Bangkok: from a special point of view

When I first came to Bangkok many years ago, I thought it was a very impressive metropolis. I didn't come there as a tourist, but on business, which meant that I initially only came to the center, from hotel to office and vice versa.

I went back there many times after that, stayed in mostly luxurious hotels and as time went by, I saw more than just the concrete jungle. Fortunately, my hosts regularly took me to other parts of Bangkok and I saw beautiful temples, magnificent palaces, aristocratic houses and beautiful parks.

Now that I live in Thailand, I only necessarily visit Bangkok and usually only see the big office buildings, the shopping malls and yes, the occasional trip to Patpong. That is not all really beautiful, but the above-mentioned splendor of Bangkok still exists, you just have to want to see it.

Kittichaii Kasemsam is such a person, who sees Bangkok in a completely different way than a mere mortal like myself. Kittichai is an assistant professor of photography at the King Monkut Institute of Technology in Ladkrabang and has created a series of images featuring small figurines in a scenic panorama of Bangkok. If you take a good look at the photos – taken as the Big Bangkok Project – and let them sink in, you will experience the grandeur of this beautiful capital.

BK, a website about all kinds of activities in Bangkok, made an interview with the artist, which went something like this:

How did it all start?
I was born in Bangkok, but as a child I hardly left the house. When I went to study photography I took pictures all over Bangkok and found out that I lived in a huge city. I went to places I didn't even know existed. I wanted to interest more young people in the cultural greatness of Bangkok and that is why I started Project Big Bangkok. My intention was not just to take photos of Bangkok, but to promote cultural tourism through miniatures in the photos. I took the miniature figurines on an adventure through Bangkok, as it were. 

How did you get the miniature figurines?
The figurines come from model railway construction. Unfortunately, they are not for sale in Thailand, but I managed to get them via the Internet.

How do people react when they see you playing with those toy figures in the street?
Yes, they sometimes look strange indeed, but in the end they are also curious.

What do you work with?
I take the photos with a Canon 5D MkII and a Fuji XM1. Then I process them in Lightroom for the colors I want.

What's so beautiful about Bangkok?
I love Bangkok, it's a mix of old and modern. It is a modern developed city, but still with old architectural places, such as the palace, temples, monuments and old neighborhoods.

How would you like to change Bangkok?
If you drive a car in Bangkok, it is always a problem to find a parking space. Bangkok needs to do more with public transport. The subway and skytrain should be expanded criss-crossing Bangkok with at least 10 more lines. That would be great.

What is the message you want to convey?
I wish more Thais would explore Bangkok. I've found that many of the places I've photographed are visited exclusively by foreigners. They come to enjoy the cultural sights, but you hardly see Thai people!

So much for the (shortened) interview. If you don't just want to see the photos in this posting, go to www.bigbangkokproject.com and view all 30 photos in enlargement and marvel at the extraordinary result. I thought it was beautiful and I will certainly enlarge some of them, which will hang in my living room as a “painting”.