Growing up with parents who reused materials around them inspired artist Wishulada Panthanuvong to value all materials.
"When we renovated our house, my parents collected wood scraps and turned them into furniture. Most people usually throw away bottles of syrup when they run out, but my parents cleaned them and reused them," said Wishulada.
"I questioned why we had to reuse everything like that. They told me that waste material was still useful. That inspired me to value things around me."
As her house had many materials, Wishulada focused on creating mixed media art pieces while her classmates at the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University expressed themselves through paintings. She was able to sell one of her thesis pieces created from waste to an art collector.
Wishulada Panthanuvong.
"I enjoy working with various kinds of materials. Materials such as cloth, plastic or metal scraps have different textures. These materials inspire me to continuously develop ideas," Wishulada said.
After working on her own for years, Wishulada became inspired to work with communities after she had the opportunity to be a speaker to educate communities in Khon Kaen and Chai Nat about waste and reuse.
"I told them why they should separate waste and how to store it. I mentioned environmental issues which affects them, so they could relate," she said.
Wishulada worked with communities and turned local waste into art pieces. She discovered that each area has different waste. In Khon Kaen, there are silk scraps because the local people create products from silk. To get rid of silk waste, scraps are burned. Wishulada tried to help locals reuse silk scraps by creating small products or transforming the scraps into something else.
In Rai Pattana, Chai Nat, villagers created artificial flowers from snack bags. Wishulada helped them minimise the use of spray paint and glue, so their products are more environmentally friendly. Villagers turned so many waste snack bags into artificial flowers they ran out. They now have to collect waste bags from other tambons.
"If we work together, things can change. This change is still in a small area. I hope that it will expand to other areas. We have One Tambon, One Product. I wish there could be a One Tambon, One Waste Materials project which creates products from waste material. If I have a chance to speak with people from government organisations, I would suggest this project to them," Wishulada said.
The Illusion Of Beauty And The Price Of Consumption: A Plastic Elegy.
Last year, Wishulada's installation The Illusion Of Beauty And The Price of Consumption: A Plastic Elegy featured at the Bangkok Art Biennale, one of Thailand's largest art festivals. The installation, which portrays monsters confined in plastic bags, aimed to highlight overconsumption. Her recent exhibition, "Adaptation: The Coexistence Of Trace And Transformation," transformed construction waste such as steel bars, pipes, bricks, tiles and cement into several art pieces.
Wishulada considers herself a social activist artist as she aims to address environmental issues through her artwork.
"I hope art can change society. My artwork may inspire people to see how to reuse waste with creativity and realise that all waste products can be used practically or for decorative purposes," she said.
Wishulada PanthanuvongArtist