ARTICLE
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A Response to the River
A journey through The Open World in Chiang Rai, wandering amongst the diverse spirits of people and the stories of their land. (GMS Artist Residency Review)
Written by Nay Myo Set Lu
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It was 23rd of April. There was no direct flight from Yangon to Chiang Rai. I had to take Yangon-Bangkok-Chiang Rai flight. It was just me, travelling from Yangon to Bangkok. But I was informed by the organizer team that two other participants will join me on the flight from Bangkok to Chiang Rai; Gridthiya Gaweewong, the Artistic Director of Thailand Biennale, Chiang Rai 2023 and our Residency's committee member, and also Jeanne Penjan Lassus, one of the participating Thai artist. I was looking for them as I was about to board then I realized I do not know how they look; I only knew their names. I gave up trying to look for them and spend the waiting hours with my book. But when I arrived Chiang Rai and collected my luggage, they found me, waving their hands. We became a group. A car was sent for us and we stopped at a restaurant before we went to the hotel. We were welcomed by the scorching heat.
“The heat is not so different from Yangon”, I thought. I sat down, opened the menu and they are all in Thai. I pointed at Beef Noodle as it seems familiar and also popular, probably because it was the biggest picture on the menu. I also ordered an iced americano, I made sure to say “no sweet”.
We stayed at Amarin Resort. I shared the room with a Laotian artist, Willy. After setting things up, all 13 of us went for the Orientation Session. Kate from OCAC Team explained us about the program, the schedule. Then we did our introductions. I was born in Dawai, a neighboring town of Kanchanaburi, raised in Yangon. All my artistic movements are done partially in Yangon and partially in my home town. I participated this residency program with my current film project, “All is Smoke in the End” and my name is Nay Myo Set Lu. That’s all I had to say about myself. There was another Myanmar Artist in the program, Kyaw Min Htet, he is a photographer. The other artists are from Yunnan, Thailand, Myanmar, Lao, Cambodia and Vietnam, people of Great Mekong Region countries.
All of us met again at the Welcoming Dinner. The local cuisines and the multinational people brought the first essence of the program for me. I made conversations with the fellow artists and the program hosts. I find their curiosity and their energy very infectious. Their friendliness made me excited about the following days of the program. My jet leg was miraculously cured.
The Thailand biennale Ching Rai totally has about 60 artists and we had the chance to admire wholesome 35 of them during the residency.
Ancient Monument No. 16 was one of the places we visit first. Inflatable Air Stupa, which is one of the pieces of Baan Noorg Collaborative Arts and Culture’s Tai Yuan Return was the first thing that grabbed my attention. The damage reminds the culture and the chaos. The history is the similarity between us. But the difference is the fact that ours is repeating itself.
‘Methodology for a Tai Yuan Return: on Transmission and Inheritance”, Inflatable Air Stupa, by Baan Noorg Collaborative Arts and Culture, Thailand Biennale Chiang Rai, 2024. Photo by the author
Navin Rawanchaikul & Studi OK’s Once Within Borders, Photo by AMH, SOCA Project archive. 2023
We continued our tour to the Golden Triangle. It excites me to see the Golden Triangle region for the first time in my life. The large-scale painting called “Navin Rawanchaikul & StuidOK’s Once Within Borders” portrays the wide variety of ethnicities and generations that is still obviously existing in the Golden Triangle region. The view of Mekong River with the background of King’s Roman Casino is today’s true irony.
Black House, the museum-studio of late painter Thawan Duchanee, now exhibiting 4 female artists, makes me rethink about the colors and its representation, death and its rituals. I find it fascinating that Busui Ajzaw’s Mor Doom and Ya Be E Long (2023) and Soe Yu Nwe’s Inspirations from Shan State (2023) are placed next to each other. I could see how they translate the beliefs and customs of different ethnic groups in very different motifs and mediums.
Busui Ajzaw’s Mor Doom and Ya Be E Long (2023) Photo by the author
We also were lucky enough to watch Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Motion Pictures (2023) in Bann Mae Ma School. Watching his film on a projector in an abandoned classroom transformed me into walking in another dimension, dreaming about a state beyond time and space.
Continuously, Ho Tzu Nyen’s “Opium”, a 10-minute video installation presents a narration that explains the connection between Golden Triangle’s history and Singapore’s emergent.
After the exhibitions, we visited the Mekong School in Chaing Kong on 27th. A water turbine and underwater microphone by Nguyen Trinh Thi can be seen in the Mekong River right in front of Mekong School. The Data transmitted from the device are collected from the instruments in Haw Kham hall and transformed it into a instrumental sound. It transformed Haw Kham into a live theatre. We also had a few words with Niwat Roykaew, the director of Mekong school. He mentioned about the importance of Boulders on the river, the insufficiency of fish for the local people, the environmental damages caused by the dam project.
The boat ride in the Mekong River, in the borderline of Thai and Laos takes me into a mysterious path of thoughts. The river was questioning me about my old fathers. That memory encouraged me to write a poem called “River Bed Photo Collage”, I wrote it in Burmese and translated it into English immediately. I made a short video using the footages I took during the residency and I recited my poem and used the sound in my video.
A boulder in the Mekong River Photo by the author, Photo by the author
The poem was presented during the presentation session at the end of the residency. The remarks from the curatorial team led by Gridthiya Gaweewong and Rirkrit Tiravanija were truly inspiring.
In May, I was back in Yangon, and translated the poem to Thai.
ภาพคอลลาจทอ้งน-าํ
มีแม่น-าํสายหน6ึงนอนหงายอยบู่นเขียงใบมีดลอยข-ึนไปในอากาศกาํลงัคิดจะร่วงกลบัลงมา ทอ้งน-าํจอ้งมองฉนัฉนัจอ้งกลบัชา้ก่อนอยา่พ6ึงตดัมนั มีแม่น-าํสายหน6ึงฉนัไหลไปกบัมนัไดเ้ห็นหินท-งัหลายร้องไหอ้ยตู่ามริมฝั6งหินกอ้นหน6ึงร้องวา่"ช่วยดว้ยไดโ้ปรดช่วยขา้ดว้ย! มงักรบิดาของขา้บงัคบัใหข้า้แต่งงาน" อีกกอ้นเสริมวา่"เม6ือไรคนพวกน-ีจะหยดุเดด็ผลไมข้องเรา?"ทนัทีที6ไดย้นิคาํพดูเหล่าน-นัเรือพายกล็อยข-ึนไปบนฟ้า หลงัจากสาํรวจทะเลเมฆผา่นกลอ้งส่องทางไกลแหกถ็ูกหวา่นลงไปในสถานที6ที6คิดวา่จะอยใู่นฤดูฝน มองลงไปจะเห็นรถไฟเล-ือยราวกบังูอยบู่นผวิน-าํเทพเจา้บนฟ้าลืมพวกเราไปแลว้ และเจา้หญิงมงักรกาํลงัซ่อนตวัอยใู่นโลกในที6ซ6ึงไม่มีใครหาพบถวายเสียงที6จบัไดจ้ากทอ้งน-าํเป็นเครื6องบูชาเพื6อขอพรจากป่า และทะเลถูกกล่อมใหห้ลบัใหลดว้ยภาพถ่าย
สีแดงพงุ่ออกมาจากภูเขาไฟใตน้-าํขวานของคนตดัไมไ้ดร้ับฝิ6นแลว้และกาํลงัผอ่นคลายมนัขดตวัอยขู่า้งกอ้นหินใตน้-าํ เพราะความฝันท-งัหลายถูกเปล6ียนเป็นชิ-นส่วนที6ไม่อาจจบัตอ้งได้พวกมนัจึงฆ่าตวัตายพร้อมกนัดว้ยการแขวนคอตนเองกบัตน้ไทร ป้ายที6เขียนวา่ปิดซ6ึงแขวนอยบู่นขอบฟ้าน-นัมีความหมายวา่อยา่งไร? ชายฉกรรจม์าถึงแม่น-าํและทิ-งกอ้นเมฆมีปากไวข้า้งหลงัวนัต่อมารอยครูดของนิ-วปรากฏอยบู่นหนา้ต่างทุกบานของเมือง เมื6อใดมีการประชุมใหญ่ไม่หวัใดกห็วัหน6ึงจะระเบิด
แลว้อีกหวักร็ะเบิด แลว้อีกหวักร็ะเบิด
ขา้ตอ้งกลบับา้นไปพกัผอ่นลูกสาวมงักรคงรอขา้อยเู่ป็นแน่นางสวมหนงัควายเป็นเส-ือคลุม ถา้มงักรพอ่ของนางรู้วา่ขา้ช่วยลูกสาวมงักรซ่อนตวัขา้คงจกัตอ้งดื6มน-าํในแม่น-าํจนทอ้งแตกปลาไร้บา้นจะสาปแช่งขา้
ขา้ ไม่กลวั ลูกสาวมงั กรแปลงกายเป็นหินอยขู่ า้ ง ๆ ขา้ ตรงน-ี ขา้ไม่กลวัขา้มีผมขาวและเลบ็ที6ยาวข-ึนเรื6อยๆ ขา้ไม่กลวัมีเพียงเลบ็ของขา้เท่าน-นัที6จะเขมือบขา้
ขา้ไม่กลวัขา้ไดม้อบสร้อยเมลด็ขา้วใหก้บัลูกสาวมงักรแลว้ไม่มีประโยชนท์6ีจะนงั6เฉยอยใู่นทอ้งน-าํน-ีแลว้ขา้ควรทุบหวัดว้ยหินหรือไม่?
แม่น-าํหา้มไว้เน-ือหนงัของเขาชุ่มโชกดว้ยเลือดเสียแลว้ แม่น-าํพน่เลือดออกมาราวกบัน-าํตกร่างทรงเป่าขลุ่ยเดก็ ๆกลายเป็นผเีส-ือ แลว้คล6ืนกพ็าเราทุกคนไปและทิ-งเราไวแ้ทบเทา้ของรูปป-ันแลว้ทาํใหเ้ราไอจนหายใจไม่ทนัจนวญิญาณของเราหลุดออกจากร่าง เพื6อใหเ้ราสามารถล่องไปตามแม่น-าํได้แม่น-าํจึงไดจ้ดัเตรียมโลงศพใหทุ้กคนโลงศพที6ทาํจากกระดูกชา้ง เราพดูคุยถึงความปรารถนาที6จะไดพ้ บกนัอีกคร-ังในฐานะกอ้นหินไร้ค่าท6ีอยใู่นหอ้งรับแขกของคนรวยสกัคนในทอ้งถิ6น
ถา้ หากวา่ ชีวติ หลงั ความตายมีจริง
เน เมียว เส็ต ลู
…
Riverbed Photo Collage
There’s a river. The river stays supine on a cutting board. The blade ascends in the air and thinking about falling back down. The riverbed is staring at me. I stare back. Hold it! Don’t cut it yet.
There’s a river. I surge along it and saw the weeping rocks along the bank. One of them cries “help me, help me please! My father, the dragon is forcing me to get married.”
The other one adds “when will these people stop picking our fruits?” Once the words are heard, the rowing boat levitates, to the sky. after screening the sea of clouds with a telescope, the net is casted in the place considered to be the rainy season.
Looking down, the train can be seen slithering on the water like a snake. The god in the air has forgotten us. And the dragon princess is hiding herself on earth where no one can find her. Offering the sound captured from the bottom of the water, a wish was asked from the wood and the sea was put to bed with photographs.
The red paint was springing out from the submarine volcano. The woodcutter’s axe had an opium shot and is easing off, curling up beside an underwater rock. Because they were turned into intangible pieces, the dreams committed a suicide pact, hanging themselves in a banyan tree. What is the meaning of the close sign hanged on the horizon?
The brawny men arrived at the river and abandoned the clouds with mouth orifices. The next day, finger scratches can be seen on every window of the town.
Whenever there’s a plenary, one head or another explodes.
There goes another head.
There goes another head.
I have to go home and rest. The dragon girl must be waiting for me, wearing the buffalo skin like a coat. If her dragon father finds out I help the dragon girl hide, I will have to drink the river water until my stomach bursts. The homeless fish will curse me.
I’m not afraid. The dragon girl is right beside me, shapeshifted herself as a rock.
I’m not afraid. I have white hair and ever growing nails.
I’m not afraid. Only my nails will devour me.
I’m not afraid. I have gifted the rice necklace for the dragon girl.
There’s no use of sitting still on the riverbed. So, should I hit the head with the rock?
The river prohibits. His flesh is filled with blood already. Like a waterfall, the river spews up the blood. The medium plays the flute. The children turn into butterflies. Then the waves carry us all and leave us at the feet of the statue. Then made us cough, wheezing until our souls left.
To be able to roam along the river, the river itself arranged coffins for everyone, made from elephant bones. We talk about wishing to meet each other again as insignificant rocks in the decorative living room of a local rich man if there is an after-life at all.
Nay Myo Set Lu
2024, Chaing Rai
GMS Residency (April 23 – 30, 2024), Thailand Biennale Chaing Rai 2024
**Please see the rough cut of the video under “Supporting Materials”
(Please note that this project had only started after the GMS Artist Residency this year. The production phase of the video was completed at the end of June, 2024. So, the video is still in the post-production phase.
The final work will be screened at the first edition of GMS ART FEST 2024 from 17th August to 7th September 2024 in Khemerat District, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, which located along the Mekong River.)
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