• 
• 

Published on December 6, 2007

 The decade-plus wait for an arts centre in the capital is palpably nearing an end with construction of the facility at the Pathumwan intersection more than 80 per cent complete.

Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin hosted a "soft launch" last Friday at the site of the city's first-ever, international-standard museum-gallery, to be known as the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

"Construction is now in the final phase," he said. "We hope to finish the centre by March."

Apirak said interior design will soon be completed, and cultural programmes for the initial months after the opening are being arranged by the Art Foundation of Bangkok, led by Chatvichai Promadhattavedi, and the People's Network for the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre.

The programmes will range from international exhibitions to performances of contemporary art and folk arts from around Thailand.

The governor touted the concept of a "culture-consuming lifestyle", and said the centre will hopefully become an alternative destination for the young people who currently gravitate to "in" spots like Mah Boonkrong, the Siam Discovery Centre, CentralWorld and Siam Paragon.

Costing more than Bt500 million, the 11-storey centre will have art galleries, an exhibition area for its permanent collection, a mini-theatre, a library oriented to art and design, and shops selling art supplies, as well as bars and restaurants.

There are 25,000 square metres of space in all, including the car park.

The gallery has a generous 3,000 square metres stacked up on the seventh to ninth floors. Paintings and installation art will be displayed on the ninth and temporary shows on the eighth, while the lowest floor will be reserved for multimedia, photography and design.

Another 1,000 square metres of display space is available in the foyer on the fifth floor, where a 222-seat auditorium will host film screenings, live theatre and music recitals and a 300-seat hall awaits conferences and seminars.

The fourth floor will have a 350-square-metre studio for drama, theatre, art workshops and children's activities.

The 600-square-metre library on Floor B1 will offer books, DVDs, CDs and films on art, design, photography, fashion, culture and art history.

The first to third floors and some of the space on the fourth will be occupied by nearly three dozen commercial outlets, including shops and restaurants.

Parking will be on Floors B2 and B3, and Skytrain riders will have direct access to the building via walkways from Pathumwan and Siam stations.

With the "hardware" of the arts centre nearly finished, attention is focusing on "software" issues like who will run the facility and what kind of programmes will be on offer.

A hint of the sort of "practical" fare that might be expected was on view at the soft launch. There was live music by the Backpacker and Voodoo Band, a trio led by Vasan Sitthiket and a solo performance by Wannasak Sirilar, plus painting demonstrations, some catalogues from private galleries and an array of handicrafts for sale.

"The centre will be run by the non-profit Art Foundation of Bangkok established last month," Apirak said. "The funding will come from private companies willing to sponsor the programmes, as well as the rent from the retail outlets, but the budget for running the centre has not yet been set."

Chatvichai said an administration team is being assembled from among Thailand's art experts. Future exhibitions, he added, will include His Majesty the King's paintings, international contemporary graphic art, European art and Asian art.

Among the guest curators will be the Culture Ministry's Contemporary Art and Culture Office general director Apinan Poshyananda, Jim Thompson Art Centre director Kridthiya Gaweewong, Apisak Sonjod of Tadu Contemporary Art, Chumpon Apisuk of the People's Network for Art and Culture Centre, Silpakorn University lecturer-artists Thavorn Ko-Udomvit and Sutee Kunavichayanont and Bangkok University lecturer Sansern Milindasuta.

Plans for the arts centre were conceived in 1996 when Bhichit Rattakul was Bangkok's governor. The initial proponents were a group of artists and academics led by Chumpol Apisuk, Vasan and Manit Sriwanichpoom, with support from then senator Kraisak Chonhavan, at the time an adviser to the governor.

Robert G Boughey & Associates won a competition to design the facility and a foundation was laid in 2000, but Samak Sundaravej cancelled the project when he became governor, alleging corruption and non-transparency in the contracting.

He replaced the arts-centre plan with a scheme for a multilevel car park featuring a small art space, sparking a furore in the arts community.

The city government under Apirak revived the original plan, with the cost topping Bt500 million rather than the earlier estimate of Bt300 million.

That the project is now nearing completion is a dream come true for many, although doubts linger about the centre's administration.

Apirak acknowledged that the plan has weathered political uncertainty, but even though Thai politics remains unstable, he said, "I hope this centre will be finished within my term, which ends next August."

 Phatarawadee Phataranawik

 The Nation