A royal lament over the Design Centre's move

Published on November 12, 2007

Opening "Presence of the Past: Love, Contradiction and Fashion" - her exhibition at the centre that continues until January 20 - she said the move could have a significant impact.

"It's a pity that this show will be the last at this location," she commented. "I often come here to borrow or order books. It's a really convenient location that anyone can reach by Skytrain. A lot of designers who aren't well-to-do rely on this centre for their studies and research - it saves them a lot of money because they don't have to go overseas."

The Princess says she didn't want to get involved in the "politics" behind the decision to move, but worries that local designers will be hindered. It could set the Thai fashion industry back five years, she suggested.

The government's Office of Knowledge Management and Development wants to merge the centre with the National Discovery Museum Institute, but the plan has drawn criticism from the centre's regulars.

Academics, designers and several groups have expressed their displeasure at the move. The new location near Chulalongkorn University has poor access and scant parking space, they say, and the new building that will house the centre doesn't match its needs.

The opponents had gathered 1,000 protest signatures at www.savetcdc.worldpress.com, but when Soopsip last checked, the site was offline. They ought to launch another one - no point complaining to the politicians, because they'll be focused only on the election.