine Wentworth recently posted…Review: Language Learning Log

10. 
    Emil Nov 6th, 2012 at 7:19 pm

    I bought this book as a present for my parents on my first stay in Thailand. Disappointingly, they never gave it more than a cursory look. Such a shame as I think it still holds up as one of the best insights into Thai culture available in printed form. Your idea of using it as a housewarming gift, Cat, is a magnificent one too. Here’s hoping Very Bangkok is out by the time I make my next trip!

    Also if anyone’s still reading this thread, Alex Kerr is the author of a couple of excellent books on Japanese culture (Lost Japan is one, the other slips my mind just now (maybe it’s called Dogs and Demons… not sure). Highly recommended if Japanese culture interests you.

Richard Barrow: Thai Travel Blogs

Very Thai Exhibition in front of ZEN in Bangkok

Richard Barrow: Paknam Web Forums

Thread: Very Thai Photographic Exhibition in front of ZEN in Bangkok

http://www.thailandqa.com/forum/showthread.php?42816-Very-Thai-Photographic-Exhibition-in-front-of-ZEN-in-Bangkok

One of the best books about Thai culture and life, Very Thai by Philip Cornwel-Smith, now has a photo exhibition in front of ZEN in Bangkok. The exhibition runs from now until 6th December 2012. ZEN is part of the CentralWorld complex and has easy access from BTS Chidlom. The free exhibition is outside so check the weather report first. For more information, check out the Facebook page for Very Thai.

Mahindrasarath at 06-10-12, 02:59 PM

That’s the beauty cover of the book! Good perception.