M.L. ARCHAWA WORAWAN APPLIES HIS ARTISTIC SKILL TO CREATE SAMUI 2000 AT MUANG KULA PAN HOTEL
The following is an advertisement: It begins on the beach with a group of rich people talking about what to do with an island. The leading lady has an idea, but a man pulls her away from the group. “I have decided to buy this island,” he tells his lover. He pauses, “but I will keep it just the way it is.” She seems pleased. But when we realize the price of the island, we realize that the man must be crazy.
There are a few islands which are for sale now. Samui is one of them and, as a result, it has changed radically in the past 15 to 20 years. Two decades ago, Samui’s beaches were clean and covered in coconut trees. Now they are covered in hotels, bungalows and a variety of pubs. To support both Thai and foreign tourists, there are places which cater to both Thai and foreign styles. The place that art4d wants to bring to your attention is the Muang Kula Pan Hotel or Kula Pan City Hotel, which was inspired by the literature of Inhow.
Originally published in art4d April, 1997
M.L. Archava Worawan (Khun Tan) is the architect and mastermind behind this hotel. He chose to link the idea of the hotel with the Indonesian literature of Inhow. Archaeologists used to think that this island was Sriwichai Kingdom and extended to Java island. But nowadays, they cannot conclude where the center of Sriwichai is. The most probable assumption is that they governed with a rotational system. Thus both Surathanee and Java may be the center of Sriwichai. Khun Tan explained to art4d that the name ‘Kula Pan’ describes the idea, conjuring up the atmosphere of Java and linking past Java characteristics while offering a feeling of hospitability.
“I have an artistic background and when I work as an architect I use the same feelings I use in my artwork,” says Khun Tan who was invited from France to design the hotel 6 years ago. He began by surveying the island and decided to use the locality as a showcase for his work. He chose to change as little as possible by leaving the natural surroundings and planning the U-shaped hotel as the back of a line of coconut trees.
Though the hotel offers only 41 rooms, each one has a view of the sea. The building makes use of many levels, like a Thai house. The slanted roofs emulate the local architecture he surveyed, the only difference being the use of cement tiles to prevent the infiltration of rain. The hotel creates a bridge along the sea and the coconut trees. Other parts provide the same feeling of allowing the natural landscape to take precedence. Alongside the coconut trees, there are also southern tea trees and other indigenous Thai foliage.
The interior of Kula Pan is just as intriguing. Khun Tan used his artistic ability to decorate each room with different details. The materials are all local or Thai-made, with the exception of Phillipe Starck accessories (which are imported, displaying the designer’s connection with France).
Khun Tan has set up signs throughout the hotel in the form of sculptures, prints and photos. He took his time collecting the sculptures from many different places. He used Thai forms for the prints and Thai letters are displayed on accessories such as bowls. “I like letters and I thought it would be very beautiful if we used Thai letters properly. All of the letters are from the Phra Narai period.” Khun Tan lets professional photographer, Noppadol Kaosam-ang create erotic images according to Inhow. Khun Tan took care of the characters’ costumes, especially the 1000-year-old gold accessories. Some pieces are from Indonesia, providing yet more emotive and genuine beauty.
All of these components are important tools for Khun Tan when representing Samui 2000. It is old Samui which is international. “To be international means that everyone can use it. Everything is made from the simplest form. Some Thai people don’t like it because, after 20 to 30 years, they’ve become accustomed to the feeling that they have to follow foreign taste.”
Although not everything in the Muang Kula Pan Hotel can be classified as excellent art, this 41-room hotel is a good-looking one. It was designed in 1991 and completed in 1993. “It wasn’t supposed to be finished until 1996,” said Khun Tan. “But working is an artists’ passion, it is not tedium. More work means more happiness.”
After examining the hotel, we looked back at the man in the advertisement. If he decided to construct a building on his island, what would it look like?
Originally published in art4d April, 1997