September 2006 129th Issue

Hua Hin Events

CONGRATULATIONS TO KHUN PAITOON AND KHUN PIMPRAPAI. WISHING THEM MUCH HAPPINESS

AMY KELLY CELEBRATES HER BIRTHDAY WITH JOY AND ANTHONY

ROGER SMITH CELEBRATES HIS BIRTHDAY WITH HIS MUM AT BERNYS.

A PREGNANT PAUSE AS BOOM CUTS HER CAKE AT MAKARM RESTAURANT. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOOM!

BERNYS BIRTHDAY. ANOTHER YEAR OLDER FOR THE GOLF SOCIETY CAPTAIN.

NAEN (LEFT) CELEBRATES HIS BIRTHDAY WITH SOMPHOP IN SA DAO RESTAURANT.

Hua Hin Online Community

The property pundits were out again in full force this month but there is still confusion as to what the current situation is. The odd imprudent reader decided to blame the forum, however we are as in the dark as the next person with regards to what information the officials in the land office are willing to release. Leasing seems to be the hot topic now but again there are many wary potential buyers out there in what seems to have become a minefield of confusion. The knock on effect from this seems to be more people renting and waiting for an outcome that may never arrive.

As high season approaches again people start looking for rentals and asking about availability during the busy months in Hua Hin. We welcome our latest sponsor, Jing's Guesthouse and beauty salon situated in Soi Selakam.

The events and activities section has been busy with the start of the Premiership and new local fantasy leagues. A dragon boat race has been organized for November so we're looking for participants for the only farang team in the competition. More questions about martial arts and diving in Hua Hin along with golfing in the rainy season without getting wet balls.

The recent events in the UK have sparked a few discussions on flights and the new security regulations regarding hand luggage. Plenty more on taxis and minivans to Hua Hin in the travel section. As always there are a number of complaints about internet access in the town and the degradation in service over the past month or so from a number of local providers, may have something to do with “rain on the lines”.

The visa and legal sections had new info on 90 day reporting for those with annual visas and more on Thai driving licenses and how to get one. Thailand culture conversations included dowries, living abroad for Thais and Mothers Day. There were plenty of questions for the expats regarding postal services, Hua Hin's new cinema, and shopping in general. A number of gripes about falling standards at local schools were aired by a couple of concerned parents.

HHAD forums are the definitive online message boards and discussions for the area, there are sections for finding and booking accommodation, seeking out bargains, and exploring the local area and beyond. There is also a nightlife section for the night owls, a restaurant and feeding guide along with an online meeting point for visa runners and clubs. The ever popular “Ask the expats” section is great for quickly getting the answers you need from the people that live here. Logon and find out what is happening in Hua Hin:

www.huahinafterdark.com/forum

UPGRADE YOUR MOBILE PHONE!!!

Sim updates needed for 10-digit dialling. Upgrade your mobile Sim card free of charge at your operators' shops nationwide, starting from Sept 1 until Nov 30, or you won't be able to receive incoming calls. If you haven't already received an SMS such as the one above, you will soon, as mobile-phone operators prepare to shift their customers into the world of 10-digit dialling.

The switch to 10 digits from nine will require users to add an ‘8' in the middle of the existing two-digit prefix, followed by the existing seven-digit number, in order to make either a mobile-to-mobile or a mobile-to-fixed-line call. For example, numbers starting with 01, 09 and 02 will become 081, 089 and 082 respectively.

The new system will increase the potential number of telephone numbers from 90 million to 300 million.

ELEPHANTS IN THAILAND

100 years ago there were at least 100,000 elephants in Thailand, now sadly that number has dropped to about 5,000 (2,000 in the wild and 3,000 in captivity) and the population is still estimated to be falling at over 3% a year. Only ten years ago Thailand still had 4000 wild elephants.

The biggest problem facing elephants in Thailand is the loss of their natural habitat. 50 years ago 60% of Thailand was covered by forest, that figure is now below 20% and is still falling due to illegal logging and encroachment. Wild elephants only survive in a few national parks with limited genetic interchange. Conflicts with people often result in more elephant deaths. For elephants in captivity there are very few traditional ways of earning a living; logging was banned in 1989, and there is little use for elephant power in the modern world. Elephants with their mahouts (keepers) have taken to begging in the streets of major cities. Tourism may help but exploitation often results. With less work in the forests and less food in the forests, some mahouts bring their elephants to big cities like Bangkok. For mahouts it can be a good opportunity to earn money. Thai people and tourists have a soft spot in their hearts for the elephant.

Thai mahouts say that they have no other way of making a living for their animals. But Bangkok streets are dangerous for elephants. They get sick from breathing exhaust fumes, drinking dirty water, walking over concrete pavements, getting smashed by cars. Also it is not always easy to find 200 kg of herbs everyday in Bangkok. Elephants can damage roads and are also dangerous for citizens. The Bangkok administration has tried to chase elephants from the city as several elephants have died of starvation. The government has also cracked down on street elephants in cities with many elephants being diverted to city suburbs.

Some elephants are victims of brutal treatment by keepers who abuse them in illegal logging. Elephants are jabbed with knives and spears, overworked and overdosed on amphetamines to increase their stamina.

Elephants often die needlessly due to accidents, injuries,illnesses, conflict with man when they are shot deadinstead of tranquillised. People experienced in looking after elephants are getting fewer every year; well over 100 elephants will die this year in Thailand, with few people aware how serious the situation is.

Tourism appears to be one answer. Jumbo-tourism is sprouting up everywhere with its good and bad consequences. Up to 70% of baby elephants used in tourism are believed to have been poached from the wild. Phuket is the major culprit with up to 400-500 young animals used in hotels and entertainment businesses. When young calves are separated from their mother before reaching three years old, it endangers their life. They need their mother's milk to strengthen their bones. Poachers often kill the mother to get the calf. Thai officials have difficulties to prosecute the poachers because elephants under age eight are not required to be registered.

The Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in the northern town of Lampang was opened in 1992 to help to preserve knowledge about elephants and mahouts. In January 2002, in order to enlarge the scope of conservation efforts and address the issues facing Thailand's elephants, it was proposed that the TECC be renamed the National Elephant Institute (NEI). Under The Royal Patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, the main objective for the establishment of the NEI is to develop elephant conservation in a sustainable way and preserve local traditions for future generations. The Institute also aims to improve the tourism business, in which there is an extensive involvement of elephants in tourism-related activities, for the benefit of elephants as well as tourists.

The Institute has also initiated an Elephant Adoption Programme for those who would like to sponsor individual elephants. Donations may be made in instalments or as a lump sum.

Those interested in sponsoring an elephant (Adopting Elephant Parents) have two options:

1. To sponsor an elephant from birth until the age of 4. Sponsorship cost of 30,000 Baht. The FIO will be responsible for the care of the elephant and reserves the right to place the young elephant in training, when appropriate.

2. To sponsor an elephant aged 4-years old and above, or a sick or crippled elephant. Sponsorship cost of 60,000 Baht For further information, please contact:

National Elephant Institute (NEI) Office, 26 Tha Ma-oo

Road, Tambon Wiang Neua, Amphoe Muang Lampang,

Lampang 52000, Thailand

Tel: 66 (054) 228-108, 229-042 Fax: 66 (054) 231-150

Web site: www.thailandelephant.org

ELEPHANTS AND THAI CULTURE

Elephants have always played an integral part in Thai culture and Thai history. All Thai kings had a stable of white elephants and the animals once decorated the national flag and currency. White elephants are the monarchy symbol. The king of Thailand always has several white elephants in his stables. A Thai reign is supposed to be lucky if the king has several white elephants. A few centuries ago a war happened between Burma and Thailand. The Burmese king wanted to steal Thai white elephants.

ELEPHANT ROUND UP. Every year in November the biggest elephant gathering in Thailand takes place in Surin. Also called the Elephant Round Up it is taking place this year on the 18th and 19th November, at the Si Narong Stadium. Internationally famous, this annual event brings crowds of visitors to the provincial city of Surin, located in Isaan in the northeast of Thailand, where some 100 trained elephants are assembled. Among the spectacular shows are elephant football, tug-of-war between elephants and men, demonstrations of log-pulling skills and a spectacular parade of elephants outfitted for medieval warfare. Folklore plays, a mock battle scene and a display of rockets complete the morning-long programmes. But the round up offers more to the visitor than elephants. It is really a gathering of the Khmer clans from the region, in which 70 percent of the population speaks Khmer. The Lao influence fades away here, giving way to the strong Khmer presence. This shouldn't be a surprise. Buriram and Surin is a mere 40 kilometres from the Cambodian border.Surin itself is a typical Thai country town. Local favourite delicacies are frog and maengda (water bugs). It's still normal practice for townsfolk to walk the streets frog hunting in a monsoon downpour. At night, bright neon lights abound as luresfor the tasty maengda bugs.The town is swamped with visitors at festival time. Visitors to the 40-year annual round up come from abroad and all over Thailand. Local artisans and street entertainers complete the party atmosphere. When the show is over, the elephants don seating platforms so visitors can ride them back to their cars or hotels.

ELEPHANTS IN HUA HIN AND SURROUNDING AREAS

WWF Thailand stepped up it's efforts to stop conflicts between humans and elephants in Kuiburi National Park in Prachuab-Kirikhan province by getting to the core of the problem, using participating strategies on land management and pushing the establishment of the local Wild Elephant Management Committee to achieve the long term management goal.

WWF Thailand's Forest Resource Management Unit started a project called “Strengthening Management for a Key Population of Elephants” at Kuiburi National Park in the Tenasserim Range in May 2005 with the budget supported by the Asian Conservation Fund, Division of International Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and WWF-US. It's goal is to solve the conflicts between man and elephant around Kuiburi National Park by issuing an elephant population management plan at a local level that derived from the participation of stakeholders, both related government organisations and local people residing around the National Park area.

This project was also pushing to form an elephant population management committee at a local level, appointed by the Director General of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation Department, for considering a management draft plan and acting as part of the land administration team joining Kuiburi National Park in dealing with the elephant population management in the long term. Under the project's goal, Forest Resource Management Unit, WWF Thailand and Kuiburi National Park believe that all the activities under the protected area management plan, which derive from actual participation and the importance of local officers to see the primary cause of the problems and the working obstacles, will be the important tools to strengthen the vision among administrators and Kuiburi National Park rangers, so that they can consider the conservation management plan from various angles including the plan for wild elephant conservation in this protected forest.

Kuiburi National Park is part of the protected Tenasserim Range on the Thai-Myanmar border, which has one of the world's biggest elephant dwellings. On the Thai border, there are 2 connected ranges; Kaeng Krachan Forest covering 4,374 km 2 of the Tenasserim Range in western Thailand, including Ratchaburi, Petchaburi and Prachuab-Kirikhan Provinces. This is an “Asian Heritage” site covering 3 protected areas; Kuiburi National Park (969 km 2) on the south, Kaeng Krachan National Park (2,915 km 2) in the middle, and Pashee River Sanctuary on the far north (490 km 2); and to the north, there's the Western Forest Complex, which is the biggest forest in Thailand covering 17 protected areas of 18,000 km 2, located Tungyai Naresuan Sanctuary and Huay Khakhaeng Sanctuary right in the middle. This was declared a “World Heritage” site in 1991. These forests on Tenasserim Range are the South and Southeast Asia's biggest elephant's dwelling and conservation core.

Kaeng Krachan Elephant Conservation Project, Thailand

Kaeng Krachan (KKNP) is Thailand's largest national park and is a stronghold

for many of Thailand's wildlife species, including tigers. The park forms a large

area of protected forest on the border with Myanmar and is thought to contain a

regionally important population of Asian elephants. However, human–elephant conflict (HEC) is threatening the long-term security of KKNP's elephant population. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) works in KKNP to protect the elephant population, reduce HEC, and to take the lessons learned there to other sites in Asia.

THE HUMAN ASPECT. Human–elephant conflict is a major problem around KKNP and is having a detrimental affect on both the people and the wild elephants that live in the area. The most common form of HEC is crop raiding by elephants, which can be a major burden for farmers as crops are destroyed, human dwellings can be flattened, and people can often get hurt and even killed. THREATS. Threats to Kaeng Krachan's wildlife are habitat destruction, presence of domestic cattle, poaching, and HEC. HEC in particular generates ill will towards the park and can lead to killing of elephants. In response, WCS has run a number of wildlife protection and conservation training courses for KKNP staff. They include HEC assessment methods; law enforcement techniques; navigation skills using map, compass, GPS; and community relationships. Participants gained an opportunity to apply their knowledge and experience in practical field situations. Future courses will address HEC mitigation methods and involve local farmers as well as park staff.

WCS ACTIVITIES. WCS is in the process of mapping the distribution of natural water sources and saltlicks, assessing elephant abundance and distribution in KKNP, and quantifying the levels of HEC in and around the park. The data gathered on the spatial and temporal distribution of crop raiding by elephants will help answer the important questions “why, when, and where do elephants raid crops?” New approaches have been discussed for reducing HEC with farmers in a series of local meetings, and WCS are actively encouraging farmers to take up these new ideas, as well as providing them with the necessary equipment. For example, experiments by WCS Africa Program in Zambia and Zimbabwe have shown that elephants are effectively deterred from entering crops if ropes coated in chilli-laden grease are strung around the perimeter of the fields. In addition, burning dry cow dung mixed with chillies has been shown to produce an acrid smoke that helps keep elephants away from crops. WCS will also promote the use of a trip-wire alarm system to alert the watchers when elephants approach; and sirens, spotlights, whistles, and firecrackers will be used to frighten away elephants when they try to enter. The lessons learnt will assist farmers in reducing HEC elsewhere in Thailand and further a field in Asia and Africa.

Important next steps:

To use rigorous dung-based elephant survey methods to estimate the size and distribution of the KKNP elephant population. These surveys will allow us to assess the threats to KKNP's elephants so that we can work with Thai authorities to improve protection measures for the park;

To design, implement, and evaluate an appropriate low-cost human-elephant conflict reduction strategy;

To test novel elephant deterrent methods such as the use of extremely powerful chillies;

To provide training for WCS's Thai staff and local partners.

Note: For more information please visit: www.wcs.org/international/Asia/thailand

ELEPHANT VILLAGE, HUA HIN

The elephant village is at Wat Eitisukato, a couple of kilometres outside Hua Hin. The easiest way to get there (if not on an organised trip) is to drive towards the Paia-U waterfall and take a right turn at the large(ish) sign for the village. Here you can take an elephant trek, which takes you past the temple and includes wading through a lake (the elephants do the wading - not you!). The treks take about an hour and cost 800 baht for adults, 500 baht for children. There are a total of 20 elephants, and each elephant does a maximum of two rides per day. When they are not working they stay in a large, shady, open-sided hut, which they share with their mahouts, and visitors can buy bananas (at 20 baht a bunch) to feed them with. The mahouts use hooked iron rods to control the elephants, much like spurs against a horse's flanks. It looks painful but the elephant does have a very thick hide so the iron needs to be large to get across the message. Near the entrance to the village you will find a young elephant called Somying, a female of 4 years old, who is very friendly (see photo). Another elephant we got to know on our visit was Chumpoo, another female with speckled colouring on her ears. Many of the elephants used are females, although we did also see a couple of unmistakable males! These magnificent creatures eat about 200 kg of vegetation and fruit a day, which also generates a large amount of dung! This is put to good use, as fertiliser, as well as being used to make gas and paper. Approximately 40 people are employed at the village, 20 of those being the mahouts. The village covers an area of approximately 100 acres (253 rai) and the elephants are free to roam across much of this when they are not working. Male elephants going through their periodic musth, called tok mun in Thai, are isolated until it finishes, in case any readers were concerned. It may not be as good as the wild life, but unless an economic use is found for them, they will go extinct in the region. The village is open from 8 am until 5 pm every day. There are a couple of other locations in Hua Hin where you can ride an elephant. One of these is at Khao Takiab, where you can ride elephants on and near the beach.

ELEPHANT DUNG

Elephant Dung Paper. Who would think of making paper from dung? Mr. Wanchai, that's who! On his way home from work he used to pass a natural paper factory and was impressed at the simplicity of the process that used natural tree fibres to make high quality hand made paper. He then took a trip to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (now the National Elephant Institute) in Lampang, Northern Thailand and saw piles and piles of dung. He looked at the dung and noticed that the dung was very fibrous. This was the birth of the idea. The next step was to take home a arload of dung to his house. His wife as amused and at this stage very patient. Try as he might he could not get the paper just right. He used the family food processor to cut the long fibres to a shorter length – and that's when his wife finally lost her patience. Not only was he bringing home dung but using the food processor was one step too far. She gave him an ultimatum.... She gave him two choices. The first was to stop bringing home dung and concentrate on his job. The second was to make the dung paper full time. Either way she wanted a new food processor! Mr. Wanchai still has the old food processor as a reminder and lesson to him and his children that in life many people may think you are mad or crazy but if you have the courage to try and try then you will succeed. If he had listened to the laughs then he would not be able to help the many elephants he now does. Mr. Wanchai is philosophical about his journey “Thai elephants have helped many generations of Thais and they continue to provide many jobs for the ordinary people like me. It might be just plain dung to most but to me every time a ball drops it is another opportunity to help them - one man's or elephant's trash is another's treasure where there is muck there is money'. With sincerity he jokes, “ Without my family this idea would never have got off the ground - because that's where it comes from”.

ELEPHANT POO HELPS PIN IVORY POACHERS. DNA extracted from elephant dung and skin samples is being used by scientists to track the origin of illegally poached ivory, in a groundbreaking scheme started in September 2004. A team led by Dr Samuel Wasser of the University of Washington in Seattle reported their research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences “We are able to monitor where the ivory is coming from,” said Wasser. “With that, coupled with monitoring the movement of ivory through ivory markets, we will be able to tell where poaching is most heavily concentrated and improve law enforcement.” The researchers said they were already using their new method to track smuggled ivory seized in Singapore in 2002. Wasser and team extracted DNA from elephants in 16 African countries. They analysed geographic-specific differences in the DNA to create a “map” of elephant genetic variation. The map can be used as a reference to quickly trace a sample of ivory to its origin. “We used a combination of faeces and tissue to create the map,” said Wasser. “But the most important breakthrough is the ability to get [the DNA] from faeces because we can sample many countries very quickly now,” Wasser said. For instance, the Singapore seizure was tracked to Zambia , and the team hopes to pinpoint precisely where in Zambia the elephants were poached. “Because we can get DNA from faeces, the Zambian government were able to sample the whole country in three weeks,” Wasser said. The African elephant population was more than halved by poachers between 1979 and 1987, from 1.3 million to 600,000 animals. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species banned the ivorytrade in 1989. But Wasser said poaching may have stepped up. Save the Elephants, an international charity, said over 45 tonnes of ivory destined for China were seized between 1998 and 2002. The 2002 Singapore seizure yielded 6.5 tonnes of ivory, including 532

whole tusks, many more than 2 metres long, and 41,000 small carved ivory cylinders worth an estimated US$6 million.

“By being able to monitor how the distribution of ivory comes through markets, we can actually see the consequences of trade decisions for first time ever,” Wasser said. Wasser said the work was especially important as forests are opened for logging and the forest elephants, a subspecies separate from savannah elephants, fall prey to poachers for the first time.

ON POINT

Hua Hin residents Paul King and Hugo Sabin very recently enjoyed the successful launch of their joint venture, the ON point Company.

ON point is Hua Hin's first Human Resource-focused company, founded to support both local and multinational businesses in areas including:

•  Recruitment

•  Training & Development

•  Marketing Consultancy & Corporate Communication

The Observer spoke to Paul and Hugo to find out why they think Hua Hin needs such a company.

“The growth and development of Hua Hin, in the last 3 years that we've seen, has been astounding. However, in terms of the balance of resources meeting demands, unfortunately the demands far outweigh the resources, namely quality staff.”

“Finding high calibre staff is a very hit-and-miss affair and the cost, time and manpower needed to find quality personnel is, more often then not, too great or simply not viable.” “At ON point, we aim to supply the highest calibre personnel, otherwise unavailable to businesses using traditional recruitment methods, and help businesses get the most from their workforce by providing crucial Training & Development. Our Marketing Consultancy and Corporate Communication division provides an invaluable English Language Expertise Service, combining creative writing and translation with clinical proof reading and editing.”

ON POINT RECRUITMENT

Quality - ON point searches for, identifies and filters only the best applicants to form an elite pool of individuals, otherwise unavailable to a business.

Service - A personal customer service helps ON point fully understand a business's needs and place the most suitable personnel.

Speed - Once ON point knows a business's needs, the interview and placement process starts immediately. No lengthy, drawn-out advertising campaigns were results are not guaranteed.

Ease - Recruiting staff requires manpower, resources and patience. ON point's experienced team does what it does best so that your business can concentrate on doing what it should be doing.

Results - ON point works closely with both clients and applicants to ensure a perfect match. No more costly and damaging high staff turnover.

Price - ON point's simple and attractive pricing plan counters costly advertising.

ON POINT TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

ON point offers a wide range of English language-based, skills development programs, including:

Business English, Customer service, Telephone communication, Creativity and Innovation, Cultural awareness, Sales and up-selling, Office administration, Change Management, Personal development, Team building, Problem solving and handling customers ON POINT MARKETING CONSULTANCY & CORPORATE COMMUNICATION

Anyone who has spent time in Thailand will be only too aware of poorly written and incorrect marketing material and advertisements created by companies. Whether it be looking at a company brochure, website or advert, or reading a menu, tourist guide, newspaper or information notice, these errors are clearly evident. ON point realises how detrimental this can be to a business's reputation and thus provide the E.L.E (English Language Expertise) service, which combines creative writing and translation with clinical proof reading and editing.

CONTACT THE ON POINT TEAM

Check out the ON point website at:

www.onpoint-online.com .

Call the office on 032 530 409...

Or pop into the ON point office for a chat. The office is located next to All In Hua Hin, behind the Hua Hin Shopping Mall.

NTNI CHARITY

People in Northern Ireland had been greatly affected by the scenes of devastation they woke up to on Boxing Day 2004, following the tsunami. Long after the initial fund-raising efforts had wound down, the memory of those harrowing scenes have not faded from public consciousness even halfway across the world.

In spring '05, a group of 4 volunteers from Northbrook Technology in Northern Ireland (a software house which is a subsidiary of Allstate Insurance in the US ) were preparing to go to Thailand with a local charity to build two homes for local families. When news came that the team were to go to Mexico instead, the NTNI group made the decision to keep fundraising for a Thai project.

So the group decided to research an alternative project in the region. Around this time, the Hua-Hin Observer published the ‘After The Tsunami' article, recording Verity Cattenach-Poole's experiences following the disaster. The NTNI group contacted the Swiss Invest Centre offices in Thailand , where Jerry McMenamin (originally from Northern Ireland , but having been resident in Thailand for about 15 years) put us in touch with Verity. And so the fund-raising began to raise £10,000 for the rebuilding of schools and the sponsorship of orphans in the worst hit regions.

An 80s night in Bangor kicked off the fundraising, with a disco and ballot, and from that first event we were overwhelmed by the generosity of the NTNI staff and Northern Ireland locals who gave willingly and generously to the appeal. Local comedians donated their time to perform in a comedy night in the Empire Bar in Belfast , with a waitress working in the host bar even donating her night's tips to the effort! The Queen's Film Theatre in Belfast hosted a mini film festival, screening classics such as The Wicker Man, Aliens and The Thing.

The fund-raising also included a range of internal company events, such as the popular ‘Gunge the Boss' series of public dousings. Employees bought votes for their ‘favourite' boss (HR department member, department head, US account director, etc.) to take the seat in a purpose-made gunge tank outside the company offices and get liberally soaked in viscous goo.

The company's HR department donated 15 days of annual leave for ballot prizes, with some lucky winners getting a full week off work. They also sent custom-designed ‘e-greetings' to clients and contacts at Christmas '05, and donated the cost saved by not sending traditional cards. NTNI employees donated their time via bag-packing sessions in local supermarkets, and donated their appetites in 24-hour sponsored fasts. One employee took this much further, losing 22 lbs in a sponsored weight loss and gaining a whopping £1,068 for her efforts.

Employees also donated via a ‘buy-a-brick' feature of the website set up for the Thai Build project – one employee logged on every payday to pledge another £20 to the appeal. The website included an EBay-style auction area where prizes were auctioned off to the highest bidder, with local hairdressers, restaurants and a local travel agent all donating prizes.

The final figure raised was in fact £11,500, with the majority going towards the rebuilding of schools damaged or destroyed in the tsunami, and the remainder going towards the sponsorship of children orphaned by the disaster. Two beautiful certificates in English and Thai outlining the result are on display in the NTNI offices as a tribute to the generosity of the NTNI staff and all who donated to the appeal.

Please don't forget the sad Tsunami orphans who need your help. There are 95 school children in the Phuket area who are being cared for by their extended families placing a heavy financial burden on them. Donations are 1000 baht a month or 12,000 baht a year and you can choose the student you want to sponsor from the list Verity Cattanach Poole has from the Education Services Director.

Contact Verity on: 032 516500 or 09 0283787

Arts & Culture

Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an emotional effect. Expressionism is exhibited in many art forms, including painting, literature, film, architecture and music. Additionally, the term often implies emotional angst – the number of cheerful expressionist works is relatively small. In this general sense, painters such as Matthias Grünewald and El Greco can be called expressionist, though in practice, the term is applied mainly to 20th century works. Although ‘Expressionism' is used as term to reference, there has never been a distinct movement that called itself expressionism besides using of this term by Herwald Walden in his Polymic Magazine “Der Sturm” in 1911. The term is usually linked to paintings and graphic work in Germany at the turn of the century, which challenged the academic traditions, particularly through Die Brücke and Der Blauer Reiter. In fact Friedrich Nietzsche was the spiritual worker of the expressionism thoughts but also the one who clarified ancient art expressions.

In The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche presented his theory of the ancient dualism between two types of aesthetic experience, namely the Apollonian and the Dionysian; a dualism between a world of the mind, of order and regularity, and a world of intoxication, chaos, ecstasy. The Apollonian represented the rationally conceived ideal, whereas the Dionysian represented artistic conception proper, originating from man's subconscious. The analogy with the world of the Greek gods typifies the relationship between these extremes: two godsons, incompatible and yet inseparable. According to Nietzsche, both elements are present in any work of art. The basic characteristics of expressionism are Dionysian: bold colours, distorted forms, painted in a careless manner, two-dimensional, without perspective, and based on feelings (the child) rather than rational thought (the adult).

More generally it refers to art that is expressive of intense emotion. It is arguable that all artists are expressive but there is a long line of art production in which heavy emphasis is placed on communication through emotion. Such art often occurs during time of social upheaval, and through the tradition of graphic art there is a powerful and moving record of turmoil in Europe from the 15th century on: the Protestant Reformation, Peasant Wars, Spanish Occupation of Netherlands, the rape, pillage and disaster associated with countless periods of chaos and oppression are presented in the documents of the printmaker. Often the work is unimpressive aesthetically, but almost without exception has the capacity to move the viewer to strong emotions with the drama and often horror of the scenes depicted.

The term was also coined by Czech art historian Antonín Matjek in 1910 as the opposite of impressionism: “An Expressionist wishes, above all, to express himself [sic].... [An Expressionist rejects] immediate perception and builds on more complex psychic structures.... Impressions and mental images that pass through mental peoples soul as through a filter which rids them of all substantial accretions to produce their clear essence [...and] are assimilated and condense into more general forms, into types, which he transcribes through simple shorthand formulae and symbols.” (Gordon, 1987)

There were a number of Expressionist groups in painting, including the Blaue Reiter and Die Brücke. Later in the 20th century, the movement influenced a large number of other artists, including the so-called abstract expressionists. There was never a group of artists that called themselves Expressionists. The movement is primarily German and Austrian. The group Der Blaue Reiter was based in Munich and Die Brücke was based originally in Dresden (although some later moved to Berlin ). Die Brücke was active for a longer period than Der Blaue Reiter, which was only truly together for a year (1912). The expressionists had many influences, among them Munch, Vincent van Gogh, and African art. They also came to know the work being done by the Fauves in Paris .

The Fauves and the Expressionists both used ridiculous colours, but for different purposes. The Fauves hoped to achieve beauty, while the Expressionists hoped to achieve emotion through them. The importance of colour was its expressive power, no longer was the subject the medium which led to drama or sentiment in the work of art, but it was the use of colour and crazy lines that were the expressive and altruistic means.

The “head” of Der Blaue Reiter, Kandinsky, would take this a step further. He believed that with simple colours and shapes the spectator could perceive the moods and feelings in the paintings, therefore he made the important jump to Abstraction, changing 20th century art.

Expressionism is also used to describe other art forms. Some sculptors also adopted this style, as for example Ernst Barlach.

There was also an expressionist movement in film, often referred to as German Expressionism. The most important examples are The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and The Golem. In literature the novels of Franz Kafka are often described as expressionist, for example, and there was a concentrated Expressionist movement in early 20th century German theatre centred on Georg Kaiser and Ernst Toller.

In music, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern and Alban Berg, the members of the Second Viennese School , wrote pieces described as expressionist (Schoenberg also made expressionist paintings). Other composers who followed them, such as Ernst Krenek, are often considered as a part of the expressionist movement in music. What distinguished these composers from their contemporaries such as Maurice Ravel, George Gershwin and Igor Stravinsky is that expressionist composers self-consciously used atonality to free their art form from the traditional tonality. They also sought to express the subconscious, the ‘inner necessity' and suffering through their highly dissonant musical language. Erwartung and Die Glückliche Hand, by Schoenberg, and Wozzeck, an opera by Alban Berg (based on a play by Georg Büchner), are example of expressionist works.

In architecture, two specific buildings are identified as expressionist: Bruno Taut's Glass Pavilion at the Cologne Werkbund Exhibition (1914), and Erich Mendelsohn's Einstein Tower in Potsdam , Germany completed in 1921. Hans Poelzig's Berlin theatre interior for Max Reinhardt is also sometimes cited.

FAUVISM

Les Fauves (French for wild beasts), a short-lived and loose grouping of early Modern artists whose works emphasized painterly qualities, and the use of deep colour over the representational values retained by Impressionism. Fauvists' simplified lines, made the subject of the painting easy to read, exaggerated perspectives and used brilliant but arbitrary colours. They also emphasised freshness and spontaneity over finish. One of the fundamentals of the Fauves was expressed in 1888 by Paul Gauguin to Paul Sérusier,

“How do you see these trees? They are yellow. So, put in yellow; this shadow, rather blue, paint it with pure ultramarine; these red leaves? Put in vermilion.”

The name was given (humorously) to the group by art critic Louis Vauxcelles. In French, “Fauves”

means “wild beasts”. The painter Gustave Moreau was the movement's inspirational teacher, and a

professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris who pushed his students to think outside of the lines of formality and to follow their visions.

The leaders of the movement, Moreau's top students, were Henri Matisse and André Derain — friendly rivals of a sort, each with his own followers. The paintings, for example Matisse's 1908 The Dessert or Derain's The Two Barges, use powerful reds or other forceful colours to draw the eye. Matisse became the yang to Picasso's yin in the 20th century while time has trapped Derain at the century's beginning, a “wild beast” forever. Their disciples included Albert Marquet, Henri Manguin, Charles Camoin, the Belgian painter Henri Evenepoel, Jean Puy, Maurice de Vlaminck, Raoul Dufy, Othon Friesz, Georges

Rouault, the Dutch painter Kees van Dongen, and Picasso's partner in Cubism, Georges Braque.

Fauvism, as a movement, had no concrete theories, and was short lived (they only had three

exhibitions). Matisse was seen as a leader of the movement. He said he wanted to create art to delight; art as a decoration was his purpose; therefore his use of bright colours tries to maintain serenity of composition.

Among the influences of the movement were Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, both of whom had begun using colours in a brighter, more imaginative manner.

TRANSITIONS

Paintings and collages by Margaret Ingles and Adi Kirketerp “Transitions” is a joint exhibition by Bangkok based artists Margaret Ingles and Adi Kirketerp; both established artists and long-term residents of Thailand . Margaret Ingles is a dedicated ‘oil on canvas realist' and Adi Kirketerp's singular ‘mixed-media, abstract collages' provide the perfect counterpoint. ‘Transitions' is a joint enterprise between artists and friends, and a dialogue between distinctly different forms of artistic expression. It is interesting to observe that hanging such divergent styles serves to emphasize the uniqueness of each piece of art. The word ‘transition' implies movement and change, and is the passage from one form, state, style, or place to another. It can relate to both the material and immaterial world. Transitions and change are as inevitable as the seasons, and a recurrent theme in all our lives.

Adi Kirketerp finds objects from her environment and reworks them in her complex collages. There is a transition between what the object used to be and what it becomes. That change may be symbolic or a new value given to a once discarded item. Adi's collages are richly textured and complex works that draws the eye and provokes meditative thought. The transitions in Adi's life shape the development of her work and the very materials used. For this exhibition Margaret Ingles has produced a number of striking paintings of doors, windows and gateways. She comments; “When we move through a door, real or metaphorical, we make a transition from one state to another, or one world to another. There is also a symbolic and aesthetic beauty in age and decay. Many of the doors are old and decaying. This can communicate to us a lot of information about the “life” of them and the people who pass through them.” Margaret is an accomplished representational artist who engages completely with her subject matter. One is drawn by the beauty of the particular and her love of detail.

‘Transitions' will be housed in both the ‘Rotunda Gallery' and the new ‘Garden Gallery & Cafe' exhibition space at the Neilson Hays library.

The exhibition runs from 2nd September – 1st October 2006 at The Rotunda Gallery, Neilson Hays Library, 195 Surawong Road , Bangkok . Tel: 02-233-1731. Opening hours are: Tue – Sun 09:30 - 16.00.

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