GEM OF THAI

The East-West Center

Arts Program presents ARCHITECTURE

GRAND PALACE, BANGKOK; PHOTO BY PAUL CHESLEY

Exhibition: March 8 – May 23, 2007

East-West Center Gallery, Honolulu, Hawai‘i

Curated by: In 1967, in a gesture to extend cultural istics of Thai architecture and to learn
Virginia Henderson understanding, His Majesty Bhumibol more about its meaning and relation-
and Michael Schuster Adulyadej, the King of Thailand gifted ship to other aspects of Thai culture.
a traditional wooden Thai sala— Architecture can tell us much
Photographs: pavilion—to the East-West Center. about a people’s way of life and
In October 2006 the old worldview.This inter-
Paul Chesley,
sala was reconstructed active, multi-media
National Geographic photographer
under the auspices of exhibition introduces
Martin Collins His Royal Majesty, and visitors to the sala,
assembled by a crew of showing what these
Jacque Gilbert
traditional artisans from structures mean and
Thailand. how they are used by
Installation Design:
The recent Thai people today—
Lynne Najita reconstruction of this their significance, role,
and Michael Schuster traditional Thai sala in forms, elements, process
Hawai‘i presents the of construction,
Architectural Models: opportunity to celebrate associated rituals, and
Silpakorn University the fascinating character- beliefs.
EWC PHOTO, 1970s
THE SALA
An open-sided pavilion, the sala is a
familiar structure in Thailand where it is
found in the courtyards of temples and
along heavily traveled routes. It has
become a national symbol for Thailand
and is distinctively recognizable as Thai
architecture with its simple, yet elegant
form.
People use the sala’s versatile open
space in many ways. Most obviously, the
sala serves as a shelter, giving shade
from the hot tropical sun and heavy
monsoon rain. It also is a ‘living room’
and a hub for community social
gatherings and village activities. Within
the shade and shelter of the sala, people
might rest, catch the breeze or a fish,
meditate and seek peace, meet friends,
MONKS ON BANGKOK KLONG (CANAL); PHOTO BY PAUL CHESLEY
share stories, wait for transport, or
receive a massage.
Sala are commonly found along
riverbanks as boat piers, on roadsides as
bus stops, in public and private gardens,
and even in the middle of rice fields as
temporary accommodation or storage.
Sala in Buddhist temple compounds
are open-air classrooms for monks to
study dhamma lessons. For Thai
Buddhists, donating to temple (including
sala) construction is a merit-making act.
At a Thai funeral, the body is cremated
and in the case of a royal person, it is
placed upon a specially constructed
ornate pyre in the form of a sala. In this
context, the sala represents Mount
Meru, the center of the universe in
Buddhist cosmology.
SALA MODEL FROM SILPAKORN UNIVERSITY;
PHOTO BY SHAYNE HASEGAWA
Sala klang are found in all Thai
provincial towns.These more enclosed
buildings are administrative centers and
perform the functions of town hall and
law court.
Increasingly in Thailand, traditional
and modern styles of sala are being built
by private homeowners and in luxury
hotels for tourists.
SALA CONSTRUCTION
Before erecting the sala, a ceremony is
conducted to prepare the ground by
paying respect and asking for blessing. In
the construction process, donated items
such as money and toy cars are buried
underneath the floorboards.This is
believed to bring prosperity to the
building and its users. Care is taken to
align the structure with the cardinal
points.
Construction of the sala is similar to
a Thai home, but one obvious difference
is that the sala has no walls. Like
traditional Thai houses, the sala is usually
made of teak wood and composed of
several hundred pieces. No nails are
used in the construction process. An
ingenious design enables planks of wood
to be hinged or locked together and
easily dismantled and reassembled,
should the owners wish to move the
structure to another location.The EWC
sala was constructed in Bangkok,
completely disassembled and shipped
by container, then reconstructed at
East-West Center.
SALA FEATURES
A distinctive feature of the Thai sala is
the elegant and graceful sweeping lines
of the steeply sloping roof, the latter a
response to the heavy tropical monsoon
rain. Atop the roof is the unique feature
of Thai architecture, derived from Khmer
design, the chofa (literally meaning piece
of sky).Though the distinctive chofa has
graced Thai buildings for many centuries,
today there are various interpretations of
its meaning. Many believe it represents
the mythical half-bird half-man figure of
the krut (garuda in Sanscrit), guardian of
the sky, hence its position on the building.
In Hindu mythology (from which
Thai Buddism) is derived, the god Vishnu
(Narai in Thai) rides a krut in his battles EAST AND WEST: AYUTTHAYA PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL CHESLEY

against the underworld, represented by

the naga or serpent (nak in Thai).
Serpent-like features decorate the
bargeboard along the edge of the gable.
A form of the serpent’s head can be
seen rising at the lower corners and
orange roof tiles suggest the serpent’s
scales. In this way,Thai architecture
reveals a story of the eternal struggle
between the sky and the underground
elements, reflecting the tension between
air and gravity which holds a building
together.
Traditional Thai houses and some
sala are built on wooden stilts or pillars
to raise the living space above water or
out of the reach of animals. Many
structures are painted dark red and
decorated with ornaments of carved
wood. Eave brackets may also feature
motifs of the naga, kurt, lotus, and
sometimes the mythological swan.The
rooftops of most northern Thai buildings
feature a kalae, or cross, which is thought
to represent the horns of the buffalo.
Important Thai structures are often
decorated with colored mirror mosaic
(believed to ward off evil), mother-of-
pearl and real gold leaf.
home, business, and compound in
Thailand contains a spirit house.
Two basic types of spirit houses
predominate in Thailand: the san phra
pum and the jaow thi.The san phra pum
has a guardian (phra pum) or angel
(thevada) inside and balances on a single
pole.The jaow thi type features tiny
grandmother and grandfather figurines
and is supported by four poles.

THE SPIRIT HOUSE

Like the sala, the spirit house is a
common feature in Thailand’s landscape.
Both are found in public and private ROADSIDE SALA, AYUTTHAYA; PHOTO BY JACQUE GILBERT

spaces and may take similar forms

ranging from simple wooden structures
to ornate mini-palaces. However, while
the two Thai structures may appear
similar, they are not directly related.
Spirit houses relate to the animist
belief that spirits of nature are all around
us and live in the land and trees. Many
Thai pay respect to these spirits, asking
for protection, success and happiness in
this and the next life.Virtually every
OLD AND NEW: CHOFA PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARTIN COLLINS SPIRIT HOUSE ON KOH PHI PHI ISLAND;
PHOTO BY WILLIAM FELTZ

2006 EWC SALA; PHOTO BY SHAYNE HASEGAWA
Special Events
All in the EWC Gallery, admission free
Sunday, March 11, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Opening Festivities
Celebration of the new EWC sala,
1:30-2:00 p.m.
Thai dance by Rose Sutrabutra
at the sala, mauka of Imin Center-
Jefferson Hall, 1777 East-West Road
Exhibition opening reception,
EWC Gallery, 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Includes exhibition walk-through with
curators, refreshments
Sunday, March 18,
12:00-1:45 p.m. & 2:00-3:45 p.m.
Thai Feature Film Showing
“The Overture,” 2004, a film about a
master musician of the ranad-ek
(Thai xylophone)
In Thai with English subtitles
East-West Center Gallery
Honolulu, Hawai‘i
John A. Burns Hall, 1601 East-West Road
(corner Dole St. & East-West Rd.)
Gallery hours: Weekdays: 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Sundays: Noon-4:00 p.m.
Closed Saturdays and holidays
For further information: 944 -7177
http://arts.EastWestCenter.org
Sunday, April 1, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Thai Dance Performance-
demonstration
by Rose Sutrabutra
Sunday, April 22, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
“South and Southeast Asian
Pavilions,”
lecture by Kazi K. Ashraf, Associate
Professor, School of Architecture,
UH-Ma-noa
Sunday, May 6, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
“Sacred Sites and Landscapes
of Thailand,” lecture with slides by
Dr. Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel,
Chaminade University and
Prof. Leslie E. Sponsel, Director,
Ecological Anthropology Program,
UH-Ma-noa
These EWC Arts Programs are supported by the
Hawai‘i Pacific Rim Society, Friends of Hawai‘i
Charities, Jackie Chan Foundation USA, and
generous contributors to the EWC Foundation,
including members of the EWC Arts ‘Ohana.
The East-West Center is
an education and research
organization established by the U.S.
Congress in 1960 to strengthen
relations and understanding among
the peoples and nations of Asia, the
Pacific, and the United States.The
Center contributes to a peaceful,
prosperous and just Asia Pacific
community by serving as a vigorous
hub for cooperative research,
education, and dialogue on critical
issues of common concern to the
Asia Pacific region and the United
States. Funding for the Center
comes from the U.S. government,
with additional support provided
by private agencies, individuals,
foundations, corporations, and the
governments of the region.
The EWC Arts Program, part
of the Office of External Affairs,
for 25 years has enriched the
community through concerts,
lectures, symposia, and exhibitions
focusing on traditional arts of the
region, and by arranging cultural and
educational tours by artists who are
skilled in bridging cultures.
EWC Arts Team: Karen
Knudsen, director, External Affairs;
William Feltz, coordinator; Michael
Schuster, Ph.D., curator; Pattie
Dunn, arts outreach assistant; Jane
S. Burke, arts assistant; mahalo also
to Lynne Najita, Shayne Hasegawa,
John Lewis, Ralph Carvalho, Carol
Matsuda, Deanna O’Brien, Floren
Elman-Singh, Lucy Kamealoha,
Charlene Fujishige, Reynold Balintec
and EWC Facilities Management.
Mahalo to the School of
Architecture, Silpakorn University,
Bangkok; Daniel Bernardoni, DBBC
Inc.; Kennedy & Preiss; Leilani Ng,
Colorprints, Inc.; and Layla Schuster.
Gallery visitors interested in joining
the Arts ‘Ohana can obtain the
appropriate flyer in the Gallery,
telephone 944-7105, or go online:
http://arts.EastWestCenter.org