THE PRESERVATION OF FIRE
Tag: tradition
PHOTO ESSAY : SUNDRIED-SONGKHLA
TEXT & PHOTO: BARRY MACDONALD
(For Thai, press here)
It was an everyday occurrence to bump into all kinds of things being sundried on the street all over Songkhla. Chillies, pork, rice, orange peels, shrimp, fish, squid, durian husks, flowers, tea, egg shells, bread crumbs, cutlery, coffee cups, cats litter tray, clothes, solar batteries and even a prayer mat.
Sometimes there is a lot of talk about traditions and culture, but then you realise they are actually quite recent occurrences. I think sun drying is maybe one of the oldest traditions in Thailand and a link to the past and nature that really grabbed my attention. It’s not only aesthetically beautiful, but also a lovely way to see the important ingredients in the local people’s lives.
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Barry Macdonald (b. 1984) is a freelance photographer from London, England. He started off shooting musicians and found out about the enjoyment of travelling from going on tour with bands around Europe and the USA. His work has evolved into a hybrid of street and documentary. He is interested in sociology and tries to look at culture and human nature through his photography. He has lived in Bangkok, Thailand since 2022.
LIVING IN AN ELASTIC TIME
LIVING IN AN ELASTIC TIME IS AN EXHIBITION THAT INVITES YOU TO LOOK AT HANDICRAFTS THROUGH THE DIMENSIONS OF TIME, LABOR, AND MEMORY, CREATING A DIALOGUE BETWEEN TRADITIONAL CRAFTS, CONTEMPORARY ART, AND SPACE
SUN TOWER
SUN TOWER, A SEASIDE BUILDING IN YANTAI, DESIGNED TO ORBIT THE SUN, CONVEYING THE RHYTHM OF LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE THROUGH ITS SHAPE AND MATERIALS, BY OPEN ARCHITECTURE Read More
PHOTO ESSAY : AT THE HEART OF FAITH
TEXT & PHOTO: SAMATCHA APAISUWAN
(For Thai, press here)
At the Heart of Faith: A Portrait of Bangkok’s Indian Community
The idea for At the Heart of Faith began shortly after the exhibition Connect at Bangkok Design Week 2025, which explored how art can bridge cultures through shared space and emotion. Following that event, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) invited me to develop a new cultural project, an outdoor photographic exhibition to coincide with the city’s Diwali Festival. The goal was to highlight the long-established Indian community of Phahurat, known as Bangkok’s Little India, and its enduring place within the capital’s diverse urban fabric.
The vision was clear, to portray the vibrant yet often overlooked life of a community where faith, trade, and tradition coexist within a modern metropolis. The BMA sought to celebrate cultural diversity; I sought to explore the human thread that connects Indian communities across borders, from India to Thailand, through the shared language of belief and belonging.
The project combines two visual worlds, photographs made in India and a new body of work created in Phahurat. Together, they form a dialogue between communities that share the same spiritual rhythm. At its center stands the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Bangkok’s principal Sikh temple, whose golden dome rises above the neighborhood as a symbol of faith and continuity.
Around the temple, life moves at its own pace, tailors at their sewing machines, vendors selling fabrics and spices, elders gathered in quiet conversation. These are the daily gestures that sustain a community shaped by work, worship, and resilience.
Here, faith is not only observed in ritual but expressed through everyday acts of care, perseverance, and connection, an enduring testament to the living spirit of Bangkok’s Little India.
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Samatcha Apaisuwan is a Bangkok-based photographer and creative director with over 30 years of experience in visual arts and design. His work explores the connection between culture, faith, and everyday life through a documentary approach. He has collaborated widely across art and cultural institutions as well as leading news and media networks, including the Bangkok Post, Thai PBS World, and the Financial Times.
ENRICH YOUR LIVING WITH WOW
UNBOXING THE DESIGN OF THE NEW YEAR GIFT BASKET 2025 BY LINE THAILAND, CELEBRATES THE START OF 2025 WITH THE CONCEPT ‘ENRICH YOUR LIVING WITH WOW,’ OFFERING HUMOR AND JOY WITH THAI HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS IN NOVEL PACKAGING DESIGNS Read More
THAI PAVILION : FROM THE 1930S
CHOMCHON FUSINPAIBOON EXPLORES HOW THAILAND’S NATIONAL IDENTITY IN ARTS AND THE COUNTRY’S MODERNIZATION IN INDUSTRY AND ECONOMY INFLUENCE THE DESIGN OF THAI PAVILIONS AT INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITIONS IN THE 1930S WHICH RAISES THE QUESTION OF WHAT HAS BEEN CHANGED IN 2021