Sawit Prasertphan

Pa Pao Arrangement

In a plane of elements, human and not human, there is a place that dwells a set of sights and sounds. They live together but do not know each other. In this enclosure we call out names. Names displaced and out of context, meanings suspended in the air and only sounds are heard. Some have travelled far and long ago. Some have stayed and moved on. For a period, we are brought together.

Inspired by various rhythms of life entangled in empty plots and pockets around Chiang Mai, Thailand, I have taken one of my participant’s work, a construction worker and part-time musician/songwriter to accommodate the different beats of life’s calling; 84 beats per minute to be exact. The space is setup as a karaoke (Japanese: kara, "empty" + ōkesutora, "orchestra") with weathered landscapes thrown on the temporary tent’s canvas and blinks of words to be enunciated along with critters and plants. This work-in-progress is part of my PhD research project and is done partly in response to the recent ending of the 2-year mass migrant labourers registration campaign attempt by the military government in Thailand. One that have affected hundreds of thousands of people who were hoping to find something that may suit them better than what was on offer in their country of birth. It is also in response to the harsh weather conditions that have caused so much smoke and forest fires around Chiang Mai with a draught that killed off many plants and animals. April 2016 was the hottest it had been in 56 years. It was physically demanding to endured such conditions working as a labourer in open construction sites and sleeping in temporary tin roof shelters. But then came the rain in June and life flourished. 

Installation view - Photospace Gallery, Canberra, Australia (2016)