Driving past Bangkok's Royal Plaza where the Equestrian Statue of King Chulalongkorn Rama V stands proud, you may notice a new, glistening addition in the grounds of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Sitting east and juxtaposing the 18th century Italian marble edifice is the newly constructed Borommangalanusarani Pavilion.
The launch of the pavilion, presided by HRH Maha Chakri Sirindhorn last Friday, marked the opening of the "7th Arts Of The Kingdom" exhibition at Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. Opening to the public today, the exhibition showcases rare and stunning Thai traditional artworks such as gold and silver nielloware, damascene inlay, enamel work, weaving and embroidery created by artisans trained at the Queen Sirikit Institute, formerly known as the Support Foundation.
This year, the exhibition boasts two new must-see highlights: the Borommangalanusarani Pavilion and the fully completed entrance inside the Throne Hall named the Iridescent Beetle Wing Room.
"[The Queen Sirikit Foundation is] a foundation that consists of multitudes of artisans," says Thanphuying Supornpen Luangthepnimith, deputy private secretary to Her Majesty the Queen.
"Artisans from families of underprivileged farmers that Her Majesty brought from all over Thailand to train from the ground up. They started from zero, practicing drawing lines and Thai patterns. Now, all the exhibited works they have created are considered to be works from master craftsmen of this era."
Her Majesty the Queen hopes to preserve Thai traditional arts whilst giving the underprivileged opportunities at the same time. Now, these artisans are the few left in the country able to preserve the disappearing and intricate ancient works.
The Pavilion
The Borommangalanusarani Pavilion, named by His Majesty the King and meaning "a spire-roofed pavilion built to commemorate great auspicious occasions", celebrates the 70th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne, His Majesty's 90th birthday, Her Majesty the Queen's 84th birthday, the birthdays of Their Majesty's children, and the 100th anniversary of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall.
7th Arts of the Kingdom Exhibition: The Iridescent Beetle Wing Room in the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall.
Designed by artists Somchai Suppalukumpaoporn, Akalapol Klongbunchee and Jaroen Hunjaroen, special instructors at the Queen Sirikit Institute, the pavilion is the first in the history of Thailand to be topped with nine-spires, symbolising the ninth monarch of the Chakri Dynasty. "We started designing around six years ago," says Akalapol, who had managed the project on site every day for the past two years.
"After the approval by HM the King, we were then given two years to build it. I've never built a big structure like this before. It's usually the smaller and detailed pieces seen inside the museum. But when building this pavilion, there were a lot of elements mixed in together."
The design, though looks to be traditionally Thai, has certain contemporary aspects within. The artists mix and match different knowledge, techniques and styles from the Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods, like the Ayutthaya curved roof and base, which is rarely seen nowadays.
"When guests visit different temples, they'd see styles from different periods, but we've combined them all together, so we see many types of beauty in one structure," explains Akalapol.
The pavilion's use of material is also rarely found in Thai architecture. The whole structure, though looking like it was built out of wood and cement, is built entirely out of metal alloy (mainly stainless steel) that was moulded from wooden models carved by the artisans in the Queen Sirikit Institute.
The elaborate and wildly detailed designs of the 25.8m-high pavilion can be so overwhelming that guests wouldn't even know where to start looking first. From the hand carved stair case to the honeycomb columns to the roof of the pavilion adorned with the insignia and ciphers of the royal family, there's so much happening and so much symbolism to take in -- a testament to the skills and meticulous nature of the Queen Sirikit Institute artisans.
Akalapol suggests viewing the pavilion from the base up. Bring binoculars as well, he says, since most of the elaborate details like the relief sculptures, mosaic patterns and decorated gables are too high for the normal eye to see.
The hardest part of building the structure?
"Everything," says Akalapol. "It was extremely tough. Even the marble is hand carved. There were no machines used at all. Every step of the process was hard. Especially the metalwork, as it's a complex process. If you make one mistake, then it's wasted. Since we use fire to mould it, patterns can disappear so we have to redo or change them. But metal structures in general last a long time. The pavilion will stand next to the Throne Hall for hundreds of years. I guarantee."
The Beetle Wing Room
The second new highlight of the "7th Arts Of The Kingdom" exhibition is the completed Iridescent Beetle Wing room at the entrance of the Throne Hall. Split into three sections, the walls and columns of the room that were once empty are now completely adorned floor to ceiling with lustrous beetle wings taken from malaeng thub, or metallic wood-boring beetles that have died naturally in their habitat.
Details of the pavilion frame.
"These three sections are exemplary of beetle wing works," says Dr Paothong Thongchua, a renowned Thai historian.
Stepping into the area gleaming with colours of green, blue and yellow, the first section's walls are decorated with intricate woven patterns of the Yan Li Pao vine, inserted with silver, gold and copper alloy thread, and displaying the royal crests of certain members of the royal family.
Walking under the beetle wing chandelier into the second section, the walls, which surround a portrait of Their Majesties, and a framed poem Art Of The Kingdom, are covered with hundreds of wood-carved, entwining nagas covered in beetle wings with ruby decorated eyes.
The major highlight however, is in the third section. Hung up on the beetle wing-decorated walls are four sheets of meticulously crafted metalwork, featuring new techniques created by those working in the Queen Sirikit Institute. On the right side of the wall features two sheets of silver nielloware, with an elegant lotus pattern designed by Somchai Suppalukumpaoporn, inspired from antique cloth patterns. Originally a technique where gold or silver is inlaid into a black surface created from niello (a mixture of copper, silver and lead), the artisans deconstructed the technique and instead inlaid the niello onto a gold and silver sheet.
On the left wall hangs another world's first. "It can be said to be the largest damascene work in the world," says Dr Paothong. The large metal sheet, filled with gold, silver and copper alloy floral and swan patterns inspired by ancient cloth motifs is a marvel to behold.
"It isn't easy at all," says Dr Paothong. "Damascene work is taking a strand of metal -- smaller than a piece of thread -- and embedding it into a metal sheet via a blunt chisel and hammer in order to create a pattern. It's a craft that takes a lot of time and skill and this is one of the most special pieces in this room."
With tickets being 150 baht per person to view the two new highlights along with the other invaluable artefacts of Thailand's current dynasty, it's a bargain worth taking. The "7th Arts Of The Kingdom" exhibition is open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm, with last tickets being sold until 4.30pm.
7th Arts Of The Kingdom. Tickets cost 150 baht. Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm. Last tickets at 4.30pm. Please wear appropriate attire inside the Throne Hall.
The completed Iridescent Beetle Wing Room.
Details of the gold, silver and copper alloy damascene in the Iridescent Beetle Wing Room.
