Meet thailand’s leading floral designer with a passion for people, places and plants

WHAT do you get when you combine an engineer, a florist, an artist and an anthropologist? Sakul Intakul – Southeast Asia’s leading “floral installation” designer, with a reputation for interpreting spiritual ideas and cultural symbolism through his stylish creations.

With a folio that includes Royal commissions for the Queen of Thailand and a host of other highly-praised public and private work across the globe, Sakul’s designs possess a distinct style, texture and sculptural quality that have been recognised around the world and heaped with a host of accolades. A fascination with all things floral has also led Sakul to lend his hand to product designs, regular magazine columns and three coffee-table books on the subject – including best-selling Tropical Colours and Modern Asian Living (Periplus Editions Hong Kong). We discover more about the artist’s inspirations, passion for travel, and outstanding work – both past, present and future.

At what age did you first become interested in flowers?

I started to love plants and flowers at a very young age. By the time I was nine years old, I already had my first collection of decorative plants, mostly pendant-hanging tropical species with beautiful leaves. This was also the period when I became interested in reading and learning more about gardening – how to propagate plants from a seedling, cutting, rhizomes and so on. I learnt how to take care of different species that required different conditions of light, water, soil and other special care. As a small boy, I marvelled at how a small seed could grow into a shrub or a tree that bore exactly the same flowers and fruits as its “mother”. That was how plant-collecting and gardening became my hobby. Flowers became my passion.

What is your favourite flower and why?

I used to be crazy about Heliconia, but I have grown to love and appreciate all kinds of flowers. They each have their own charm. Every flower is the best thing that one particular species of the plant kingdom can ever offer to this planet. As the saying goes, “When a flower blooms, the universe rejoices.”

Who and what are the main influences in your work?

Besides nature and the flowers or plants themselves, my work is influenced by a number of major elements, including places from my travels; and particular artists and sculptures. I especially admire the works of Andy Goldsworthy, an English landscape artist who uses elements found in nature – leaves, flowers, stones, ice, snow, soil, heat and cold – and moulds them with his hands to create astounding pieces. I also adore all the different designs of Japanese-American artist, Isamu Noguchi. He has such refined taste in everything he does – from his beautiful stone sculptures and modern Japanese paper lamps to his product designs and courtyard gardens.

Travelling is also one of the passions which brings me great joy and happiness. I find inspiration everywhere I go. Different landscapes, different peoples and races, different art and culture, different colour schemes and combinations, different ways of using flowers in different cultural contexts, different sounds and music, and a different way of living and thinking are all extremely stimulating for me. I embrace and respect such differences.

What are key elements in your work and how has it changed over the years?

Emptiness and void have become inextricable qualities of my floral work. My preference is to use clean lines and simple forms, alongside repetition and rhythm. More and more, I design with a great respect for one particular species of flower, using only one type of flower with one or two more decorative species within one piece or event. By doing so, I lead the observer to contemplate the beauty of that particular kind of flower and allow the two to become one. I have also integrated into my work the different techniques of flower-making and arranging used in different cultures which I have gleaned from my travels. For example, I recently enjoyed learning about the making of Balinese offerings in Ubud, Bali. My process is this: I learn all the basics, take the essence, simplify it and then create something totally new. In this way, cultural and religious beliefs and concepts are sometimes the core of my floral installations. I also engage both flower and colour symbolism of different cultures. For example, I was a member of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s entourage on a State Visit to China in 2000 and put in charge of the floral decoration for the Return State Banquet in Beijing and Shanghai. For these Royal appointments, I combined traditional Thai flower elements with a classic style of flower arrangement. I intentionally used both Thai and Chinese plant and flower symbolism to convey the message of goodwill and respectful friendship between the two countries. The decoration incorporated Globe Amaranths that symbolise respect in Thailand, and pine branches, a sign of longevity in China, among other elements.

What do you consider a highlight in your career to date?

My career highlight is also the greatest honour of my life and for my family. This was when, under close supervision of Mom Rajchawongse Yongswadi Kridakon and Khunying Mom Luang Piyapas Bhirombhakdi, I was bestowed with the opportunity to assist in the design and supervise the flower decorations for the Grand State Banquet at the Baromrajasathitmahorlan Hall and Chakri Throne Hall in the Grand Palace Bangkok on 13 June 2006. The event was in honour of the monarchs and Royal consorts of 27 countries from around the world, who were visiting the Kingdom to attend the celebration of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol’s accession to the throne.

You have done a lot of celebrated work for the Royal household. What was your first project, and what are His and Her Majesty’s favourite flowers?

My first Royal commission for Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand was in 1999. I was asked to do the floral decorations for a Royal Command Performance in honour of the Sultan from the Malaysian state of Kelantan, who was visiting the Taksinrajanivej Palace in Narathiwat Province in Southern Thailand. Her Majesty always likes Thai orchids and other flowers that can be produced in Thailand, as it is an effective way to promote the Thai floral industry and improve the livelihood of the local flower producers. One of the particular favourites is the iris-coloured Deep Blue Vanda orchid.

What is your favourite flower market or “green space” in Bangkok?

I always enjoy the night flower market at Pak Khlong Talad and wholesale plant markets on Wednesday mornings at Jatujak Market. The gardens of Swissotel Nai Lert Park, a Raffles International hotel, and Jim Thompson House Museum are both special places. I also sometimes visit Suan Lumpini Park, which is one of the city’s oldest public parks.

What are your favourite installations?

These include my floral installation at the Thai Festival in the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, Italy which featured two-kilometre-long strings of pink Dendrobium orchids. I am also proud of my pool installation at the infinity pool of The Chedi (now Alila Hotel) in Ubud, while my living sculpture, “Sukhothai Tri Ratna”, in The Sukhothai hotel’s lobby is always mentioned in write-ups about Bangkok by press all over the world.

Where would you recommend visitors to go if they want to see the best of the Kingdom’s blooms?

The night flower market at Pak Khlong Talad in Bangkok and Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden in Chiang Mai. Both are the best celebrations of the colours and forms of flowers that the Kingdom has to offer, with each possessing totally different atmospheres. Any visitor to Thailand during the next few months should not miss the opportunity to visit the Royal Flora Ratchaphreuk, part of the series of national celebrations honouring His Majesty The King’s Jubilee, taking place in Chiang Mai. There will be over 50,000 orchid plants on display, representing nearly 10,000 different native species, including some very rare hybrids.

From all your travels, what are your favourite destinations?

Nepal, Japan, and Bali in Indonesia. I like the culture, the architecture, the art of every form, the people as well as the flowers of all three countries. I am amazed at their centuries-old tradition of flower usage that has evolved inextricably in their culture, closely connected to their religious faiths, beliefs and everyday life in the forms of offerings to the gods, decorations for celebration and so on. Favourite floral memories include a vast ancient rhododendron forest with dangling moss and ferns on the Annapurna Circuit, part of the Himalayan mountain range in central Nepal, and Kyoto in Japan – one of the best places in the world to see the colours of autumn.

What does the future have in store for you?

2007 looks very promising. As well as more commissions for corporate clients and working on public spaces, both in Thailand and overseas, I am planning to publish my fourth coffee-table book on flower arrangements and produce my first glass vase collection in Japan. I will also be working on the total floral design concept – section by section, area by area – for the new Bulgari resort in Bali, which opened in September. Life has always been kind to me. I just hope next year will be an exciting, educational and rewarding one – professionally, socially as well as spiritually.

Visit www.sakulflowers.com to learn more about Sakul’s work, or drop by his shop at The Promenade Décor, 2/4 Witthayu Road, tel +66 (0)2 644-9438/9

ALL IN A NAME

Chiang Mai’s Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006: International Horticultural Exposition for His Majesty The King takes place from 1 November 2006 to 31 January 2007 and is a “must do” for fans of all things green. Flowers, plants, fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices of rare and exceptional breeds from over 30 countries and across the Kingdom will be exhibited in outdoor and indoor exhibitions zones covering over 75 hectares of space. “Ratchaphruek” (Rat-Cha-Phruek) actually means “Royal Plant” and is the Thai name for Cassia fisula L, more commonly known as “golden shower tree”. The plant is Thailand’s national tree and is considered particularly auspicious as it bears yellow flowers, signifying Buddhism and the colour of His Majesty’s Birthday (Monday). As well as a mind-boggling display of over 2.5 million plants with 2,200 species, this expo also offers visitors a unique opportunity to pay homage to His Majesty at “The Royal Pavilion”. The interior wall of the Lanna-style building is decorated with arts depicting His Majesty King Bhumibol’s work, and the basement filled with an exhibition of His Royal projects, while a golden Bodhi Tree stands in the centre to signify His glory. Visit www.royalfloraexpo.com

BUDDING TALENT

For those who prefer their flowers on the wall rather than in a vase, Thailand boasts an increasing wealth of homegrown photographers, artists and illustrators who put flora at the heart of their work.

Among the rising stars is Nat Posila, the young artist who has been developing a name for himself with his large-scale, photo-realistic portraits of succulent fruits, fabulous flowers and tropical foliage. Nat’s skillful use of various colours in his oversized oil paintings has been causing quite a stir over the past few months at his recent “Five Senses” exhibition at Budji Living Bangkok, following near sell-out shows in Western Australia. Such is Nat’s passion that when not working on his own art pieces, he teaches oil painting and drawing in the city of Bangkok. Appointments to visit Nat at his studio and see his ongoing work can be made by calling the artist. Tel +66 (0) 910-9772, www.posila.com