When Thirasak Tanapatanakul was worldwide co-chairman and chief creative officer at an advertising agency, his creativity led the agency to win many prestigious international awards including the Cannes Lions, D&AD Pencils and Clio Awards.
However, he realised that the advertising world was the reason why his four-year-old son kept crying for the latest smartphone. Thirasak and his wife Jaruwan decided to establish Burg Barn Buri in Khao Yai in 2009, so that his daughter and son could be close to nature.
Burg Barn Buri offers activities for families and schools such as growing rice, learning about local trees and animals, and art activities.
Three years ago, Thirasak created his first woodcut artwork. He became more serious about art when he teamed up with other artists including Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch, Sriwan Janehuttakarnkit and Naidee Changmoh to organise a group exhibition titled "Life". The exhibition displayed at an art space in Burg Barn Buri.
"I worked as an art director before, so I was interested in art. Art is a good source of inspiration and when we focus on artwork, it lifts our spirits and we can forget about hardships," said Thirasak.
Thirasak exhibits a total of four art pieces in "ReBirth" at Tay Songwat, the 2nd floor of the cafe, and "Nature Speaks" at the restaurant Baan Rimnam Songwat.
"ReBirth" displays two main installations. The first, ReBirth, features interactive art inspired by mountains and wildlife that were victims of a forest fire. The stainless steel installation, which floats in the middle of the room, appears in a form of a mountain structure. Under the mountain, there are piles of charcoal from burned branches and trees.
Once viewers are inside the interactive installation, they must use a black light provided to search for animals and insects hidden within this burning mountain. The installation reflects the importance of mountains and forests.
Set on the cafe's top floor, Infinite ReBirth -- placed on the floor -- is a pile of burnt wood. Among the charred remains, pink flowers sprout.
"The installation was inspired by forest fires. Our family volunteered to help grow forests at Phu Long Forest in Chaiyaphum, which has experienced recurring wildfires. Although most forest fires all over the world are caused by humans, I did not create the artwork to blame anyone. My message is when something is destroyed, if we have hope and love, there will be a rebirth," explained Thirasak.
"The title Infinite ReBirth refers to endless or never-ending rebirth. There are ashes; things are burnt and are reborn as flowers and then everything is burnt again. Although there are forest fires, things will be reborn."
Baan Rimnam Songwat, which showcases "Nature Speaks", is located opposite Tay Songwat and features two installations.
The first displays a black sculpture of a beetle with speech bubbles on its top left and top right. In the speech bubble on the left, there is an animation of a beetle while the right speech bubble contains blinking lights. Thirasak explained that he created a beetle sculpture because of its beautiful form. These two sides of the beetle communicate with each other. Viewers may have their own interpretations of the beetle's thoughts and Thirasak is pleased to hear them all.
The main installation, Mountain Poetic, presents the essence of nature. Like ReBirth, Mountain Poetic appears in a form of a mountain structure made of stainless steel. However, viewers do not need black light to view the beauty inside Mountain Poetic. When viewers enter the installation, which is full of moss, they can spend time admiring the mountain's natural landscape. The installation also encourages visitors to ponder their own existence when they see their reflection on the mountain's surface.
Although Thirasak has worked on art for only three years, he found that his work had an impact on viewers. A female viewer spent a lot of time at Infinite ReBirth. She stood under the mountain structure for meditation and later told Thirasak her mother had passed away, and the exhibition inspired her to think about rebirth.
Meanwhile, a foreign female viewer felt moved and cried while viewing Mountain Poetic and touching the moss. She commented that Mountain Poetic was beautiful and it showed that nature itself was art.
"I felt really good to see their reactions. It felt like my artworks stimulated and inspired them. Besides reactions from viewers, when Mountain Poetic was showcased in Chiang Mai, a few millipedes crawled to the exhibit. It was amusing to see them since they brought a live performance to the exhibit," he said.
In addition to working on his solo pieces, Thirasak also collaborated with Jaruwan and Naidee Changmoh to organise a three-week artist-in-residence project titled "KICA (Khao Yai International Contemporary Arts) - Nature Speaks". KICA invited 13 artists from 10 countries, including Australia, China, Italy, Norway, Japan and Turkey, to stay at Burg Barn Buri in Khao Yai and visit Bangkok. Unlike most artist-in-residence projects, KICA organised a workshop where international artists had the opportunity to create works with Thai students.
"The workshop atmosphere was enjoyable. Many primary students were excited because they had never met foreigners before. We received positive feedback from schools because not all students have the opportunity to go abroad and the workshop opened up a new world for them. Many schools wanted us to organise this kind of workshop again in the future. The international artists also enjoyed the workshop; they felt so recharged after working with students," explained Jaruwan.
Due to his concern about nature, Thirasak and his family brought about a hundred people to participate in an annual forest restoration at Phu Long Forest in Chaiyaphum. The forest restoration is a collaborative project with Wat Pa Sukato led by the abbot, Phra Paisal Visalo.
"It is an excellent activity where we participate with a hundred people including kindergarteners. The activity helps children to understand giving back to society and restoring nature. The project also raises awareness of forest fires, helps children realise that forest fires are dangerous and helps them to see the benefits of taking care of the world."
Thirasak aims to continue to create artwork related to nature. He believes that healthy nature is about adaptation.
"Without adaptation, nothing can survive. Bacteria has existed for at least 3.5 billion years; dragonflies have existed for about 350 million years. Meanwhile, Homo sapiens have been around for a shorter time. Someone once said, without nature, humans cannot survive while without humans, nature will survive. If Homo sapiens disappear, there will still be a lot of trees and wildlife. In contrast, if there are no trees or animals, humans are doomed. That's why I believe adaptation is important."