Siam Society invites interested persons to learn about Tai culture, the ethnic background of over 80% of the people of Thailand, during a talk on "Tai, A Woven Culture" which will take place in its Lecture Room tomorrow at 7pm.
The talk is based on a book of the same title authored by Hans Roels, a passionate photographer from Brussels, and Napajaree Suanduenchai, a textile collector from Bangkok, both of whom will be speaking in the evening.
The book is based on the unique Tai textile collection of Napajaree, who has travelled with Roels in Thailand and neighbouring countries for more than 20 years to look for the people who made these textiles.
They photographed and documented the Tai subgroups that still maintained their weaving arts. They also came across ethnic minority groups who are not Tai and included their weaving arts in the book.
Detailed photos showing the complexity of the Tai weaving arts alternate with portraits of the people behind the textiles and with landscapes showing their environment.
The Tai weaving arts are dying out because the young generation no longer wants to devote themselves to it. More than 70% of the people in this book no longer weave. With this book, the authors aim to spread the story of the Tai and the ethnic minorities around the world.
In this lecture, the authors will dig deep into approaching the essence of the Tai. They will go into the cultural particularities of this specific region and reflect on the place of the Tai traditions in modern society.
The fee is 200 baht (free for members and students).
Email pinthip@thesiamsociety.org or call 02-661-6470--3 ext 203.
