Sunday, June 9, 2013

ARTS OF THE KINGDOM, BANGKOK

Her Majesty, Queen Sirikit was kind enough to have her order to open the school of crafts Jitlada in 1979, Aiming to be the center to train for students which got accpeted by Her Majesty, Queen Sirikit from the Farmer's family, pauper and whoes are disable to have job. 

For the past 30 years, the training center, Jitlada have trained to its highest level of craftsmanships which can be compared to the Royal Crafts or 'the craftsmen of Rhatanagosin'. They are Golden niello ware craftsmen, golden and silverware craftsmen, Antique craftsmen, wooden carve craftsmen, embroiderer and etc. 


The institute of Jitlada have selected the works which stands for the beauty and precious, to be an object art of the kingdom to be shown to the public at Ananta Samakhom Throne, in Bangkok.


Here are some of my favorite art works that is now showing at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall.



The room of Jewel Beetle's wings


The room was an interior decoration, the hi-light of the room is the decoration of the Jewel beetle's wings. The wings from the beetle that were used are the beetle that died in their nature life cycle, because of this; makes the wings very strong and give a beautiful emerald green color which sparkle. 
The decoration of the interior took 40 days and 38 craftsmen to be complete. 





Petcharath Tale 

Patcharath Tale is a Carving craft on the golden teak, the teak was made in three layers. The background of the teak is the tale of 'Petcharath' about the meeting of angles about creating something to protect the human world.
This background golden teak was made in order to present to the King Phumipol, Rama II, in his Majesty 60th Anniversary and 80th birthday.
This Carving golden teak took 96 craftsmen, 10 months and 3 days to be complete. 

The Mimic of Sri Supanahong Royal yacht 


This mimic of Sri Supanahong Royal yacht was a mimic from the actual yacht that was built in the time of the King Rama I. The body of the yacht was made of silver with golden niello surfacing, decorated the designs with enamel. 
The eye and teeth of the head of the yacht was decorated with daimonds.
This Royal Yacht took 2 years and 9 months with 108 Craftsmen to be complete.  





Related Source: 
http://www.artsofthekingdom.com/th/index.php
http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1349749851&grpid=03&catid=03

Arwut Ngenchooklin, Air Chief Marshal(ACM)

Arwut Ngenchooklin, Air Chief Marshal(ACM) is one of Thailand's National Artist in Visual Art Area with Architecture Field. He is an ex chancellor of Thailand's fine art department.
Arwut Ngenchooklin is one of the most important person in Thailand's Fine Art, in this case; Thailand's Traditional Architecture. With his expertise experience, serving with the Navy for 9 years in Architecture field, learning with seniors and conserving national architectures with national's fine art department.


With his point of view in Thai Architecture, he says that it is different from other architecture, Difficult to be working right after graduated, learning with seniors and teachers are crucial.

Sending off plan blueprints to construction is almost impossible, to be accurate the plan have to enlarge to its original scale, with all the decorations, design lines have to also be its original scale, ready for the craftsmanship to work on.
Arwut Ngenchooklin stated that in all of his work, there is nothing completely perfect, still some mistakes, even though other people may think that it is perfect, this due to the lack of experience.








One of the most satisfy work of his is the Rama IX Kanchanaphisek temple. The temple was a required from the King phumiphon Rama IX, aiming the temple to be an original sample for other temples. The Temple were to be small and simple. Arwut Ngenchooklin says it is also very changeling. In the design process he also have to think of the material that will be used, adapting the original and traditional to modern and functional which do not lose its Thai-ness. This may not be one of the greatest architecture that he have done, but it is to be one of his most proud of, and very satisfy.





"I think that anything that stays still, won't last. Same goes to Thai architecture, it will die if only to remake just to look like originals. How can Thai architecture survive? how can we bring modern material into Thai architecture?"













Related Source :
http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/อาวุธ_เงินชูกลิ่น
http://www.go6tv.com/2012/04/blog-post_9723.html
Article 'ทัษนะการทำงานด้านสถาปัตยกรรมไทย ของอดีตอธิบดีกรมศิลปากร' by sonsupan
90 years of Fine Art Department of Thailand,Arwut Ngenchooklin, Air Chief Marshal(ACM),Bangkok, รุ่งศิลป์การพิพมพ์ 1977



Deconstruction and Frank Gehry by Leonard Folgarait YOUTUBE

Deconstruction and Frank Gehry by Leonard Folgarait, professor of the history of art at Vanderbilt University

Deconstructisivm


Deconstruction Architecture 
"If not everybody loved, but people will give a chance to see it", Leonard Folgarait

Many Philosophies and Philosophers always searching for the 'core of the meaning' for life, what are the purposes.


Jacques Derrida have another approach to finding the answer, He says there are no central core of meaning, instead of trying to find one he says to go right of the edge instead of the core, and then jump off that edge, you will see how it is(things) flying away from us, it is objected to philosophies.
Derrida says we can't find those core meaning of life because who we are, are the state of Dynamics, the dynamics that are constantly changing and moving chaotically.

"Paradox between deconstruction and construction" Derrida







Back to Frank Gehry again, as He is one of my favorite architecture which I am heavily focus on in this thesis journal and my studio work.
Frank Gehry's Residential
While looking and criticism at architect's works, it is very interesting to also look at their own residential or house, where and when they are their own client and architect. 
Frank Gehry bought a very ordinary house in  a ordinary area; Santa Monica in California. While refurbish or re build the whole house, he took an approach of deconstruct his house, He built another materials cover the original house, like steel wall, wooden beam and chain linked fencing.
When putting something that at somewhere that is unusual, you start to sees it, and questioning of why is it there? is it functional? Blows apart all the assumptions of how materials and designs was constructed in architecture. Gehry deconstructed the house that the original house become invisible.

California Aerospace built in 1987, Designed by Frank Gehry
While in normal aerospace museum, you will often see an airplane on the pole in front of the museum or inside, Frank Gehry decided to put the main jet on/in front of the building, suppose the place were flying glancing near to the building, with an effect to the building. 
The construction of the building from the outside not only looking like its tipping but also look like there are three different buildings smash together, due to the different of materials used. But on the inside is one single building, which in this case the shape of the outside fooled the interior of the building. This museum of Gehry's work also one of good example of deconstruction approach; cramp together, with an appearance of unstable, this makes up the curiosity of which, what is normal? what is this?

I would like to talk more about Gehry's work, and again the famous 'The Dancing House'
One of the most well know building in Prague, Designed by Frank Gehry, The deconstruction architecture. If looking right in the front of the building, there are two circular construction which come forward, both resemble each other, but one to be twisted, curving with an appearance of fragile and movement. The windows are placed not in orders, with a installation look, the frame that are very three dimension away from the building. 
The Dancing House is to look like it have some damage to it, and in which as it looked like it open for all modifications. The details which not in the norm, make in questionable. It is clear at this point that Gehry's work always have the intention to make the apprance of the construction unstable.

Peter Eisenman 
Peter Eisenman is an American architect which his works often referred to as Formalist, Deconstructive, high-modernist etc. however he never says or write that his works are deconstruction.He believed in transformation of president.  









Peter Eisenman, IBA Social Housing at Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin - Germany 1981-85

The building was designed to have an unstable elements, The second top floor was to be bigger than the body of the construction, giving an appearance of 'heavy top', with a glass window wall at the ground floor, as we all know that glass is a fragile material in construction, giving the contrast to the 'heavy top' the affect that state the deconstruction. 
This work of Peter Eisenman was a mixture of politic and architecture, The building was built just two years before the Berlin wall collapse, The massage behind the body language of this construction were that the construction is unstable and can collapse. 


Related Source :
http://www.itaproject.eu/TTU/2/abstract-context.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Derrida
http://www.archdaily.com/67321/gehry-residence-frank-gehry/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ_VIyEE92M
Derrida for Architects by Richard Coyne







Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunic: Dancing House, Prague Youtube




Picture : http://minimalisthomedezine.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/dancing-house.html

Dancing House, Prague, Czech Republic












The Dancing House or Fred and Ginger, was designed by Frank Gehry in 1992 and completed in 1996. The original site was the location of a house which was destroyed by U.S. bombing.
There's was a controversial at the time being due to its unusual shape and non-tranditional design which was very stand out among other building surrounded in the area of Gothic and Art Nouveau style.

Czech President, Vaclav Havel who lived nearby who supported this project and hoping that the building will become a center of cultural activity.
Behind Gehry's design concept is that to let the form of the building 'be the thing' which he means by let the form to replace the decoration to getting the passion and feeling into the building.
The glass wall which is a shape of twisting  structure of metal, resemble the movement like 'dancing', the way he chosen the material is that he did not want to have any decoration, but when the light hit the material, the material itself shows three dimensional shapes.
The architecture is one of those deconstructionist.



Related Source :
http://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=651
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh5K47Yic3g