Enter the Panels + Fluorescence & Wiring + Thai Pottery Barn

I cannot explain how much fell into place when Pongsak said that Jessada had arrive with the panels for my work. I’m familiar with Thai construction, it’s precise, but I’ve seen buildings made out of little more than compacted sand here. I’ve seen wood that’s more like a “foamed wood pulp and glue solid.” Oh, and Pongsak always walks like that, he’s highly influenced by the silly walks work of John Cleese.

Above – So that’s my completed working area. 488 cm x 300 cm, and composed of six panels. I’m not quite sure how we’re going to mount these to the wall. I’d like to strap them all together with lumber in the back into one unit and suspend the whole object. Or bolt them together with strapping of some kind. I’m not sure.

I don’t have detail shots here, but I can’t explain how well made these panels are. They overlap, and the seams are near perfect. The framer put a lot of thought into how they would fit together precisely. They’re super-lightweight, probably weighing about 10% of what they would if I made them back in the states. This whole arrangement cost about $90 and was delivered in two days. In the US that would be impossible. I raise a fat shot glass of elephant whiskey to Thai working methods.

Now all I’ve got to do is actually paint the thing. Another object that apparently doesn’t exist here is plastic sheeting, like the kind you would buy at home depot. And I haven’t seen anything resembling a large tarp yet, either. So we’re using some kind of roll paper to protect the gallery from my paint splatter, but I’m still unclear as to what exactly is arriving.

Above – I’m using fluorescent tubes in my piece, and apparently you cannot buy anything resembling a fluoresent light fixture with an attached plug, so I’m wiring the lights by hand. I just did some similar wiring for a piece at Angels Gate, and the easy to wire male plugs in Thailand are way better designed than the ones we have in the states.

Getting into the imporance and aesthetics of fluorescent lighting in Thailand is a whole other post. I’m so excited to be working with fluorescent lighting on this piece. I’ve wanted to do work with fluoresent tubes since my first trip here.

Above – We went to this giant pottery/spirit house/painted plaster fantastic animal warehouse on the highway to get some big pots for my piece. It was literally a pottery barn, as in a giant, metal framed barn, about 2 acres in size containing pottery. Together, these were only 400 Baht, or just over $10. Those are Ian’s feet and my new camera+laptop bag keeping them from bumping.

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