Perceptual Thai
Summary
Perceptual Thai presents the way I see and understand my Thai culture by playing with symbolic associations derived from a contemporary Thai culture as well as the history, society, and beliefs of the traditional Thai culture that persists under the globally Westernized post-modern surface. I have focused on the shifts and overlap between numbers and their meaning in Thailand. These posters are my reinterpretation of today’s Thai culture. However, my posters play with language and numbers with symbolic meaning. In addition to the 5 pair of printed posters I created an animated poster as well. The posters are 34x44 Inches with vertical orientation. The frame for the animation is 34x46 (inside), 41x53 Inches (outside) vertical orientation. In the installation of these posters I painted one of my walls white and two walls black. The white wall stands for purity and trustworthiness. The black wall stands for beliefs that could be both optimistic and pessimistic.
In the work of Perceptual Thai I present five pairs in different themes relating to both lucky (Lek MongKhon) numbers, such as: 1, 5, 8, 9 and bad luck numbers such as number 6. The features of the hidden Thai culture include both beliefs inherited from one generation to another generation, in addition to what I find interesting when I look back at my own culture. From these cultural forces I make take influence, absorbing them, but I may also deflect these traditions. But these are things that inform my perceptions of this hidden culture within a modern Thai culture at this present moment.
In the work of Perceptual Thai I present five pairs in different themes relating to both lucky (Lek MongKhon) numbers, such as: 1, 5, 8, 9 and bad luck numbers such as number 6. The features of the hidden Thai culture include both beliefs inherited from one generation to another generation, in addition to what I find interesting when I look back at my own culture. From these cultural forces I make take influence, absorbing them, but I may also deflect these traditions. But these are things that inform my perceptions of this hidden culture within a modern Thai culture at this present moment.
The first poster is the poster of wat (temple) juxtaposed with number “1” (๑) represented as both an Arabic numeral and a Thai symbol. Representing the number one as related to a Thai temple symbolizes the importance of the main religion in Thailand. In my perspective, wat is an iconography for Thai Buddhism. The Thai temple (Wihan) is a main visual element in the image poster. This Thai temple designates a shrine hall that contains the principle Buddha images. It is also the assembly hall where monks and believers gather. My perception toward temple is that it is a place that I can rely on and go to give alms as well as make merits and virtue. Going to temple is one of my hobbies, it grants me a peaceful mind and makes me feel relaxed. Thai people believe that making merits is a good deed. We can also make merits outside of temple. Donation is also a kind of activity that makes merits, as well as being patient, generous and helping others out. Helping someone who lacks the ability to achieve something that they could not do well on their own is also a great kind of making merit. If we keep doing good things, we often store up merits for the greater goodwill. Buddhism is realistic in the way it shows us to look at life by simulating reality with the suggestion to live life reasonably.
In this poster, my intention for the placement of the temple approaching as a mirror reflection image in the vertical orientation, refers to the Buddhist concept of birth and death as the ongoing cycle of existence. It is a natural way of life over which we can never achieve complete control. In the middle of the page, the top layer is composed of graphic elements of the Great Naga serpent side by side. The Great Naga is a representation of a virtuous identity in Thai Buddhism. The whole Naga figure and fractions of the Great Naga itself, including the Naga’s patterns as decorations appear frequently everywhere around every Thai temple area. I applied white and gold as the main color components to reflect the magnificent style and ornate adornment of the Thai temples that reinforce the stability of Buddhist belief.
The second poster emphasizes sanuk, by juxtaposing shadow puppets with the number “5” (๕). Five also symbolizes happiness or is a lucky number because the word for it (ha) sounds like the word for the laughing tone. The image shown on the poster includes five puppets in five different colors, the repetition represents the reverberations of happiness and the happy mood from the entertainers. The Thai Shadow Puppet or The Nang is a traditional entertainment. The story often recites tales of the gods and contemporary people through stories of love, current events, and tradition. The shadow puppets are used to represent the norms and mores of Thai society. The multiple bright colors of the puppets and other elements against the black background on the poster represent a nighttime carnival mood and the sanuk-seeking, fun lifestyle of native Thais.
The third pair of posters treats the idea of the ghost and the Number “6” theme. In my perception, Thai ghosts are horrifically frightening. Six is also symbolizes a bad omen because the word for it (hok) sounds like the word for dropping, crashing, and depression. Here in this poster, a lady holding her baby is known as Mae Nak or Lady Nak. Thai people often called her Nang Nwak of Phra Khanong, a female ghost who died at childbirth. This traditional Thai ghost can extend her arms, unlike a traditional Chinese ghost with a white face that is only known to jump. The story Mae Nak is about a beautiful young woman named Nak, who lived in Phra Khanong canal in Bangkok, and her undying love for her husband, Mak. I can sense a romantic moment from this story although this is a ghost story that should inspire fear. Mak, her husband went to war and came back after Nak died. He did not know anything about his wife’s death. So when he came back home, his wife was waiting for him. Many people warned him that his wife was dead and that he was living with a ghost but he did not believe them. At the end, Mak saw for himself that she was a ghost and he tried to stay away from her. However, this Mae Nak story is still very popular because her undying devotion to her husband inspires people of all ages. Therefore, a public sculpture of Mae Nak has become a destination that people can go visit. Her statue is now at Wat Mahabut temple, a shrine relocated to the nearby Suan Luang district of modern Bangkok. Worshippers bring offerings to this temple shrine in exchange for lottery numbers and good luck amulets, as well as tourists who visit from curiosity, for the amalgamation of folk-belief and religion.
The decision that I made to include the traditional Thai ghost as one of the representation posters is because I found that ghost stories are universal. I have friends who come from multi-nationalities and countries around the world during my time aboard. Every single one of them is interested in a ghost story. No matter what kind of ghost story or whether it involves any spiritualism. They find it interesting, amusing, and imaginatively provocative. Most of them like to watch a thriller type of film but I prefer to just listen to storytelling. I enjoy using my own imagination rather than watching the imagination created by others and adding artificial sounds to make it much more frightening. I am no longer a ghost fan since I started to live overseas by myself. I am not especially fond of any kind of contemporary ghosts such as house spirits or murder stories. Although, I can separate what is illusion and what is real, I still found ghost stories interesting. The dark greenish shade to shades of black are the dominant colors for this ghost (phi) poster. The dark hue expresses emotional reactions that provoke frightening subtleties (rather than explicit splatter horror), and a color reference makes the meaning clearer. The color component in this poster appeals to our depressing emotional as well as pessimistic feelings. However, traditional ghosts and contemporary ghosts are different in the way that traditional ghosts are more historical and related to cultural customs; each cultural tradition has its own set of traditional ghost styles unlike a contemporary ghost that can be found anywhere and is featured in many fictions. The similarities between these two types of ghosts cannot be proven. My interest in traditional ghosts stems from their connection to animistic belief systems that predate the official practice of Buddhism but which infuse particularly Thai religious practice.
The fourth pair of posters is about a lucky charm of Naga Eye’s Crystals or Naga Eye’s Gems by juxtaposing them with the number “8” (๘). Eight also symbolizes prosperity, charm, and virtue and is a lucky number. Firstly, Naga is a sacred serpent or a giant snake (King of Serpents) that live in the Mekong River located between Laos and Thailand. People believe that Naga Eye’s Crystals come from the Naga’s eyeball if not it is an egg that belong to the Naga that live in the cave deep down in Mekong River. Naga Eye’s Crystals in various colors are secretly created and processed by Thai Buddhist monks. The crystals are believed to be powerful protectors that protect from the danger or something harmful. Most prized Naga Eye’s Crystals are found in the deep caves of the Mekong River where Naga is said to live. This persistence of traditional folk belief in the power of these crystals is what I find interesting. Most of Thai uneducated or lower class people believe and place trust in the Naga’s Eye; taxi drivers and rural marketers use the Naga’s Eye as a portable amulet or Naga’s Eyes as jewelry and decoration. Naga’s Eyes have been made in many colors. Each is a lucky charm. The Naga-Eye will have different power and meaning according to each color. For example, the color red is one of the most powerful colors, good for leadership. I have often seen red colored Naga-Eyes more than other colors. However, the Naga’s Eye Crystal is one kind of amulet that is related directly to Thai Buddhism and the use of and belief in these amulets has been modified throughout Thailand’s history.
I decided to represent the Naga-Eye on this poster because Naga’s Eyes have an overall look that recalls the typical Western style crystal ball. The appearance of the Naga-Eye is technically more special in terms of belief and its relation to religion as practiced by Thai people. As stated earlier, the Naga or scared serpent relates to Thai Buddhism. Thai villagers and the communities in rural areas often see the footprints of the Naga around the temple. Sometimes it appeared inside of the Wihan temple’s assembly hall. The most interesting thing is that although some people intellectually know that Naga’s Eye Crystals are made by Thai monks, they choose to ignore this knowledge and continue their belief as if it were truly real, left by the Naga to wish them good fortune. This poster passage is all about lucks and charms, and my intention is to represent this optimistic belief through the use of vivid colors such as bright red, bright orange, bright pink and blue that represent the multi-colors for the Naga-Eye Crystals. Each crystal was carefully arranged and these were repeated from one to another to achieve nicely readable Thai letters.
The last pair of posters is Nang-Kwak or Miss Invitation and Number “9” (gao). The word for “nine” (gao) sounds like the word for progress. Nang Kwak is a charm figure that people display for wealth, business, and good luck. She is represented as a beautiful woman wearing a red dress fashioned in Thai traditional style. She also wears a golden crown on her head and is depicted sitting or kneeing. Her left hand rests at her side. Sometimes she holds a bag full of gold on her lap as she sits on her own mini terrace. However, in order to keep her magic effectively working, she must be placed in an elevated position in the shop. I have heard that she enjoys to be served with red drinks. Many restaurants and shops in Thailand serve her or offer up a sacrifice with a red Fanta soda. Some of these offerings are served in mini transparent cups and some served her with the actual size of bottle soda in front of her on the shelf near her terrace. The good placement to place her is either near the cashier, counter or near the entrance to charm her way and bring customers into shops. When I was young, I remember that I thought Nang Kwak’s magical power wasn’t working with me because I would see her charmed figure as scary. I imagined her like a spiritual kind of ghost that struggles in her charmed figure and she would keep me away from the restaurants or shops, although, it was just my imagination that created some illusion to my mind. I remembered an image of Nang Kwak on what seemed like an impossibly high shelf in my grandmother’s house that was kneeling on a shelf in the same room as a photograph of my deceased great-great grandmother. Perhaps this association in my young mind made me imagine that she was frightening.
My Nang Kwak poster uses warm color to express the sense of wealth. The work is influenced by the tradition of belief or conviction that sounds like a mythic story within a contemporary Thai culture. The glittery, sparkly texture refers to profit or a gain from business and credit or reward for a previous good deed. Gold represents money. For this poster, I would like to give viewers an idea that Thailand also has the belief in myths just like others countries around the world. The belief in myth is deep down in Thai society from the past to the present. This hidden culture lurks beneath the surface of the modern culture that often chooses to ignore it. I don’t own this charmed figure of Nang Kwak for my property or myself and do not completely believe in it. But I found this interesting every time I look back as I perceive and understand Nang Kwak with my cross-cultural perspective. Perhaps, if I didn’t study abroad or go abroad that often I might see Nang Kwak differently. I would like the Thais to not hesitate to present this interesting traditional myth of Nang Kwak as an original charmed figured from Thailand.
In this poster, my intention for the placement of the temple approaching as a mirror reflection image in the vertical orientation, refers to the Buddhist concept of birth and death as the ongoing cycle of existence. It is a natural way of life over which we can never achieve complete control. In the middle of the page, the top layer is composed of graphic elements of the Great Naga serpent side by side. The Great Naga is a representation of a virtuous identity in Thai Buddhism. The whole Naga figure and fractions of the Great Naga itself, including the Naga’s patterns as decorations appear frequently everywhere around every Thai temple area. I applied white and gold as the main color components to reflect the magnificent style and ornate adornment of the Thai temples that reinforce the stability of Buddhist belief.
The second poster emphasizes sanuk, by juxtaposing shadow puppets with the number “5” (๕). Five also symbolizes happiness or is a lucky number because the word for it (ha) sounds like the word for the laughing tone. The image shown on the poster includes five puppets in five different colors, the repetition represents the reverberations of happiness and the happy mood from the entertainers. The Thai Shadow Puppet or The Nang is a traditional entertainment. The story often recites tales of the gods and contemporary people through stories of love, current events, and tradition. The shadow puppets are used to represent the norms and mores of Thai society. The multiple bright colors of the puppets and other elements against the black background on the poster represent a nighttime carnival mood and the sanuk-seeking, fun lifestyle of native Thais.
The third pair of posters treats the idea of the ghost and the Number “6” theme. In my perception, Thai ghosts are horrifically frightening. Six is also symbolizes a bad omen because the word for it (hok) sounds like the word for dropping, crashing, and depression. Here in this poster, a lady holding her baby is known as Mae Nak or Lady Nak. Thai people often called her Nang Nwak of Phra Khanong, a female ghost who died at childbirth. This traditional Thai ghost can extend her arms, unlike a traditional Chinese ghost with a white face that is only known to jump. The story Mae Nak is about a beautiful young woman named Nak, who lived in Phra Khanong canal in Bangkok, and her undying love for her husband, Mak. I can sense a romantic moment from this story although this is a ghost story that should inspire fear. Mak, her husband went to war and came back after Nak died. He did not know anything about his wife’s death. So when he came back home, his wife was waiting for him. Many people warned him that his wife was dead and that he was living with a ghost but he did not believe them. At the end, Mak saw for himself that she was a ghost and he tried to stay away from her. However, this Mae Nak story is still very popular because her undying devotion to her husband inspires people of all ages. Therefore, a public sculpture of Mae Nak has become a destination that people can go visit. Her statue is now at Wat Mahabut temple, a shrine relocated to the nearby Suan Luang district of modern Bangkok. Worshippers bring offerings to this temple shrine in exchange for lottery numbers and good luck amulets, as well as tourists who visit from curiosity, for the amalgamation of folk-belief and religion.
The decision that I made to include the traditional Thai ghost as one of the representation posters is because I found that ghost stories are universal. I have friends who come from multi-nationalities and countries around the world during my time aboard. Every single one of them is interested in a ghost story. No matter what kind of ghost story or whether it involves any spiritualism. They find it interesting, amusing, and imaginatively provocative. Most of them like to watch a thriller type of film but I prefer to just listen to storytelling. I enjoy using my own imagination rather than watching the imagination created by others and adding artificial sounds to make it much more frightening. I am no longer a ghost fan since I started to live overseas by myself. I am not especially fond of any kind of contemporary ghosts such as house spirits or murder stories. Although, I can separate what is illusion and what is real, I still found ghost stories interesting. The dark greenish shade to shades of black are the dominant colors for this ghost (phi) poster. The dark hue expresses emotional reactions that provoke frightening subtleties (rather than explicit splatter horror), and a color reference makes the meaning clearer. The color component in this poster appeals to our depressing emotional as well as pessimistic feelings. However, traditional ghosts and contemporary ghosts are different in the way that traditional ghosts are more historical and related to cultural customs; each cultural tradition has its own set of traditional ghost styles unlike a contemporary ghost that can be found anywhere and is featured in many fictions. The similarities between these two types of ghosts cannot be proven. My interest in traditional ghosts stems from their connection to animistic belief systems that predate the official practice of Buddhism but which infuse particularly Thai religious practice.
The fourth pair of posters is about a lucky charm of Naga Eye’s Crystals or Naga Eye’s Gems by juxtaposing them with the number “8” (๘). Eight also symbolizes prosperity, charm, and virtue and is a lucky number. Firstly, Naga is a sacred serpent or a giant snake (King of Serpents) that live in the Mekong River located between Laos and Thailand. People believe that Naga Eye’s Crystals come from the Naga’s eyeball if not it is an egg that belong to the Naga that live in the cave deep down in Mekong River. Naga Eye’s Crystals in various colors are secretly created and processed by Thai Buddhist monks. The crystals are believed to be powerful protectors that protect from the danger or something harmful. Most prized Naga Eye’s Crystals are found in the deep caves of the Mekong River where Naga is said to live. This persistence of traditional folk belief in the power of these crystals is what I find interesting. Most of Thai uneducated or lower class people believe and place trust in the Naga’s Eye; taxi drivers and rural marketers use the Naga’s Eye as a portable amulet or Naga’s Eyes as jewelry and decoration. Naga’s Eyes have been made in many colors. Each is a lucky charm. The Naga-Eye will have different power and meaning according to each color. For example, the color red is one of the most powerful colors, good for leadership. I have often seen red colored Naga-Eyes more than other colors. However, the Naga’s Eye Crystal is one kind of amulet that is related directly to Thai Buddhism and the use of and belief in these amulets has been modified throughout Thailand’s history.
I decided to represent the Naga-Eye on this poster because Naga’s Eyes have an overall look that recalls the typical Western style crystal ball. The appearance of the Naga-Eye is technically more special in terms of belief and its relation to religion as practiced by Thai people. As stated earlier, the Naga or scared serpent relates to Thai Buddhism. Thai villagers and the communities in rural areas often see the footprints of the Naga around the temple. Sometimes it appeared inside of the Wihan temple’s assembly hall. The most interesting thing is that although some people intellectually know that Naga’s Eye Crystals are made by Thai monks, they choose to ignore this knowledge and continue their belief as if it were truly real, left by the Naga to wish them good fortune. This poster passage is all about lucks and charms, and my intention is to represent this optimistic belief through the use of vivid colors such as bright red, bright orange, bright pink and blue that represent the multi-colors for the Naga-Eye Crystals. Each crystal was carefully arranged and these were repeated from one to another to achieve nicely readable Thai letters.
The last pair of posters is Nang-Kwak or Miss Invitation and Number “9” (gao). The word for “nine” (gao) sounds like the word for progress. Nang Kwak is a charm figure that people display for wealth, business, and good luck. She is represented as a beautiful woman wearing a red dress fashioned in Thai traditional style. She also wears a golden crown on her head and is depicted sitting or kneeing. Her left hand rests at her side. Sometimes she holds a bag full of gold on her lap as she sits on her own mini terrace. However, in order to keep her magic effectively working, she must be placed in an elevated position in the shop. I have heard that she enjoys to be served with red drinks. Many restaurants and shops in Thailand serve her or offer up a sacrifice with a red Fanta soda. Some of these offerings are served in mini transparent cups and some served her with the actual size of bottle soda in front of her on the shelf near her terrace. The good placement to place her is either near the cashier, counter or near the entrance to charm her way and bring customers into shops. When I was young, I remember that I thought Nang Kwak’s magical power wasn’t working with me because I would see her charmed figure as scary. I imagined her like a spiritual kind of ghost that struggles in her charmed figure and she would keep me away from the restaurants or shops, although, it was just my imagination that created some illusion to my mind. I remembered an image of Nang Kwak on what seemed like an impossibly high shelf in my grandmother’s house that was kneeling on a shelf in the same room as a photograph of my deceased great-great grandmother. Perhaps this association in my young mind made me imagine that she was frightening.
My Nang Kwak poster uses warm color to express the sense of wealth. The work is influenced by the tradition of belief or conviction that sounds like a mythic story within a contemporary Thai culture. The glittery, sparkly texture refers to profit or a gain from business and credit or reward for a previous good deed. Gold represents money. For this poster, I would like to give viewers an idea that Thailand also has the belief in myths just like others countries around the world. The belief in myth is deep down in Thai society from the past to the present. This hidden culture lurks beneath the surface of the modern culture that often chooses to ignore it. I don’t own this charmed figure of Nang Kwak for my property or myself and do not completely believe in it. But I found this interesting every time I look back as I perceive and understand Nang Kwak with my cross-cultural perspective. Perhaps, if I didn’t study abroad or go abroad that often I might see Nang Kwak differently. I would like the Thais to not hesitate to present this interesting traditional myth of Nang Kwak as an original charmed figured from Thailand.
The animated poster I created was projected inside of a gold picture frame. The animation itself represents the idea of the present of contemporary Thai culture. Everyday lifestyles in a variety of images such as Bangkok’s cityscapes, the McDonald’s, The Starbucks coffee shop, and the cinema were influenced by Western civilization. It is a representation of the look and pace of a modern global city. I have grown up in the busy urban milieu of Bangkok. The gold frame in this is installation represents the traditional taste of a member of the Thai royal family. Gold has played a large part in Thailand’s history. It has been used as a form of currency for thousands of years. The projected animated poster design is in the center of the pair of temple themed posters to represent modern life that exists along with traditional beliefs as a form of overlay.