https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/3160140/illuminating-the-old-city
Many Bangkokians face loneliness and feel the city is not conducive to dates or having partners. However, team members of Awakening Bangkok, the annual light and digital art festival, discovered that many couples roam around and take photos at the event.
That discovery became the inspiration for the theme of Awakening Bangkok 2025 — “Lovevercity”. The theme later expanded from a romantic relationship into love in other forms, such as friendship, family, love for the city and the feeling of being loved. These love stories are expressed through 27 light and digital art installations which illuminate Phra Nakhon district until Sunday.
Awakening Bangkok 2025 spans four zones, combining familiar locations with new areas. The returning zones are Pak Khlong Talat (Pak Khlong Talat, Yodpiman Market, Yodpiman River Walk and Rajinee Pier) and Sam Yot (Rommaninat Park). Meanwhile, the two new areas are Saphan Phut (Memorial Bridge, the Old General Post Office Building and King Prajadhipok Park) and Wang Burapha (The Old Siam Plaza, Ong Ang Canal, Queens Cinema and Hom Prung Café by Bai Hor). Each location is a significant landmark in Phra Nakhon– an area rich in history and the collective memory of Bangkok.
Here are some highlight installations.
… by The Under, Where?!.
Title: … Artist Group: The Under, Where?! Location: King Prajadhipok Park
The title … refers to silent moments. Boonlerd Hensoontorn, a representative of the group The Under, Where?! explained that the installation was inspired in one part by the tragic love novel The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. In The Notebook, a married couple sits next to each other in silence without any awkwardness.
“They sit next to each other quietly and observe things around them without talking. Only people who are comfortable with each other can sit quietly and be content. This is a profound relationship which is different from young people’s relationships because young people have to talk and court each other to strengthen their relationship. However, their actions destroy silence,” said Boonlerd.
The team decided to install their work in King Prajadhipok Park because the park is a peaceful and quiet place. They also created a decibel-controlled zone. When visitors stay quiet, they will see light images visualising schools of swimming fish, flying butterflies and raindrops on the park ground. However, if visitors make loud noise, lightning will appear on the ground. The installation art aims to encourage people to appreciate observing the world in silence.
Look How Far You’ve Come by To Every Breather.
Title: Look How Far You’ve Come Artist Group: To Every Breather Location: Yodpiman River Walk
Pethathai Pangphasert, a representative of the group from Bangkok University and King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, explained that Look How Far You’ve Come came from the idea that people feel more comfortable venting their problems to strangers because they believe that they will only meet those strangers once. It is an expanded project which was inspired from the previous one called Lost And Found, which allowed participants to write down their memory of whom or what they lost, speak to strangers about it and exchange letters with each other.
After Lost And Found, the group posted the question “What is something you are proud of that you rarely talk about?” on a TikTok account and discovered that many people did not feel proud of themselves or did not have any proud moment to share.
Thus, the group created Look How Far You Have Come which has a similar format to Lost And Found. In the first zone, participants can pick notebooks with covers of different topics, such as “Which dream did you let go of to make room for your current reality?” or “Draw a comparison of your past self and present self”. These activities help people learn more about themselves.
In the second zone, participants are matched with a stranger by a staff member. The participants will then take turns answering questions on cards about things that they feel proud of. The answer can involve small things or major events such as how they overcame difficulties. At the end, the participants will exchange letters or encouraging messages with each other. Pethathai revealed that she received thankful messages from participants who said that the project helped them understand more about themselves.
From Here For You by CDE.
Title: From Here For You Artist Group: CDE Location: Post Office Building
Ploypimol Insawang, Panupong Subsing and Tippawan Pinnil are representatives of a group from the Faculty of Communication Arts, Bangkok University who were inspired by the “snail mail” of their parents’ generation. They felt that while sending letters may have taken a long time, it gave a warm and romantic feeling. However, now, people are no longer interested in letters and stamps.
As their projection mapping was created at the Post Office Building which was built in 2003, they use stamps as a feature. Participants can create their own stamp or colour a readymade one available at the site. After they finish designing a stamp, they scan their work through a machine that looks like a mail box. The image of all the stamps will appear on the outside walls of the Post Office Building as projection mapping. Participants also can write messages and drop them in a large mail box. The message will be posted in one area of the building the next day.
Words Fade Away by Ya Luem Tang Nalika Pluk. photo courtesy of Awakening Bangkok 2025
Title: Before Words Fade Away Artist Group: Ya Luem Tang Nalika Pluk (Don’t Forget To Set The Alarm Clock) Location: Yodpiman Market
Created by students from the Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, Before Words Fade Away is the most popular installation that attracts crowds. This immersive installation screens words that we have often heard from our parents and/or our loved ones, such as “Have you eaten anything yet?”, If you feel tired, let’s go home” and “We’re proud of you”.
There are three message blocks available; one for high school students, one for university students and one for working people. Messages were collected from these different groups to match visitors. Participants can choose a message block that they want to hear and place it on a platform to activate the messages on the screen. The messages will appear on an installation fabric hanging from the ceiling accompanied with the voice of parents and instrumental music.
Sarisa Khankayan, a student representative, explained that people hear these meaningful messages so often that they forget how valuable these words are and how fortunate they are to hear such caring words. The creators want people to hear these words again and reflect on what they want to do in their life.
Where Life Fades by SenseScape.
Title: Where Life Fades Artist: SenseScape Location: Pak Khlong Talat
The exhibition screens an animation of extinct fish called pla wi ket which had a signature feature of four long whiskers. The whiskers looked like female hair, so the fish was called wi ket meaning hairline. It was fully grown at around 20cm. Although pla wi ket can no longer be found today, people can see its preserved carcass at the Natural History Museum of the Department of Fisheries, Kasetsart University. It was announced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an extinct species in 2011.
The exhibition introduces people to the extinct species in hope of raising awareness about environmental issues, so they can help to protect and preserve other endangered species in Thailand.
Admission is free. The venues can be accessed via MRT Sanam Chai and Sam Yot stations, with free tuk-tuk shuttle services available. For more information, visit facebook.com/Awakeningfestivals.
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