|
||
Saw. In the heart of art.  Vimolmas Amatayakul’s love for art inspired her to create unique, handcrafted jewellery under the brand name “SAW”. Surprisingly, Vimolmas (nicknamed “Pou”) graduated with a degree in economics from Ramkhamheang University. She is now immersed in directing her creative energy into her handcrafted jewellery – putting her heart and feeling into the design. She uses a range of materials such as turquoise, silver, gold and leather. The intricate design of each piece makes Saw jewellery at once charming and trendy, as well as original. Vimolmas’ designs are not only known in Thailand but in many foreign countries such as Italy, France, Spain, England, Greece, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Hong Kong. Her work was recently featured in Beverly Hills. Many celebrities and designers adore her rings, necklaces and earrings. Why did you become a jewellery designer after studying economics? I always loved art but my family did not support my wish to study art – so I chose to study economics. I remember how much I loved designing even as a child. I began to sell my hand-made jewellery when I was about 7 years old – I sold the jewellery to my friend in exchange for toy money. I used a telephone wire to make a ring, earrings and bracelets and sometimes I used flowers as earrings. I made the jewellery spontaneously. When I grew up, I adapted materials around me to make accessories. My family is in the maritime business so I even fashioned the eyes of the cuttle fish into a ring. I have used stones, leaves and roots of trees to form accessories. I can transform anything around me into an accessory. It’s my gift. What is your creative inspiration? I love talking to people - paying attention to their character. I love to notice their voices and their clothes. When I talk and laugh a lot, I find that I can create a lot of new ideas. Everyone I talk to is different and is an individual. My artwork is based on the people around me. When I work, I always have someone beside me. Once I created my work based on my close friend who visited me everyday. She is a fun and talkative person, so from that time, my work has a light and enjoyable character. Another time in my life, I met a lot of sweet-natured women – and as a result, my work took on a sweet character. Recently, my husband has been working beside me, so my work has become more tranquil since he is a quiet person. Sometimes, my work depends on the voices I listen to and the music playing during the day. If you look at some of my work, you will see the influence of a particular song I was listening to. How do you create your work? I did not study art or design in school, so along the way, I have found that I need to communicate well with the crafts people I work with. At times, I find that there is something not quite right and I have to figure it out. Did the crafts person use, for example, too much silver? When my artwork is completed, I tend to use the jewellery myself for several months to test the quality and to make sure I understand my creations. What materials do you use? I usually use precious stones of various shapes. These stones are imported from places such as France, Africa, Pakistan, India and Tibet. For silver, I import only the raw material with the processing carried out in Thailand. I also use turquoise, pearls and crystals. By using a variety of materials, I can keep my artwork interesting. Please tell us more about the identity of “SAW”? “Saw” is the name of a famous Thai instrument – and it’s the name of my son. My hand-made accessories are trendsetting and hand-made. Each piece of jewellery I create is unique. I can’t create exact copies of my artwork because it depends on my emotion. Each of my artworks is based on my feeling at the time I envisioned and created it. We not only sell in Thailand, but export as well. For some countries, I know that we need to tailor the jewellery to the tastes of that particular country. I try to maintain a sense of my customer’s likes and dislikes in order to keep them in mind when I am designing. In general, I don’t like to sell my creations to customers who do not feel spiritual about art – even though they may be interested in my creations. In each location where I sell my work to a retailer – I insist that I only have one retailer. I don’t want my retailers to compete with each other. I decorated the “SAW” shop by myself (the full name of my shop is “Sai Kim Siang Saw”). I wanted to make it cozy and relaxing – where a customer can come in and feel like they are at home. I like seeing my customers happy and walking around SAW with a smile – the way I smile and feel happy when I create my designs. Interview by Khun Waraporn P. Saw is located at 995/1 Ploenchit Rd., Pathumwan, Bangkok, Tel.0-2251 6939, 0-2655 5221. Near BTS Chidlom Station. Wolfgang Bellwinkel is a photographer and filmmaker. He lives in Berlin and Bangkok. In addition to being a part-time lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, Wolfgang is engaged in an extensive photographic project consisting of three parts dealing with urbanisation and globalisation in Asian cities. For this project, Wolfgang is concentrating on photographing people and architecture. This may sound like a common subject matter, but there is a special quality that makes his work clearly distinguishable from other photographers dealing with similar topics. All three parts of Wolfgang's project have one point in common: the absence of natural surroundings around the people and buildings he captures in a photograph. The photos we debut here in the Thailand Art & Design Guide are from Part III of Wolfgang's project. These are photographs of people on the streets of Bangkok and Singapore - but the actual street is not visible in his images. The persons appear isolated from the city space they are occupying - the city space has been taken away by the artist. We can only imagine the space and geography of where the people are. This approach makes the postures, body shapes, clothing and accessories of the individuals all the more clear and interesting to reflect upon. Wolfgang successfully takes an exciting and provocative approach to what at first may seem everyday subjects - not by using advanced digital technologies to manipulate his images but by pure reduction. www.wolfgang-bellwinkel.com
After working full-time for three years, Munchumart decided to venture out on her own. She made her fashion show debut under the name “Munchu’s”, which later became her brand name. She had the opportunity to show in “PRÊT À PORTER” in the “Who’s Next” section – one of the largest fashion shows in France. Munchumart’s fashion collection was for Autumn-Winter and emphasized black on grey. It received a fantastic response and established her brandname. Her latest collection is for Spring-Summer 2007. It is sexy and active, which is Munchumart’s signature style. When did you first become interested in fashion? After St Martins, I came back to Thailand and worked for Greyhound as an assistant designer in the women’s clothing section. I then became a designer for “Playhound”, a brand for teenagers. I had a lot of fun working on a larger scale and enjoyed the extra responsibility. What is Munchu’s? What are the trends this year? Tell us more about your spring-summer collection for Munchu’s? What is your concept? What motivates you in your design? How about your plans for the future? You can meet “Munchu’s” at Siam Center, Gaysorn Plaza, ZEN, Siam Paragron, the Emporium and Playground Interview by Khun Waraporn P.
Christine Laquet is a contemporary French artist who lives and works in Nantes, France. Her work is inspired by her daily perspective which is invested with biography, documentary and sometimes narrative fields. It articulates a code between relationships, talking clearly about ambiguous human connections and incongruous situations. Herein lies a superimposition of these instances which expose a tangible reality to some or a dream to others. It is a crossroads when fragments of reality meet the imaginary world. Christine’s work uses the medium of painting, though it is strongly linked to photography. The spatial environment is also a highly important factor, as is shown by her experiment with the connection between installation and showroom, taking careful consideration of set devices, compounded with the effect of lighting. The language of reproduction has also influenced the manner in which she reflects on her production, as sometimes she employs digital media which renders dimensions variable - the image being a module in itself. The Qui veut faire l'ange fait la bête exhibition is on display from 4-31 May 2007 at Bangkok University Gallery. The opening ceremony will be at 6pm on 4 May and will be presided over by Dr. Jingjai Hanchanlash, President of L’Alliance Francaise of Bangkok. The exhibition project aims to demonstrate the importance of dynamic exchange and interaction within the context of global growth and integration, and to expand the artistic and cultural dialogue between Thailand and Germany. The National Gallery
|
