The famed, eye-opening permanent exhibition of Museum Siam -- which investigates the meaning of "Thainess" in a challenging way -- has been closed since May 2016. Last week, the museum on Sanam Chai Road reopened in its full capacity and unveiled a new permanent exhibition, "Decoding Thainess", which will replace the museum's old permanent exhibition that had been on display since the venue opened in 2007.
The new exhibition is established with the goal of examining Thai society past and present, and how it evolved into what it is at each given time. Rames Promyen, Museum Siam director, says that the exhibition is based on more than five years of research and feedback from museum visitors, and will be Thailand's first fully innovative, interactive museum exhibition, aimed at appealing to the younger, tech-savvy generation.
"The 'Decoding Thainess' exhibition will certainly be the first of its kind in Thailand, utilising advanced technology and interactive storytelling tools to inform visitors of how Thai society came to be," said the director.
"Our hope for this exhibition is that it will work to dispel some of the old notions people have about museums as boring places filled only with ancient things, and see that learning about the past doesn't have to be a tedious affair."
The exhibition will be divided into 14 parts, each with its own room, gimmick and subject. Each room is presented in a special and interactive way, unlike any usual museum exhibition. For example, the second room, titled "Thai Translating Thai", is presented as a room filled wall-to-wall with various cupboards, each one filled with a piece of "cultural inheritance" from Thailand's past. These items can be anything from old films and artwork to toys, with an explanation as to their origins and how they have either endured or disappeared from history.
Another room, a personal highlight according to Rames, is the third room, titled "Thai From Birth". The room uses the "hydraulic module" technology -- never-before used in any Thai museum -- to show the evolution of Thainess throughout history. Various items and models kept in glass cabinets will rise up from a regular-seeming wooden table, telling the story of Thailand from the days of the Ratthanakosinth-era to the present, or even the famous "Amazing Thailand" tourism campaign known around the world.
Museum Siam opens everyday (except Mondays), from 10am-6pm. Visit facebook.com/museumsiamfan.
