REFLECTIONS
One Year in an Isaan Village Circa 1955
Photographs by William J. Klausner and excerpts from his collected writings

1955, in the early part of King Bhumibol’s reign was the year that William J. Klausner came to Thailand as a young Law graduate from Yale University on a Ford Foundation ethnographic field study grant. He took slides and black and white photographs as research for his one year field study thesis as well as a record of what was to be a life long study of Thailand.

THE MYSTERY OF BANGKOK’S GOLDEN TREASURE
by Jane Puranananda
Illustrated by Arisara Caroline Faulder

Join two young visitors to Bangkok on a colorful adventure to discover the secret of a lost golden treasure. Follow them as they travel by boat, skytrain and even on an elephant to look for the answer to a puzzling letter. From golden temples to the ruins of an ancient city not far from Bangkok, travel with these children as they make new discoveries. This fun mystery story will entice children (and adults) to visit Thailand to find their own golden treasures!

THE MYSTERY OF THE VANISHING VASE AT THE JIM THOMPSON HOUSE
by Jane Puranananda
Illustrated by Camille Geslin

Join two children as they search for the secret to the disappearance of a rare Chinese vase at the famous Jim Thompson House museum in Thailand. Hundreds of tourists visit this charming teak house in the heart of Bangkok every day. As you follow the two young visitors in finding the solution to this mystery, learn about the wonderful treasures and many secrets of this unusual house.

EXHIBITION CATALOGUES

Arahmaiani in Bangkok:
STITCHING THE WOUND

Internationally recognized and a familiar face on the world biennale/triennale circuit, Arahmaiani, one of Indonesia’s foremost contemporary visual and performance artists, was in Bangkok in June 2006 to stage a new project in collaboration with Jim Thompson. Arahmaiani’s Bangkok project Stitching the Wound, actively involved young women from the Baan Krua weaving community located across the canal from the Jim Thompson House, focuses on Muslim issues as a basis for a broader exploration of marginalization, identity and communication.

Through interactive performance organized in close proximity with members of the Muslim Baan Krua enclave, Arahmaiani takes aim at the assumptions and stereotypes that are often responsible for fanning the flames of misunderstanding and fear at the heart of contemporary Muslim/non-Muslim relations in our region and beyond. The artist, a Javanese Muslim, is also concerned with the weight given to symbols associated with religion that are read and mis-read in such a way as to distort the essence of faith both for its practitioners and those outside its tenets.Arahmaiani’s Bangkok project, Stitching the Wound, was curated by Singapore-based Southeast Asian-art specialist Iola Lenzi, and included site-specific performance, installation and video conceptualized by Arahmaiani. The project also presented a diverse selection of recent work by artists of international origin investigating the theme from alternate view-points.

This fully-illustrated catalogue documents the exhibition and features scholarly essays by distinguished regional analysts including, Dr. Chaiwat Satha-Anand (Thailand), Dr. Imtiyaz Yusuf (Thailand), Dr. Siti Musdah Mulia (Indonesia), Amina Rasul (the Philippines), Nazry Bahrawi (Singapore) and Dr. Sunardi (Indonesia).

SIAM IN TRADE AND WAR
Royal Maps of the Nineteenth Century
Narisa Chakrabongse, Henry Ginsburg, Santanee Phasuk, Dawn F. Rooney

In 1995, 17 large hand-drawn and hand-colored maps were discovered rolled up in a cupboard in the Princess Abhantri Paja Mansion in the Grand Palace. These long-lost treasures record cartographically Siamese warfare and trade during the first three reigns of the Bangkok period (1782-1851). They were at once taken to HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who realizing their importance, undertook conservation work.

Works of art in themselves, the maps are full of historical and landscape detail which provide a wealth of material for historians and geographers of Southeast Asia. They depict the routes of war with the Burmese and trade with China, including extensive details of towns and villages, forts, religious places, ethnic minorities, plants and animals, population, distance and traveling time, and even historical events in some particular areas. Focusing on Siam and on her immediate neighbors, the collection also includes a remarkable four-metre long coastal map covering the area from peninsular Malaysia to Korea.Following their discovery, the maps were cleaned, restored and finally housed at the personal library of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.Siam in Trade and War: Royal Maps of the Nineteenth Century also features illustrations of a fascinating collection of weapons, sacred shirts, manuscripts, Chinese porcelain and other traded goods to reflect the dual themes of war and trade.

CHRISTIAN LACROIX DIALOGUES!
An Exhibition of Art and Fashion at the Jim Thompson House

Christian Lacroix Dialogues! — an art exhibition featuring Haute Couture presented for the first time by The Embassy of France, in conjunction with The James H. W. Thompson Foundation, at the Jim Thompson Center for the Arts — focused on 17 years of work by one of France’s most outstanding fashion designers. In addition to a selection of 63 unique fashion designs and accessories by Christian Lacroix, the installation included photographs, videos, sculptures and sound tracks created by 15 contemporary artists taking part in the project.

As a designer, Lacroix has always been interested in every aspect of art. The exhibition set out to create a dialogue between different aspects of Christian Lacroix’s work and embodies, beyond fashion and garment, a world of inspiration on its own. “This event is much more than a fashion exhibition. I want to present inspirations and a universe in harmony with space.” Christian Lacroix said.

RITUAL TAI TEXTILES
Status, Myth and the Supernatural
Linda S. McIntosh

Status, Myth and the Supernatural Ritual Tai Textiles explores a small facet of the rich cultural heritage of the Tai peoples living in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. By examining ceremonial occasions and the textiles related to these events, the viewer has a glimpse of the complexity and significant roles textiles played in society. Textiles not only serve as an important part in gift exchange, such as in weddings, but also assist the souls of the deceased to travel to the supernatural heavens of the Tai belief systems. While Status, Myth and the Supernatural Ritual Tai Textiles is not intended to be comprehensive of all ceremonies and textiles forms of the Tai, it focuses on some important shamanic and Buddhist rituals. It also allows the viewer to appreciate the motivation and craftsmanship involved in preparing the textiles and objects used in various celebrations of Tai life.

THROUGH THE THREAD OF TIME
Southeast Asian Textiles

This colorful and highly illustrated volume on Southeast Asian textiles presents the works of scholars and art historians invited to participate in a unique symposium organized by the Bangkok-based James H. W. Thompson Foundation. The twelve experts from the USA, France, Australia, Thailand and the UK who presented papers at the conference have provided a fascinating cross-section of articles on Southeast Asian textiles, their history and their uses. Works by Mattiebelle Gittenger, John Guy, Susan Conway, and Gillian Green are included, and papers cover such diverse subjects as Shan court dress, the origins of Khmer textiles, and Cham weaving. The renown authors have presented thought-provoking texts covering the regions of present-day Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

TIED TOGETHER
KHMER LAO AND THAI MUDMEE TEXTILES
Thirabhand Chandracharoen
Language: English, Thai

The resist patterning process of creating a design on a textile by tying off small bundles of yarn and then dipping them into a dye bath before weaving has been known to Thai people in all regions for centuries. Tying off, dyeing and weaving techniques have been handed down from generation to generation until today. This resist patterning process is commonly called “ikat” in other parts of the world, but is known by a variety of different names by Thai people. Tied Together features the use of this resist patterning process by showing textiles which have been created though this technique. The intention is to provide the history of mudmee, especially mudmee from the Isaan region, the area where mudmee textiles are the most produced.

POWER DRESSING
Lanna Shan Siam 19th Century Court Dress
Susan Conway

Power Dressing — Court Dress Lanna Shan Siam presents 19th and early 20th century court dress, textiles and regalia from the principalities of Lanna, the Shan States and the kingdom of Siam. The term “power” is used here to denote the mystical authority of Buddhist kingship and power expressed through tributary relationships and martial alliances. The exhibition featured richly woven and embroidered textiles and high quality regalia, made by skilled artisans. These objects were tokens of tribute and gifts of exchange between royal families. The status of individual rulers rested on the wearing and display of these prized objects. In the 19th century when European diplomats and explorers were granted audiences, they were dazzled by the beauty of palace interiors and by the splendor of court dress.

INTERWEAVING CULTURES
International Contemporary Art Project
Five Contemporary Artists at the Jim Thompson House

For the project, five artists were invited to stay in Bangkok to conduct research on the Jim Thompson House and those aspects of Thai culture represented by the silk industry. The participating artists were Han Myung-Ok (Korea/France), Shigeaki Iwai (Japan), Alana Jelinek (UK/Australia), Kaoru Motomiya (Japan) and Sutthirat Supaparinya (Thailand); Sachiko Namba (Japan), Gridthiya Gaweewong (Thailand) and Ann Coxon (UK) were curators for the international contemporary art project.Their objective was to explore, question and supplement the story begun by Jim Thompson and his love for Thailand’s cultural heritage; respond to the unique cultural, social and historical context of the Jim Thompson House as well as the surrounding local community and present new works based on their in-depth, on-site research. Encouraging collaborative work with the local community as well as the house staff, the project invited the engagement of a wide range of local and international audiences including those who may not have previously visited the Jim Thompson House. The results of this collaboration were presented in the form of an exhibition at the Art Center at the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok from March 31 to June 30, 2005.

The Interweaving Cultures catalogue is available in two languages, Thai and English, to serve as an introduction and documentation of this fascinating project during and after the exhibition period.

temporary insanity - Essays on Women Artists in Asia

Internationally acclaimed Thai artist Pinaree Sanpitak is known for her abstract shapes and forms of the female body which she portrays through various media including: drawing, ceramics, sculpture, painting and textiles. Her work explores feminine sensuality, desire and sensitivity. 'temporary insanity', an exhibition of recent works by Pinaree Sanpitak, one of Thailand's most prominent female artists, and the first contemporary art exhibition to be shown at the Art Center at Jim Thompson House opened in Bangkok on July 29, 2004.

The exhibition featured three major genres of Pinaree's work. "breast stupas" (2000-2001) depicts subtle renderings of the female breast created by unthreading silk textiles. "vessels" (2003) is a series of molded forms made from cast brass with gold-leaf inlay. Her striking new endeavor "temporary insanity" (2003-2004) consists of a series of interactive, soft-sculpture forms. The works of Pinaree, inspired by natural forms, the female body and textile bridge the gap between the traditional and the world today. Her works explore the thin line between art and craft. They redefine the potential of textiles to be used in more abstract and challenging ways, thus expanding boundaries into contemporary art forms.

In conjunction with the ‘temporary insanity’ exhibition, The James H. W. Thompson Foundation assisted with the publishing of the book. The work focuses on the subject of contemporary women artists, with a particular focus on Asian art. Distinguished art critics, writers and specialists on women's contemporary arts, particularly in the Asia/Pacific region participated. The contributors include Prof. Dr. Apinan Poshyananda, Ministry of Culture, Thailand; Prof. Mary-Ann Milford-Lutzker, Mills College, Oakland, USA; Rhana Devenport, curator, Queensland Art Gallery; Iola Lenzi, Singapore based freelance curator/writer, and Dr. Arun Shaowanasai, a prominent Thai psychiatrist.

SPLENDORS OF THE RENAISSANCE
PRINCELY ATTIRE IN ITALY
Reconstruction of historic costumes by Fausto Fornasari

This catalogue is based on “Splendours of the Renaissance — Princely Attire in Italy” written by Professor Janet Cox-Rearick for an exhibition of costumes created by Fausto Fornasari which was held in New York at The City University of New York in the spring of 2004. This present catalogue is an adapted version of Professor Cox-Rearick’s text, summarized for translation into Thai and intended solely for distribution in Thailand.