To celebrate 190 years of US-Thai diplomatic relations, the art exhibition "Rivers Of Life" has been organised by the US embassy, ICONSIAM and the Chiang Khong community of Chiang Rai. On view at ICONSIAM, the exhibition features two videos -- I See That You Don't See created by Montika Kam-On, a young Thai moving image artist, and A Tale Of Two Rivers created by Alexis Karl, a US filmmaker and perfume artist. Both aim to raise awareness about environmental issues related to the two rivers -- the Mekong and the Mississippi.
"The US embassy in Bangkok did research and discovered that Thai people may be less interested in environmental issues than other issues, so they contacted Niwat Roykaew -- a teacher and an activist in Chiang Khong, Chiang Rai -- who has campaigned to protect the Mekong River ecosystem for two decades," explained Montika. "I met with Niwat who received the Goldman Environmental Prize last year. Alexis and I participated in activities related to music, dance and film together in Chiang Khong. The embassy hopes to raise awareness among local people in the community as well as Bangkokians to help affect changes in river ecology."
