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My Bangkok
STIRLING SILLIPHANT MEETS BANGKOK’S STYLE-SETTERS TO DISCOVER WHAT THEY LOVE ABOUT THEIR CITY. MAIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY CEDRIC ARNOLD
CITIES are most o en thought of in terms of iconic architecture and expansive views. ink of the Sydney Harbour, flanked by the Opera House; or the famous city views of Kowloon from Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak.
But what if your city is Bangkok, a place where fl eeting details – rather than sweeping panoramas – defi ne the rhythm of urban life? Dispersed throughout its meandering landscape, Bangkok’s visual totems pose a challenge for the single shutter’s snap.
This urban territory teems with stimuli: rice barges trudging up the Chao Phraya River, food markets brimming with fire-truck-red chilli pastes, skyscrapers in the shape of robots, elephants roaming the streets and – of course – the infamous rhot thit (literally, “stuck cars”), to name a few.
THE BANGKOK BEAT
So what is quintessentially Bangkok? e answer to this would vary greatly depending on who asked. Some wax nostalgic for the city’s river and canal life, contrasting them to the branded consumerism of mall culture, or elevate the traditional ai timber house over the concrete and glass towers crowding the city’s streets.
Young sophisticates thrive on the posey verve offered by the upscale boutiques, clubs and eateries that have dog-eared pages for Bangkok in the Luxe Guide, Wallpaper* and other arbiters of global chic.
But even Bangkok’s jet-setting high society eats at the same street stalls and makes merit at the same joss-hazed, garland-piled shrines as everyone else.
at all this could exist in one place is a testament not only to diversity, but to the people who have made the city their life’s work. Despite navigating through life and traffi c at Asia’s breakneck pace, they are known for their even tempers and tenacity.
“Bangkok grows on you,” says Rungsima “Pui” Krasikanund, editor-in-chief of Elle Decoration. “It’s the way of the people – their unmistakable kindness.”
DESIGN CUES
It’s lonely being the only design maven in town. When Rungsima “Pui” Krasikanund launched Elle Decoration a decade ago, the now de rigueur “contemporary Asian” trend had yet to sweep Bangkok’s hotels, restaurants, clubs and spas – and publishing coffee table books and magazines on the topic was not the lucrative business it is today.
Founding editor of thailand’s fi rst lifestyle and décor magazine, Pui has witnessed great strides in the thai design scene. “Before, it was either European or thai, now it’s a mixing and matching… and many thai designers have made their name known internationally.”
Likewise, Pui believes Bangkok’s quality of life has improved since starting the magazine. “It’s a much more pleasant place to live now. The Skytrain has made a big difference… and young people have become more westernised – in a good way.”
On why she loves the ailand Creative and Design Centre (TCDC), the library/museum at the Emporium shopping centre: “It’s something I’m proud to present to my colleagues from Paris or Italy – a very good start for thai design society.”
TONGUE THAI’D
Forced layovers are rarely auspicious, but one forever changed the life of Australian journalist Andrew Biggs in 1989.
“I arrived here totally blown away; it was madness and chaos,” the television personality, author and teacher says of his accidental meeting with Bangkok and impulsive decision to stay here.
Currently the Deputy Managing Director of BEC-Tero Entertainment, Andrew is well-respected by the thais for his tireless work to make English less daunting, as well as his own fl uency in thai language and culture. Andrew’s notion that thai students are made to emphasise the technical over the expressive has shaped the curriculum of Andrew Biggs Academy (ABA), an “English Lounge” where casual conversation is favoured over textbooks.
On the myriad of street food in the ai capital: “Go for a wander. Don’t be afraid. Just follow your nose and see where the ais are sitting. Giggle and experiment!”
His favourite places to scour for delicious cheap eats include Soi Sansuk, an alleyway behind his office on Rama IV Road, and the hawker area of Talaad Samyan by Chulalongkorn University.
SOUND BITES
“Things needed to happen,” says Sanya Souvanna Phouma, of the climate in Bangkok when he moved here from Paris eight years ago.
Recognising the local market’s thirst for something more intimate than the typical four-fl oor dance den, Sanya paired up with daring partners to launch Bed Supperclub.
This club – a tubular ode to design futurism where patrons lounge about on bed-like sofas while tucking into fantastic East-meets-West food in the restaurant and get vertical to international DJs in the adjacent club – has become the icon of Bangkok’s bold new night scene.
“We mix elements of contemporary culture – electronic music, design, cuisine, fashion and architecture – [by] applying conceptual art to fi ne dining,” he explains.
Sanya and his partners at Bed also recently launched Bed Management, a holding company that develops destination restaurants and boutique hotels, such as Siem Reap’s Hotel de la Paix.
On why he likes to dine at C’yan, the fl agship restaurant of e Metropolitan Bangkok: “ e food’s more Australian: creative, with fresh products and presented in a really beautiful way.”
FLOWER POWER
Simplicity is key for Sakul Intakul. The UNESCO-awarded “floral installation” artist models his petite fl ower containers – made from bronze, porcelain, EVA (a plastic) and other materials – on natural materials such as seeds and seed pods.
Shying away from traditional floral arrangement, Sakul’s works favour the individual bloom, petal or leaf. “Bangkok’s so busy,” he points out when asked why he prefers to work this way. “I take the essence and I simplify.”
Selling to clients all over the world out of his boutique at the Promenade, Nai Lert Park, Sakul has won many important commissions, including decorating a recent State Banquet in honour of Jacques Chirac and Spanish King Juan Carlos.
The florist writes too. Check out the impressive coffee-table tome, Tropical Colours: The Art of Living with Tropical Flowers, and his latest release, Sakul Intakul: 100 Orchids.
On the Chao Phraya River and Boh, the raucous student-y bar on the tha Tien riverboat pier: “It’s one of the few places in Bangkok where you can see empty space. The river bank doesn’t change much, even though the landscape does. It is beautiful and very thai. And the music here is great.”
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
“I’m a bit like Woody Allen: I shoot what is around my neighbourhood,” explains fi lm-maker Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. “Even an ugly place – if you live there long enough – you can see beauty in it. at’s why I set my fi lms here in Bangkok.”
The acclaimed director of Monrak Transistor, Last Life in the Universe and Invisible Waves (his most recent work, which premiered at Berlin Film Festival) combines a deadpan auteur approach with a fi lm student’s irreverence and adman’s slickness to make fi lms that are as fresh, wry and unpredictable as Bangkok itself.
On why he prefers an occasional drink at the gorgeously-decorated thai fusion restaurant Mahanaga over a drink at a nightclub: “ e problem with Bangkok is that the clubs are loud and they play bad music. e club scene is for beautiful people who want to be seen, and I’m not into that.”
Laid-back Mahanaga is more Pen-Ek’s kind of place, though he laments that his favourite waitresses have moved to the restaurant’s new branch in Chiang Mai.
FRILL ME
Fashion is serious business in Bangkok. Over the last three years, billions of baht from state coffers has been pumped into couture, in the hopes of making Bangkok the “fashion hub of Asia”. e timing could not have been better for Pim Sukhahuta, whose Sretsis fashion label joins rank with Fly Now, Senada eory, Greyhound and Nagara by Jim ompson as the most talked about ai fashion labels.
Pim opened her shop in Gaysorn Plaza three years ago, shortly
after returning from Parson’s School of Design in New York, and describes being “overwhelmed” by her success. Combining “the glam and the ground”, her delightful yet racy clothes for young women have been a hit, helping to dispel the “brand crazy” mentality she had experienced before leaving for the States.
There wasn’t any fun in fashion before,” she says, but now that tastes have widened, she’s been free to let her creative impulses run wild with her chiff on and silk creations.
On why Aqua Bar, at Four Seasons Bangkok, is one of the only places besides her workshop at home where you’ll fi nd Pim: “ e ambience is peaceful and it’s not overcrowded. You can just sit…”
OUT WIT
You wouldn’t expect an artist to see merit in his city’s lack of a leading art gallery, but artist Wit Pimkanchanapong isn’t known for keeping his artwork tucked away from the public.
The nice thing about Bangkok is that while we don’t have a well-established gallery, we do have artists [from Bangkok] active all over the world,” says the prolific video artist, illustrator and animator.
For Wit, Bangkok’s art pulse is “less about white cubes and more about life and how people react, more events based.” He would know, having staged his visual spectacles for an audience of 60,000 at 2004’s B-Day concert and exhibited in Yokohama, Tokyo, Barcelona and Berlin.
Wit prefers to represent the “things fl oating in the subconscious state of Bangkok” rather than defi ne what Bangkok is. is clearly appeals to the international market, as Wit is taking his work to Australia, Portugal and France this year.
On why the cosy, contemporary Asian restaurant Plaa Dib is his top spot of the moment: “My favourite place changes every three to four years, but at the moment, it’s Plaa Dib, which serves good food and has great exhibits.”
POP PRINCESS
Mention Surattanawee “Bo” Suviporn to anyone, and they’ll get caught up in a weak-kneed reverie about the salacious girl pop duo Triumphs Kingdom (TK). Known for their high-energy dance moves, infectious hooks and risqué outfi ts, TK swept Bangkok by storm a decade ago.
Still active as a DJ on 93.5FM and solo singer, Bo relishes being a celebrity: “I couldn’t stand if I had to live somewhere else and nobody recognised me and gave me a warm smile like I get here in Bangkok.”
Having become an overnight success at 17 years old herself, Bo believes the city is conducive for young talent. “People here are so keen to see something new, visit new places and meet new people.”
Likewise, she takes pleasure in the plethora of novelty constantly springing up in her country. “I really much enjoy watching Bangkok growing,” she says.
On her preference to eat in the tree-lined Convent Road, just off Silom, rather than at any of the new restaurants springing up: “I always come here to check out the street food. I come here a8 er work, so why don’t you try it?”
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