Baan Sii Dam   บ้านดำ  The Black House

Far less  known than Chiang Rai's famous White Temple, is Baan si Dam, or the Black House.  Both are the lifelong works of artists but the two couldn't be more opposite. Although temple-like in its architecture, the Black House, unlike the White Temple isn't an actual temple as there are no monks practicing here.

The Black House is the creation of artist Thawan Duchanee. It is an on going project which was started 35 years ago as a way to present and store his bizzare collection of skins, bones, and sculpture.

The estate is several hectares large with many buildings. The White Temple is plaster, stucco, and stone but the Black House's many structures are wood with a burnt charcoal finish. Some of the more recent additions are kind of strange, organic shaped cement structures though.

The craftsmanship and attention to detail is astonishing. 

 

There are skulls, bones, skins, bizzare sculptures, it seems like a collection dedicated to death, but is eerily beautiful at the same time.

This would be a more recent addition, what's inside?

The Black House (Baan Dam) is 10km north of Chiang Rai at Moo 13, Tambon Nang Lae, Ban Du. It can be difficult to find and there isn't much English signage.


Follow the Super Highway  north of Chiang Rai and 2km past the Rajabaat University and on the left there will be a purple sign with the name Thawan Duchanee. 100m past that there is a brown wooden sign with 13 on it (for Moo 13), go left here and follow the road until you get to a blue sign.  Turn left here and look for the Black House a little further along on the left.

Spirit Houses

Spirit houses are every where though out Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Cambodia.  In Thai they are called san phra phum ศาลพระภูมิ.  Even the tallest skyscrapers in Bangkok will have a spirit house in a prominent place on the lot. They are houses for the many ghosts and spirits which Thai people believe in. These spirits may cause problems if not appeased. Old spirit houses are often left at the sides of the road in front of forests or rubber and banana plantations. Alot of ricefields also will have one.

First thing in the morning finds most Thai homes and businesses lighting incense and putting offerings at the spirit house. Offerings include water, food, fruits, and even toys. The belief in ghosts and spirits in Thailand isn't very Buddhist in nature, but is akin to Christianity absorbing pagen rituals and ideas. Thais have a whole list of ghosts and even name them. Some are benevolent and some are very nasty. The spirit house in the photograph is in the yard of a very old, lanna style wooden house in Chiang Rai.

Rice in Thailand

As a new rice crop is underway now, I thought I'd share what I've learned so far.

Obviously, like every other country in Asia, rice is the diet's main staple. But some of countries in the area actually import rice. With the fifth largest amount of land under rice paddies, Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice. It's main variety for export is fragrant, long grained Jasmine Rice. Over half of Thailand's farmland is devoted to rice production. There are over 9 million hectares or 22 million acres old-school of rice paddies in the country. Thais actually use a measurement called the "rai." There are 6.47 rai in a hectare and 2.4 rai in an acre. Over half the population are employed in the business, and considering Thailand has only a 2% unemployment rate that's a lot of people.


When the 2012-2013 tally comes in, Thailand may have a bumper crop of 38 million metric tonnes.


As a side note, Thailand uses the Western calendar for business but day to day usage is the Buddhist calendar. When discussing classic cars with some students, I mentioned I had a '57 VW. The students all added 543 to see what it was in Buddha time, as it's 2556 here.


Rice has been grown here for 4500 years. But the days of a peasant farmer who owns a small plot, grows enough for his family, and then sells the rest are coming to a halt. It is a big business now and rice is not even being started from seed as much as GMO seedlings are increasingly being used.
Thailand has a long history of producing much higher quality, but low yield, slower growing rice. I'm afraid GMO will be counter productive if quality is to be maintained.

Whether started from seed or seedling, the rice is planted in a small square until large enough to be transplanted. The rest of the field will be filled in by hand, one plant at a time.

Scarecrow to protect young plants before transplant

Ricefield workers planting the rest of the field after the seedlings are tall enough.

A field of newly transplanted rice. At the time of harvest after the rainy season, the plants may reach a height of 1.5 meters or 5 feet. To me, the sight of the countryside, lush with the bright green rice paddies, is akin to a country road back in North America covered in snow.

Thailand Rice Exporters Forum

I'm not a very spontaneous photographer at all. I tend to see something I think might make a good image, and pass by it several times before returning with a camera and actually setting up and shooting.

One of the prime tenets of the Zone system of photography, which Ansel Adams was its most famous proponent, is pre-visualization; knowing what the print should look like before even releasing the shutter. While the concept is artistically fantastic, it isn't so wonderful for street , news, or combat photographers. The proponents of the Zone System tend to be landscape artists.

I'm kind of stuck in the middle. I like to pre-visualize my image but I also like that "capture the moment" feel of street photography. It is a constant struggle for me, as I pass by what I consider good material for an image, to get off my butt and shoot it.

One photograph I made, "Chiangrai in Love" is a constant reminder that I may never get a second chance.

I passed by this restaraunt half a dozen times, formed this image in my head, and then returned about a month after first deciding it was worth a shot. The day after I took my photos, the restaraunt was gutted, sign gone and I felt so lucky that I managed to get the photo I wanted.

Whenever I think I should shoot something now, I`m far more apt to move quickly and try to take advantage of the situation.

I was contacted through FineArt America by a Chiang Mai photographer who has far more Thai experience than me, whose work is very good. He suggested whenever he's here or I'm there we should go shooting together. His photos are fantastic so I feel very honoured.

Jerry Nelson Fine Art America

Chiang Mai is much larger than where I am in Chiang Rai, and about a 4 hour car or bus trip away.

Something Jerry said in his email was that we could shoot together "unless I was one of those photographers who liked to shoot alone."

That made me stop and think for a while. I believe two photographers, standing at the same location, pointing their cameras at the same subject, should be able to make two different images. Unless one of those photographers isn't very creative.


An image isn't created by a camera, filtering light through a lens.
An image is created by an artist filtering subject matter through a mind, experience, and creative thought. I learned in both Art School and Technical School, that we master the technique of photography to forget it; it no longer suppresses our vision. Once you know the camera you forget it, like a vacuum cleaner.

As far as sharing photo excursions, I don't mind at all. In fact I've collaborated, shared, and used ideas with a friend, Sheldon, for many years. We have influenced each others' work so much it is hard to know who should get credit for what, but neither of us care. One of my favourite images must be credited 50/50 with him.

 

Gas Pump 1982

This started out as my idea, but no way was it going to be as effective without the arrogant pose. The suit jacket and scarf were both Sheldon's ideas and the pompous pose could only be pulled off by someone who knew exactly what the final photo needed. A full collaboration.

Jerry also commented on one of my images on Fine Art America, the Chiang Rai clock tower. he mentioned that he had never thought of shooting it that way.

Well I have to say it was somewhat accidental. I pictured in my head the photos of the Colesseum and the Arc de Triomphe with all the lights, but Chiang Rai simply hasn't the traffic of a Rome or Paris. I went home disapointed. I had taken alot of photos but nothing of interest. I experimented a little and discovered I could merge a few, with "lighten" as the Layer Blend option. This photo is a combination of 16 exposures.

A selection of past photos....

New culinary experience today. Went to neat little place for "jumping shrimp" or kung noi. You can guess why they're jumping. They're tiny, size of a thumbnail, river shrimp and define "fresh" Delicious as was everything else. But once again I wasn't up to the spice. Northern Thai cuisine is about 10x as hot as the "Give me your hottest" in a Vancouver Thai restaraunt. So........Dinner for 3......6 beers + 7 dishes= $12


For those viewing my site from my friend Richard's Cycling Art Blog, I'll try to include some cycling content. While I'm not a cyclist myself, I've had an interest in it sparked by my friend's enthusiasm. Chiang Rai is incredibly cycling friendly, as there is so much to see and experience within a 80km radius. Also the mountains and hills are pretty much vertical. I'll try to provide some links to people who write about  Thailand cycling much better than I could do.

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2013/06/chiang-rai-turns-cycle-friendly/

During my first trip to Thailand in spring 2011, I had brought a pinhole camera with me.It is a beautiful looking, wooden handmade camera. It takes 120 film and creates a negative 6cm x 18cm for a super wide panorama.  Unfortunately, I had huge problems with it, as the film jammed and tore inside the camera. I managed only two photos from my first trip before giving up in frustration. I basically forgot about the pinhole camera for over a year.

Well, I'm not sure why, but I  decided to give it another shot and managed, with alot of tweaking, to get a roll through it. Now of course, I need to fine-tune my technique. I have absolutely no idea where I might process 120 film in Chiang Rai, and the logistics of scanning in Bangkok are a little difficult to manage. Anyways I'll shoot now and figure the other stuff out later, so updates with photos might take a while. Here's two of my initial. successful images...

 

A Bit About Chiang Rai    เมืองเชียงราย

 

 Chiang Rai is in the northernmost  part  of  Thailand,  only 60km from Myanmar and Laos and is often refered to as the Gateway to the Golden Triangle. 

It is 860 km north of Bangkok and about 200km northeast of Chiang Mai. It is only 62 km from the Thai/Myanmar border.

 

The city has a definite Lanna, or Northern Thai feel to it and is quite different than Chiang Mai. Chiang Rai is slower paced, has a greater mix of ethnicities, being closer to the Golden Triangle. The food is far spicier in the North as well.

• The photo is of the King Mengrai Monument, downtown

King Mangrai  founded the city in 1262 and Chiang Rai became the capital of the Mangrai Empire. Later, Chiang Rai was conquered by Burma and remained under Burmese rule for several hundred years. In 1786  Chiang Rai became an outpost of  Chiang Mai rulers.Chiang Mai was taken over by the Siam in 1899 and Chiang Rai  made a province of Thailand in 1933.

The Phra Kaeo, or Emerald Buddha is the most revered Buddha statue in Thailand. It is said to have been discovered in 1432,  during the Mangrai dynasty (1402–144) when an earthquake split the Chedi at Wat Phra Kaeo in Chiang Rai. The beautiful jade figure was then seen concealed within. Others say the Emerald Buddha was covered in mud just before invaders came to plunder. and it wasn't until years later that the mud cracked and the jade statue was revealed. A replica is in Chiang Rai, while the real one is kept in Bangkok.

The Mae Kok river runs through town and the 4 bridges  all run North/South.. Most of the terrain surrounding Chiang Rai town is either flat or has moderate hills.  On the outskirts of town it gets pretty hilly and is home to several Hill Tribes such as the Karen, Akha, Lisu, Meo, and Muser.

Official Population count: According to the Thailand National Statistical Office, as of September 2010, Chiang Rai municipal district has a population of 199,699. With the city spreading outwards most residents give higher estimates. Chiang Rai City is the capital city and business center of the Chiang Rai Province, home to 1.1 million residents
 

• Bandaam Museum (AKA Black House or Black Temple

• Chiang Rai First Church, its largest, was built in 1914. It's Presbyterian.

• Wat Klong Wiang. Dating back to 1432, this is an excellent but little-visited temple showcasing Lanna-style at its best.

• Wat Ming Meuang Small temple housing the spirit of the city (ming meuang) in an exquisitely carved and decorated Lanna-style, almost Laotian wiharn.

• Wat Phra Kaeo This beautiful Buddhist temple is famous for having housed, in the 14th century, the Emerald Buddha, one of the most famous Buddha images in Thailand.  The original is now housed in Bangkok in the temple of the same name, on the grounds of the Royal Palace.

• Wat Phra Sing used to house a major Buddha statue, the Phra Buddha Sihing, which is now enshrined in Chiang Mai. Like Wat Phra Kaeo, the temple now houses a replica instead

• Wat Phra That Doi Chom  contains what is believed to be the oldest holy relic even before King Mengrai built Chiang Rai. The chedi containing the holy relic was probably renovated at the same time the town was being built. A major religious site in Chiang Rai
• White Temple, orWat Rong Khun This unique modern temple was designed and built by artist Chaloemchai Khositphiphat starting in 1998. A beautiful white ordination hall—Phra Ubosot—is decorated with silver glittering pieces of mirrors. There are large mural paintings of the Lord Buddha in different gestures. There are dragons, mythical creatures, and even a Michael Jacked figure, all created with white stuccodepitctions of  which are entirely made of white stucco.

After my initial trip to Thailand, spinning my wheels in Vancouver, my buddy from Chiang Rai asked me for advice as to what kind of art he could put on the walls of the luxury villa he was in charge of getting ready as a destination resort. He needed something not too wild, a little contemporary, but now too controversial or anything. I suggested my stuff might do as an interm solution until he found something good.

So, in my "spare time" at the photo lab I was working I made the prints and shipped them off.

My buddy John Dunbar was ecstatic with the work and he went out of his way to frame them beautifully, with large mats and gorgeous teak frames. Here is a picture of my "Monk's Journey" as framed in the living room of Pa Sak Tong

 

 

I have a total of eight images framed hanging in the villa. In November of 2012, the Final Rose Ceremony of the Bachelor was filmed at Pa Sak Tong. While I don't watch reality tv this is where Sean Lowe proposed to Catherine. While John was anxious that the villa would be oohed and aahed about, I was equally anxious for my photos to be exposed. Unfortunately neither really happened because the tv personalities seemed to be oblivious of their incredible surroundings.

Anyways, anybody wanting to truly pamper themselves, a stay at Pa sak Tong would do it.



 

 

 

 

 

OK...........

I should have started blogging a long time ago when I first got the notion I wanted to go to Thailand long term. My friends kept telling me to write an online diary, so they could follow along.

Well...... here goes, better late than never  right? 

A short history of how and why I arrived in Chiang Rai.

I was living in Vancouver, B.C.,  just spinning the wheels with a job I liked, but not overly fascinated with.  Then 2008 saw me in a struggle with a nasty little health problem which took two years to solve. I grew up in Africa, lived in Egypt, spent a year in Mexico, but had lost the travel bug. After recovering from the "thing" I decided to visit an old buddy, living in Thailand, whom I had known since childhood on a one month roadtrip.

I had a blast!  I hadn't realized how stagnant my photographic ideas had become, but the trip revitalized me completely.

After I managed to take this photo, I realized how exciting photography could be and how much happier I was in Thailand. When I returned to Canada and my job, all I could talk about was returning.

It was deemed at work that I had an "attitude problem".  Of course I did.! I just wanted to get back to Thailand!  After I was let go thru company politics, I realized Vancouver was too expensive to live in and expressed to my brother and parents that I should move to the Okanagan. The response was, " go to Thailand, it's what you want."
So.... I cashed in the savings, sold everything I owned, and buggered off.


Now I need to figure out how to stay. I have started teaching English, but I'ld rather sell my photos which I've been sharing with my friends back home.