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The world that French artist Philippe Ramette portrays looks like our world but there is always something strange or impossible to it. You can see for yourself at the exhibition ''The Upside Down World of Philippe Ramette'' which runs until April 29.

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In Balcony 2 , Philippe Ramette reveals that this picture, taken on the wavy sea of Hong Kong Harbour, was the most challenging in the exhibition.

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Upside down art

To put it mildly, the work of French artist Philippe Ramette is different. The world he portrays looks like our world but there is always something strange or impossible to it.

It’ s hard not to stop and stare at his quirky photographs. "What's going on here?," "How did he do that?" are common reactions.

If you are in Bangkok, you can see for yourself at the French artist’s exhibition entitled ''The Upside Down World of Philippe Ramette'' which runs until April 29 at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre

At the opening of the exhibition, Mr Ramette explained how he creates his images.

“Before I start working on a photograph, I first visualise what the finished image should look like in my head and draw it, without thinking about whether I will be able to find a fitting location that matches my imaginative creation.

“As I travel a lot myself, both for work and leisure, I sometimes discover places that look quite similar to what I imagine. Then, I start to work on a picture – and this is what's most interesting and challenging about it all. The hardest part is to prepare everything for a shoot. Turning imagination into reality or adding something to make my imagination come true, for me, is miraculous.

Irrational Contemplation (2003).

“When I sketch my idea, I do it all by myself. However, when turning the sketch into a picture, I need help from my team, especially the photographer, who will capture that very moment. I am very happy to work with my photographer, Marc Domage. He’ s also a friend of mine. We've been working together for almost 20 years now.

“The design process that goes into these photographs feels almost like we are making a movie. And Mark is there as my director. He helps me a lot, especially the pictures of me upside down. They are not computerised. There are tools that help me achieve these difficult positions. My other friend, Matthieu, who is a designer, has created various structures that helped me stay in different postures in the pictures.”

Adapted from a story in today’s Bangkok Post by Yanapon Musiket. You can see the full story which includes more of Mr Ramette’s pictures, here: http://bit.ly/yyp2n5

reveal – to let something become known เปิดเผย
harbour – an area of water near the land where it is safe for boats to stay ท่าเรือ
challenging – difficult, in a way that tests your ability or determination ที่ท้าทายความสามารถ
exhibition – a public show where art or other interesting things are put so that people can go and look at them นิทรรศการ งานแสดง
upside down – in or into a position in which the top of something is where the bottom is normally found and the bottom is where the top is normally found พลิกเอาด้านบนลงล่าง, กลับหัวกลับหาง
to put it mildly – to mean that something is much more extreme, etc. than your words suggest; พูดอย่างไม่แรง,  บรรยายไม่เต็มที่
portray – to describe or show somebody/something in a particular way, especially when this does not give a complete or accurate impression of what they are like พรรณนา, วาดภาพ
impossible  – that cannot exist or be done; not possible  เป็นไปไม่ได้
stare – to look at someone or something very directly for a long time จ้องมอง
quirky – a little strange, especially of a person's character or behaviour ซึ่งแปลกๆ
reaction – the way something responds as a result of something that happens ปฏิกิริยาตอบโต้
image – a photograph, painting, or other work of art that represents a person or thing รูปภาพ
visualise - to form a picture of someone or something in your mind, in order to imagine or remember them จินตนาการ
fitting – suitable or right for the occasion ที่เหมาะสม
location – where someone or something is ที่ตั้ง,ทำเล
match – to be the same as or very similar to something else เท่าเทียมกันกับ,  เท่ากันกับ
imagination (verb: imagine, adjective: imaginative) – the ability to form pictures in the mind จินตนาการ
creation – the act of making something new การสร้าง
leisure – relating to activities that you do to relax or enjoy yourself  เกี่ยวกับเวลาว่า
similar – like somebody/something but not exactly the same คล้ายกัน
shoot – an occasion when somebody takes professional photographs for a particular purpose or makes a film/movie การถ่ายภาพ
reality – what is actually happening ความเป็นจริง
miraculous – seemingly impossible or very surprising  ไม่น่าเชื่อ
irrational – not thinking or behaving in a sensible way ไม่มีเหตุผล
contemplation – the act of thinking deeply about something การพิจารณาใคร่ครวญ,  การเพ่งพินิจ
sketch – to quickly draw a simple picture that does not have many details  วาดภาพร่าง
process – a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
computerised – having a computer do or assist in something  ซึ่งใช้หรือคำนวณด้วยเครื่องคอมพิวเตอร์
structure – something that is built from different parts โครงสร้าง
posture – position of the body, e.g., sitting, standing, walking, etc. ท่าทาง เช่น ท่านั่ง ท่ายืน

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