About The Book
Visions of a Nation: Public Monuments in Twentieth-Century Thailand offers a unique discourse on modern Thai history through the exploration of monumental images and narratives. Visible to the people on an everyday basis, public monuments are the visual manifestation of how the Thais have imagined and re-imagined their nation-state in the last century. Thailand was the only country in Southeast Asia to retain its political independence during the age of colonialism, and hence, the only nation to use public art in support of indigenous political goals. From absolute to constitutional monarchy, the two World Wars to the Cold War, and military dictatorship to the emergence of people's democracy, different regimes erected public memorials to legitimize their own rule and promulgate their own concepts of modern Thailand to the people. Grouping the most renowned monuments into four visions - Absolute Monarchy, Modern Nationalism, Traditionalism, and Diversity, this book explains how Thai artists use scale, style, and symbol to reinterpret historical events and produce political effects on one hand and create works of beauty on the other. An innovative synthesis of political, cultural, and art history, this book brings not only a new relevance to the many public monuments seen throughout the country but also a fresh understanding of complex twentieth-century Thai society.
About The Author
Ka Wong received his first M.A. degree in Thai Studies from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, and his second M.A. degree in Art from the University of Hawaii. He is now a lecturer and Ph.D. student in the East Asian Language and Literature Department at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
Introduction
A smudge of sullen dust-gray permeates the night sky of Bangkok. The heaven dims, and the glow belongs on earth. In the center of the Royal Plaza stands the illuminated Equestrian Statue of King Chulalongkorn. Silhouetted against the European palace style Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, the regal monument has been proudly overseeing its kingdom and subjects since the turn of the twentieth century. From far and near, many Thais gather in front of the statue to pay homage to their beloved monarch. The devotees set up altars with candles, incense, and pink roses, making the plaza a sea of dazzling stars. Every twinkling light beholds a wish. Every wish awaits to be granted and blessed by the former King. The earnest prayers suffuse into the traffic noises from the ravishingly decorated Rajadamnern Avenue that leads to the Democracy Monument. While the majestic statue of King Rama V has been a sacred emblem of royal grandeur and a collective symbol of Thai identity, the abstractly structured Democracy Monument somehow remains abstract to its people. The Victory Monument nearby seems even more abstruse. The once national triumph has become only the name of an awkward stone pillar, dwarfed by the surrounding neon billboards and elevated train-tracks. Few people nowadays know when and why it was built. Even fewer can remember what the "victory" exactly was. The power of monuments lies in their ability to remind. From a building to a sculpture to a written record, a monument refers to something that is set up to commemorate a person or an event in the customary sense. It is the memory or the story behind a monument that keeps the static object alive. Otherwise, it becomes meaningless no matter how impressive it may be. Monuments, moreover, are often built to affirm political authority or assert national identity. Before the age of mass communication, stupendous structures in public spaces were among the most comprehensible media to deliver abstract ideologies to the people. Being a part of the landscape and everyday scenery, monuments can be powerful propaganda They can communicate with an extensive audience and arouse national belonging without any rhetoric or sound. As the illiterate or low-educated people can have only a secondhand relationship to ideologies and ideological movements, they must be convinced by means other than texts and writings. In addition, abstract concepts are difficult to understand. Even the well-cultivated can feel bewildered at times Monumental art emerged as one of the most effective vehicles to promulgate lofty notions. After all, they are larger than life. Indeed, public monuments are the concrete manifestation of how the country as a political community came to be imagined. While the idea of modern nation-state has been regarded as a "construct" instead of a "political structure," national identity can no longer be seen merely as innate commonality but deliberate creation within the collective imagination of the "national citizenry". Public monuments are then prizes of their times, as they renew public memory, relive past glory, and revive national history. The study of commemoration and collective memory is a popular topic among contemporary scholars. The discourses in which modern leaders of the nation-state reshape the past to make it attractive and applicable to their own political agendas through commemorative rites and monuments are of particular interest. Thailand, likewise, can be seen in a similar light. From the absolute kings to military strongmen to civilian leaders, each ruling elite in the twentieth-century strove to put its unique stamp on the rapidly changing public milieu and conscious-ness. Not only are monuments visual remembrances of particular individuals or incidents, but they are also the leaders' visions of the Thai nation. Whether it is a statue honoring a legendary hero or an abstract structure registering a contemporary occasion, a monument reveals as much about its builders their perspectives, priorities and politics-as about to whom or what it is dedicated. Whereas some beliefs are shared among various ruling regimes and persist, others fade and are eventually forgotten. The memory or amnesia of the monuments, consequently, is also the loving and lapsing narratives of the Thai nation-the vision and division of modern polity, culture, and society. From the old Siam to the new Thailand, public monuments have been living witnesses of artistic achievements and political movements in the kingdom. In 1908, the erection of the Equestrian Statue of King Chulalongkorn by the monarch himself marked the beginning of public monuments as pure politically committed art in the country. Thereafter, they have incessantly assumed a prominent role under every succeeding authority.
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