Picture a newfangled creative art space, the kind that has somewhat become the epitome of modern art. Now picture a battered, decommissioned aeroplane. Combine the two, and you'll get an art space with an aeroplane smack dab in the middle. As ludicrous as it may sound, one such location does exist and will soon open to the public.
ChangChui -- literally "careless craftsman" -- is a privately-owned creative compound that wants to be just about everything under the sun. Located along Sirindhorn Road in Thon Buri, the complex will include restaurants, art galleries, vintage barbershops, tea houses, a theatre and cinema.
Its founder, Somchai Songwatana, started ChangChui with the idea that Thai culture will only survive if it is diversified.
"This place was built with the aim of being a hub for both the new generation and the not-so-new generation," said Somchai. "We need those who are modern-minded, and those who see the importance of open discussions."
An eccentric, flamboyant character -- he volunteered to lie down on three chairs for us to take photos -- Somchai is better-known as fashion designer and owner of FlyNow, a leading Thai clothing brand.
As catchy as the name may be in Thai, "careless craftsman" is an unusual name for any business, let alone a creative art space. Somchai, however, draws the inspiration from his past years, of which he spent seeking perfection in all aspects of his business.
Thep Jai Dee, a sculpture by Chira Chirapravati Na Ayudhya.
"I used to scramble for perfection, and I eventually realised that it will never exist," he said. "So in turn, if I become a careless craftsman, wouldn't I finally be free from the quest for perfection?"
At 57, the man is now branching out from his quest for fashion perfection. From his beginnings as a Catholic boarding school student in Nakhon Sawan Province, Somchai has grown to own a brand that is internationally well known, initially by appearing in the 1997 edition of London Fashion Week. FlyNow started out as a women's clothing line in 1983, and through the years it has endured financial crises and vacillation of taste. At present, Somchai's brand has stores in Thailand and Singapore.
"FlyNow was a complete business, thriving on aesthetic value," he said. "It was an egotistical thing, to answer if Thai designers could really compete with their international counterparts."
A work in progress: artists work on their pieces within the walls of one of ChangChui’s buildings.
After more than 30 years in the fashion industry, Somchai said that ChangChui caters more to his artistic ambitions. He spent a year planning out the space, and bits of his identity can be seen throughout the complex. As it stands, if ChangChui was personified, it would be Somchai. Dressed in a black-hooded shirt and billowy Capri pants with black high-top boots to match, he (and ChangChui) may seem alien-like to the ordinary eye.
Somchai Songwatana, the founder of ChangChui.
If Somchai's ambition to diversify Thai culture through discussion does succeed, it will be done so in this peculiar setting. Currently about 60% complete, it will be a tough squeeze for ChangChui to execute its expected opening in May this year.
Nevertheless, at the moment, the ChangChui experience begins at its entrance. An industrial, post-apocalyptic vibe immediately engulfs you as you reach the gates, which are decorated in rusty, galvanised iron and an assortment of windows, placed where windows don't normally need to be.
A closer inspection will reveal that each building within ChangChui's entire complex is almost exclusively built with stacks of reclaimed wood, metal sheets and frames, and even more out-of-place windows.
A strong advocate of the concept that nothing is useless, Somchai intentionally planned to construct the walls of each structure in ChangChui with old, nostalgic items, like iron sheets used in old Thai homes, to resonate with all generations.
"Where should all the iron sheets go, then? They'll only sell for a few baht if they get melted and sold by the kilo," he said. "If we take things that people overlook and turn them into something creative, there will be an element of beauty to it."
Spanning a total of 11 rai, it doesn't take very long to navigate the whole of ChangChui. Upon its completion, it looks set to display some loopy art pieces, including a huge, copper-coloured skull, sculptures made out of household items such as straws and vegetable baskets, and a towering faceless statue designed by Gui & Co.'s Chira Chirapravati Na Ayudhya. There was even enough room for a sculpture of Watto, the junk dealer from Star Wars who enslaved Anakin Skywalker and his mother.
Somchai plans to make these art displays as unconventional and modern as possible, and believes an outdoor setting will help him and the other artists of ChangChui stimulate the minds of those who will frequent the space.
One of ChangChui’s structures, built with windows and reclaimed wood.
"Art doesn't have to be in a four-sided room, displayed on white walls," he said. "Here, everything can be art. If you want to play by the old rules, don't come to ChangChui."
At ChangChui, artists and visitors will get to see art pieces displayed along the site's restaurants and other art pieces. And as its biggest piece of art, it would be wrong not to mention the colossal aeroplane propped off the ground in the middle of the complex.
A double-decker Lockheed L-1011 TriStar aeroplane from the United States towers over all of ChangChui, and immediately strikes you as you enter the space. Recycled from the unsuccessful Thai Sky Airlines, Somchai plans to turn the aircraft into an organic, fine-dining restaurant. According to Somchai and public relations officials at ChangChui, the restaurant is set to be named Na-Oh. The name came from some wordplay on Noah from Noah's Ark, as Somchai plans to display his private collection of taxidermy animals within the aircraft as well.
As if all the other loopy happenings around the creative space weren't already a lot to handle, Somchai steps in with a contemporary, flying Ark that houses dead, yet preserved, animals.
Members of the ChangChui crew pose for a photo inside the top floor of the doubledecker Lockheed aircraft.
However, from a cuisine-related perspective, Somchai stresses the importance of going organic. "Using quality ingredients assures us that we are respecting the customer," he said. "You won't see the results right away, but in some time, people will realise that they may be dissatisfied with eating tasty, cheap food that is actually toxic."
He believes that a respected framework of restaurant-to-customer ethics needs to be established, and advocates for it through the conception of this restaurant, located in a grounded aircraft.
Somchai personally describes ChangChui as a "minefield of intellect," where visitors are bound to step on a "mine" that will ignite a trail of thought within them. According to him, the creative space is already garnering interest even before its opening, often from locals on the Thon Buri side.
"People from this side come to me and ask me if this can be considered the pride of Thon Buri," he said. "I don't really have a side, whether it's Thon Buri or the capital."
"Still, some people have never even been to the Thon Buri side. Don't you think it's cool to make something at Thon Buri, so that people from Bangkok and Thon Buri can come to exchange ideas?"
With Southern Line Railway trains passing by the area every half-hour or so, the ambience of ChangChui is definitely one that merges contemporary elements with certain elements of Thai history. Somchai seems to enjoy bewildering people with his ideas, and it certainly resonates in this creative art space.
"Now people are more confused about ChangChui than ever before, and I actually quite like it," he said. "It'll be fun if they remain confused about the place on the first day of ChangChui and the days to follow as well."
