TEXT & PHOTO: THANABET CHANPREECHAYA
(For Thai, press here)
Thanabet’s homesickness during his study aboard inspired him to create this fascinating collection of dioramas. Instead of traditional structures such as temples or traditional Thai architecture, he chose locations and scenarios that most Thai people can relate to and are fondly familiar with.
Thanabet’s first piece was a diorama of a public phone booth, which told its own story through traces of time, stains, bumpy pavement, and the tangled electrical lines that Bangkok is famous for.
Hua Seng Heng, a long-standing establishment selling gold bars and jewelry in the heart of Chinatown, is another remarkable piece. To acquire all of the necessary data, the development process comprises a variety of approaches and techniques, ranging from photography to drone flight to a three-dimensional scan of the building’s interiors and exteriors. Thanabet hopes that all of his works will transport people to locations and memories while they imagine themselves inside these miniature constructions.
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Thanabet Chanpreechaya is a painter who enjoys making dioramas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in animation from the United States and works as an administrator of the ‘CALL ME NABET’ facebook page.