Description
This pioneering insight into contemporary Thai folk culture delves beyond the traditional Thai icons to reveal the casual, everyday expressions of Thainess that so delight and puzzle. From floral truck bolts and taxi altars to buffalo cart furniture and drinks in a bag, the same exquisite care, craft and improvisation resounds through home and street, bar and wardrobe. Never colonised, Thai culture retains nuanced ancient meaning in the most mundane things. The days are colour coded, lucky numbers dictate prices, window grilles become guardian angels, tattoos entrance the wearer. Philip Cornwel-Smith scoured each region to show how indigenous wisdom both adapts to the present and customises imports, applying Roman architecture to shophouses, morphing rock into festive farm music, turning the Japanese motor-rickshaw into the tuk-tuk. Colour-saturated illustrations help you navigate various social traits, whether white-faced hi-so matrons or Red Bulls, willing workers wearing coins in their ear. This is Thai culture as it has never been shown before.
About the Author
Photographer John Goss is an American artist based in Bangkok. John works collaboratively and individually on projects using both traditional and electronic media. A past recipient of a fellowship from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, he has created multi-media performances combining text, movement, lasers, computers, image projection, and digital music. His video works and photography have been widely exhibited around the world.
Book Information
ISBN 9786167339375
Author Philip Cornwel-Smith
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint River Books
Publisher River Books
Weight(grams) 1002g
Dimensions(mm) 245mm * 174mm * 25mm
