From melons to molam

The Jim Thompson Farm Tour in Pak Thong Chai, Korat, is back after the challenges of Covid lockdowns and economic slowdowns, with a leaner, more focused tour which this year runs from now until Friday.

Farm Manager Tong Butsricha was a key part of the team that created the 600 rai farm in 1999. After the farm was officially opened this year by Nakhon Ratchasima Governor Siam Sirimongkol, Tong explained its history: "We started with an agricultural focus, selling produce like melons and cantaloupes, as well as jam made from mulberry leaves [the food of silkworms]," he said.

At the time, Bill Booth was CEO of the Thai Silk Company but when his son Eric Bunnag Booth joined, he shifted the focus to Isan culture, and floated the idea of creating an Isan Village. "We started to look for old houses in the region, which we could buy and reassemble on the site."

The site now has 14 vintage houses. "The first old building we put up was a Korat-style house, then what is now the Molam Stage, which was a Phutai house, and a Thai Yuan house -- as you can see not all the houses are Lao. The oldest is around 160 years old," Tong said.

Weavers showcasing their work.

In 2007, Isan cultural programmes were introduced. Phahonchai Premjai of PO.D Architects joined the farm team and he and Eric Booth set up the buildings in the configuration that visitors can see today. The village also has a Town Hall for meetings and presentations and a meeting point to receive monks.

The programmes were so well received that the team was encouraged to develop art and cultural activities.

"In 2013-14, we introduced the 'Art On The Farm' programme, working closely with the Jim Thompson Art Center and director Dr Gridthiya Gaaweewong, the co-curator of the Thailand Biennale in Chiang Rai", Tong said. The idea of the art on the farm was to create artwork and installations on a theme, such as "Kak-ta-ta! Phrae-e-pho" (Joyful Pa Kao Ma) in 2016, which featured the Isan version of pa kao ma, the chequered loincloth so ubiquitous to Thai culture.

The annual farm tour then focused on Isan Lao culture, including molam music, textiles (especially silk weaving) and agriculture. The farm further deepened its relationship the Jim Thompson Art Center (both are non-profit organisations, and are operated by the James HW Thompson Foundation) with the Mobile Molam Bus Project, which took a molam exhibition from the art centre and placed it on a bus. The bus then toured around Isan and the North, clocking over 10,000km.

"Of course, lockdown during Covid was a problem and changed everything. Nonetheless, we pushed on. And after the success of the Molam Bus project, we decided to open the farm beyond the annual tour, so in 2024 you can expect some exciting new projects," Tong said.

Neon art at the Rose Garden Korat Military Base exhibition.

This year, the farm will initially open to the public on long weekends and national holidays. Educational programmes will be run throughout the year, as will artist and writer residences and workshops. Photowalks for nature photographers are also planned.

There are exhibitions on rice cultivation at The Rice Hub; molam music on stage and in the Lam Loke molam exhibition; Isan supernatural; and weaving and dyeing and America in Isan, the latter a tribute to the influence of the US military bases located in Isan during the Vietnam War. Australian artist Giles Ryder's striking neon sculptures feature throughout the site, in the Bamboo Bar and in the Rose Garden exhibition (on insignia of the various US army outfits located in the "Rose Garden" military base in Korat).

Hands-on activities include making clay ornaments, dye art workshop and rice processing (the site has a small but beautiful wooden rice mill). And in the Town Hall, daily presentations are made on a wide range of subjects, from Isan Lao food to music during the Vietnam War era. Rice tastings on the weekends by The Rice Hub present 10 different kinds of glutinous and non-glutinous rice, alongside rice-based beverages.

Tong noted that there are two big changes this year: Saturday night molam shows after the farm has closed, and the lack of either pumpkins or sunflowers in the fields. He explained that many provincial tourist attractions offered flower fields for viewing and photography, so the farm, which is unique in its focus on Isan culture, still has fields full of colourful cosmos flowers and marigolds for a selfie, but has decided to focus more on culture.

"We want people to experience the lifestyles and culture of Isan people -- agriculture and Isan rice cultivation, traditional weaving and dyeing, food and, of course, the music. Also, people can experience nature and try many hands-on activities -- at JTF we want to bring together the past and the present."

Jim Thompson Farm Tour 2023 runs until Friday. Visit jimthompsonfarm.com or facebook.com/JimThompsonFarmTour for more information.