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The fine ART of living

THIS CLUTTERED HOUSE IN A SUKHUMVIT SOI IS FULL OF WONDERFUL TREASURES INCLUDING ITS OWNER

If a house could tell a story, the one standing amid leafy trees where National Artist Chakrabhand Posayakrit lives would speak of an exceptional talent and a citizen with an unmatched fighting spirit. But don't assume his leaf-green-coloured wooden home exudes the stately air of gilded formality, a kind of picture-perfect setting ideal for an architectural magazine.

The residence of National Artist Chakrabhand Posayakrit also serves as a workshop for Thai traditional artists and craftsmen to create works in various fields, including puppetmaking and traditional music.

On the contrary, the two-storey home-office is like Aladdin's Cave, a place where the renowned artist stores his collected paintings, splendid art objects, traditional puppets and sentimental memorabilia.

"My home is cluttered with a lot of my sombat pra sulee [treasure trove]," said the renowned 67-year-old artist as he opened the door to his studio on the second floor.

In its usual sense, "cluttered" would mean an eyesore that should be hidden from the public eye.

But in the aesthetic world of Chakrabhand Posayakrit, the term "cluttered" has a meaning of its own.

To prevent light and dust, the artist has covered most of paintings with black cardboard. But it is a jaw-dropping moment when he removes the coverings to reveal stunningly beautiful paintings, including prototypes of the murals his team is creating at Wat Tri Thotsathep in Bangkok and Wat Khao Sukim in Chanthaburi province.

Inside plain-looking closets, traditional puppets are meticulously wrapped in plastic bags to keep out dust and light.

Neatly placed in the same space are some paintings, among them works by the late National Artist Fua Haripitak and some of Ajarn (teacher) Chakrabhand's unseen works, one of which is executed in a modern Western style - very atypical for him.

But what sheds light on the artist's early days is his collection of toys - most of which he created when he was a young student at Vajiravudh College, an elite boys' boarding school.

Paintings made by Chakrabhand at the age of 6 reflect what he saw on the stage.

"I love beautiful dolls. But unlike children nowadays, we did not have many toys in the past, so I had to create my own," said Chakrabhand while showing the little painted masks he drew on seashells randomly collected from piles of gravel at a construction site in the school grounds.

Other impressive toys are egg-shell dolls. His late mother usually prepared the shells for her son to paint by using a syringe to draw the egg out. "Most of these egg dolls were destroyed, as my father used to take them to show to his friends."

But the objects that confirm the artist's early prodigious talent are the miniature stages he painted on small pieces of cloth after his family took him to see classical dance-drama at the National Theatre when he was only 6.

The young Chakrabhand often recorded Thai classical dance sets in the form of paintings. Sometimes, however, he drew images from his imagination.

"The woman in this setting is Nang Laweng [a character from the Thai epic Phra Apai Manee]. In this piece, I envisioned Nang Laweng and painted her from my imagination."

Most of these paintings, art objects and puppets will be displayed in the museum of the Chakrabhand Posayakrit Foundation, which is expected to be built on an adjacent plot of land.

The foundation, which oversees the artist's work, is trying to raise 200million baht to buy the land for the museum and a puppet theatre.

COURTESY OF CHAKRABHAND POSAYAKRIT FOUNDATION

The 530-square-wah (2,120-square-metre) plot now belongs to a real estate development company which had intended to build a 32-storey condominium right next to the artist's house. The project was halted after Chakrabhand launched a public campaign, including a petition signed by thousands of supporters, to protest against construction that would all but obliterate his house.

The success of the campaign, which was strongly supported by Chakrabhand's fans and distinguished organisations such as the Association of Siamese Architects and the faculty of painting and sculpture at Silpakorn University, was a significant moment in the larger campaign to protect the rights of local communities. It was the first time that an individual campaign was able to force a developer to cancel a project on the grounds that it could harm the livelihood of a community.

The company gave the foundation three years to buy the land at a price of around 200 million baht. In 2009, the foundation began to raise funds by selling Buddha images designed by the artist.

The campaign is not a self-serving project to protect Chakrabhand's own interests. On the contrary, the artist's home in the Ekamai suburb serves as a workshop for traditional Thai artists and craftsmen in various fields, including puppet-making, painting and classical music - all of which are elements of a much-anticipated puppet performance, Taleng Phai, which has been more than 20 years in the making.

The artist's residence is where traditional craftsmen come to work on creating new works, restoring old royal puppets and vice-regal puppets (now housed in the national museum), and designing khon costumes for the Fine Arts Department that have yet to be seen by the public.

The cultural activity determines the physicality of his house. Over the past decade, the artist has had the home modified to accommodate these cultural activities its many functions. A staircase had to be moved sideways to allow audiences to watch puppet rehearsals.

Every single day for almost 20 years, artists and craftsmen have been coming to this house to work. For many years on the last Sunday of every month, Chakrabhand has opened his home for the general public to watch Taleng Phai take shape. The monthly performance now draws up to 400 people. There is no entrance fee, and audiences can even enjoy delicious food on the house, courtesy of Chakrabhand's fans.

Assoc Prof Nopamat Veohong, of the Department of Dramatic Arts at Chulalongkorn University' Faculty of Arts, and also stage director for the artist's puppet project, said the home is one of few artisan workshops remaining in the country _ even though they In old days, awere often part of rich family residences or royal courts once common worldwide.

In the past, artists and ateliers worked under the patronage of royal courts, rich families or even churches, notably the wealthy mercantile Medici family in Florence which supported the renowned artist Michelangelo Buanarroti Michelangelo Buonarroti; Archbishop Colloredo of Vienna, who commissioned Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; and, in Thailand, Prince BavornBovorn Vichaicharn, who supported traditional puppet craftsmen, and Prince Bhanurangsri Prince Bhanurangsi (Somdej Wang Burapha), who was the patron of (Somdej Wang Burapha) who patronised traditional Thai musicians.

The studio of National Artist Chakrabhand Posayakrit is a treasure trove where he keeps paintings, puppets—albeit in closets to prevent damage from light and dust—and sentimental memorabilia, such as toys he created when he was a boy.

This patronage system has long since disappeared.

Art is now seen as just a profession, no longer as a gift to the world that needs to be nurtured.

In Thailand, national artists such as Thawan Duchanee, Chakrabhand Posayakrit and Chalermchai Kositpipat have dedicated personal space and funds to help foster these craftsmen, otherwise they, too, will become extinct in the age of mass production.

''Ajarn Chakrabhand's puppet project, which has been so time- and cost-consuming, might not be viable if you only take into consideration the profit margin,'' said Assoc Prof Nopamat.

''But the ongoing project and cultural and art activities in this home will no doubt benefit the country and its posterity.''

Sets of eggshells, antiques and seashell dolls from the artist’s collection.

Your chance to lend a helping hand

It is possible for fans of National Artist Chakrabhand Posayakrit to purchase his works, thanks to the campaign of the Chakrabhand Posayakrit Foundation to build a museum and puppet theatre on a plot of land near his house.

Chakrabhand launched the Buddha image project in June, 2009 to raise funds towards a target of 200million baht needed to purchase the 530-square-wah plot adjacent to his home in Soi Ekamai, Sukhumvit.

The planned museum will accommodate paintings, art objects and puppets belonging to the artist as well as a theatre for traditional puppet performances.

The Buddha image is modelled on the presiding image designed by the national artist for his latest puppet production, Taleng Phai.

The artist said the original image was so beautiful that people encouraged him to make reproductions.

The Buddha image, in the subduing mara pose, has been consecrated by monks at Wat Khao Sukim in Chanthaburi province. The first collection came in gilded gold and bronze, with two sizes - 5-inch (12.7cm) and 9-inch (22.8cm) lap measurements. Prices range from 10,000 baht for the bronze to 59,000 baht for the larger gold version.

Last August, the foundation launched a new campaign to produce small bell amulets or phra kring for collectors to carry for posterity.

This model comes in five colours - gold-plated, pink gold-plated, silver-plated, bronze and mekpad, a special metallic colour which is regarded as sacred and is famous among collectors of Buddha images and amulets.

Prices are 1,600 baht for gold, 1,200 baht for pink gold, 1,000 baht for silver and mekpad colour, and 600 baht for bronze.

Contact The Chakrabhand Posayakrit Foundation on 02-392-7754 or 08-7332-5467-8, or fax 02-392-7753 or 02-714-8449, or visit the foundation's website at http://www.chakrabhand.org.

The foundation is located at 49/1, Soi Sukhumvit 63 (Soi Ekamai).