PINIJ / Mindfulness Quarantine

Collectible Design Thailand 02

By suMphat Gallery

 

The word “Pinij” (as in Pinij Pijarana) refers to an act in which one is in the state of contemplation (Pinij), with all their senses and inner mind meticulously inspecting (Pijarana) something to see more than meets the eyes.

“Pinij” is also the title of the second edition of the “Collectable Design Thailand” exhibition that showcases design and craft works — with the focus being placed on those small-quantity, high-quality, high-priced works — created by Thai artists and designers in many fields using a wide variety of techniques through the Art & Design Gallery business model, a model prevalent in Paris, London, New York, and Tokyo. The exhibition was initiated two years ago by Rush Pleansuk, an architect and product designer and the Designer of the Year 2019 in the Product Design category who is deeply convinced that this could be “another way out for Thai designers.”

 

Pre-PINIJ

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to people all over the world being incarcerated, locked up in their homes, despite its being contrary to their nature; human beings are all hardwired to crave traveling. To fulfill deep-seated instincts, even if people are unable to travel physically, they, nevertheless, struggle to travel under restrictions by traveling deep into their hearts, into their own memories.

“Traveling is something that is deeply embedded in our chromosomes. We were once able to travel around, but now we had to refrain from doing so, ending up stuck in a place. However, not only do our bodies travel, our brains do travel as well,” said Rush. He then went on to explain that stepping outside to discover new destinations, which has been being on hold for years, has become the initiative of the design that invites everyone to explore the mind under the concept of “PINIJ.”

In-PINIJ

Rush said that, during the two-year hiatus since the first edition of the “Collectable Design Thailand” exhibition, he always followed the works of Thai designers, observing the continuity and development of each of them. And when the time for the second edition was drawing near, he started working on its preparation, starting off with summarizing the theme for the exhibition, contacting and discussing with each of the designers, making a list of interesting designers before narrowing it down to ten designers with different interest and expertise. 

“When we allow artists/designers to create their work, we can catch a glimpse of what is inside the mind of each of them; Their raw instincts, along with what they have been hiding deep inside, will manifest themselves when we let them create anything without any restrictions,” said Rush, recalling of his observations as the founder and curator of the exhibition and one of its exhibitors.

PINIJ Artists-Designers

Here are 10 design works that worked with the mind of their creator and audiences at the same time.

           “Ni” by June Sekino of Junsekino Architect in collaboration with woodworking expert Phitsanu Namsiriyothin that conveys about the space within the inner self through the pieces of Makha wood that make up the Buddha image;

 

“so far – so close” by Pirada Seniwong Na Ayuthaya, jewelry designer at Trimode Studio, that conveys the feelings of being connected despite being incarcerated through the two vases of different sizes connected with a chain, a soldered workpiece by “Dek Vanz” (motorpunks);

 

“TARA” by Wassana x Savin, a father-son bamboo master artisan duo from Chiang Mai who joined hands for the first time, that conveys the cycle of birth and death according to Buddhism through the bamboo handwoven mandala;

 

“EYELIDS ON THE CITY” by Piyapong Phumichit, a graphic designer, that conveys the state of urban areas in ​​Bangkok during the COVID-19 pandemic through the photography exhibition; Piyapong Phumichit compiled thousands of photos taken by Arun Puritat, a photographer who observed the urban areas of ​​Bangkok during the pandemic, into the book of the same name before forwarding it to Thanapon Kaewpring, another photographer, to interpret and translate it into the exhibition;

 

“Lose Track watch” by Krit Yensudjai, a fashion designer and design director of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, that conveys the importance of the present moment through the watch with the square gold frame fixed on top; Krit Yensudjai, having noticed that more people turned to collecting things during the lockdown, sold his collection of watches to create the art piece; 

 

“SEA AND ME” by o-d-a, a product designer, in collaboration with Phitsanu Namsiriyothin, that conveys human’s longing for the sea as traveling is restricted through the mirror with the wooden frame made of wooden panels that were cut 10 years ago, which creates the feeling of standing in front of the sand and the sea, but reflects the image of one standing in front of it instead;

 

“MUJO” by Rush Pleansuk that conveys the childhood happiness and unpossessable beauty through the wax-coated tin piece covered with glass molded to replicate realistic water ripples inspired by the water shimmer reflected into his Grandma’s Thai-style house in the rainy season that he deems as an unpossessable beauty like that time in life;

“Time” by Sumanasaya Voharn, a lecturer with expertise in lacquerware at the Design Department, the Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University, that conveys her understanding of her own time and self through the broken Sangkhalok lacquerware reassembled using Kintsugi technique; Chinese, Thai, and Japanese lacquer varnish were used as the adherent in the cracks between broken pieces due to the imperfection of local craftsmanship;

 

“HAPPINESS | TIME” by Decha Atchananan of THINKK Studio that conveys the flow of feelings towards the unequal length of time through the set of toys with little balls rolling around, a brainchild conceived through the collaboration with a watchmaker that is challenging enough to keep players engaged for a long time;

 

“No Smoke without Fire” by Wisharawish Akkarasantisook, a fashion designer of WISHARAWISH, that conveys the memories of the joy of sharing foods and eating together at a dinner table through 16 plates dotted with bright colors that represent playfulness, yet with gray colors blended in that reflect his anxiety.

 

PINIJ-PIJARANA

With the determination to support the creation of an Art & Design Gallery in Thailand, Rush Pleansuk has joined hands with SAC Gallery in planning on how to promote the exhibition and sales of these art and design works. “It was difficult at first. However, as soon as this mechanism can work on its own, without the need for monitoring, things will work out fine. It’s an experimental project that will support craft designers, enabling the products to be sold more, in case that art galleries start to take interest in it,” said Rush, confidently reiterating his intentions.

“After having examined the craft works and read about the ideas of the creators behind them, I found that we all share good and bad experiences, and everyone can connect to one another because art is communication that has an emotional impact. These works reflect what happened to the minds of the artists as they tried to find ways out, provide alternatives not only for the bodies but also for the minds.”

 

 

 

Find out more about Collectible Design Thailand at facebook.com/collect.thai

 

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