Cultural Inquiry

SUMPHAT approaches culture as a field of inquiry. Through fieldwork, material study, and historical investigation, the studio explores the knowledge systems embedded in Thai craftsmanship and cultural practices. This research forms the foundation for design development, cultural exhibitions, and strategic cultural initiatives.

Rather than preserving heritage as static memory, the research seeks to understand how traditional knowledge can evolve and remain relevant in contemporary society.

Expanding the Cultural Ecosystem of Bo Sang Umbrella Craft as a Mechanism of Thai Soft Power.
Project name : SALASALUM
Partnership : CEA, Bo Sang Umbrella Craft center
Venue : Chiangmai Design Week
Year : 2025

The “Sala Salum” project was developed in response to a critical challenge faced by artisans and entrepreneurs (stakeholders) in the Bo Sang umbrella-making community. As tourism patterns and urban lifestyles have evolved, the traditional paper umbrella—once a symbol of Chiang Mai’s way of life—has gradually lost its relevance. This crisis not only disrupts the community’s primary source of income but also highlights the fragility of local wisdom that risks being permanently lost.
To address this issue, the project was systematically designed through a Soft Power framework. It begins by identifying the Product & Craft Focus, centered on Bo Sang umbrella craftsmanship, and positioning it within Thailand’s strong Soft Power categories: design and cultural tourism. The project is grounded in key values aligned with contemporary global concerns, particularly Sustainability—encouraging audiences to reconnect with the materials and ecological systems behind the umbrellas—and Culture, which conveys the rich narratives of Chiang Mai.
Soft power Strategy:
A key strength of the project lies in its integration of both High Culture and Pop Culture.
High Culture:
In the High Culture dimension, the project collaborates with over 30 Thai and international artists to reinterpret traditional craftsmanship through contemporary art. Technologies such as projection mapping and sensory design are applied to create immersive visual and tactile experiences, transforming the umbrella surface into a dynamic artistic medium.
Pop Culture:
At the same time, the project engages with Pop Culture by inviting visitors to paint their own miniature umbrellas. This hands-on experience transforms audiences from passive observers into active participants, fostering emotional connection, enjoyment, and wide public engagement.
Project Outcome:
The overall experience is embedded within the urban fabric, using paper umbrellas as a narrative guide for city exploration. It connects key historical landmarks such as Wat Phra Singh, the Three Kings Monument, and Wat Chedi Luang into a cohesive cultural journey.
Ultimately, the “Slasa Salum” project is synthesized into a practical policy framework, demonstrating how art, technology, and contemporary experiences can drive cultural tourism. This approach not only generates tangible income for artisan communities but also serves as a powerful model for elevating local craftsmanship into a sustainable Soft Power for Chiang Mai.

Research Approach

This research focuses on developing soft power by identifying cultural assets and positioning them within target industries, alongside stakeholder analysis. It then defines cultural positioning (high/pop) and core values to clearly frame systemic challenges. This leads to processes of translation and reframing, creating new applications that generate economic, social, and cultural value, with the potential for broader scalability.

Input(Cultural Asset) → Mapping(Category & Stakeholder) → Positioning  (High / Pop) → Value & Problem → Transformation  (Translate/Reframe) → Policy Output(Impact & Scale)

Lacquer-ware for Gastronomic and Cross-Cultural Dining Experience.
Project name : Janrak, peace over the Thai-Japan
Partnership : CEA, Wancher, Blue Elephant restaurant
Venue : Central original store, Blue Elephant, Bangkok Design Week
Year : 2024

The “JANRAK” exhibition was initiated to strengthen the relationship between Thailand and Japan through cross-cultural exchange in the realms of fine dining and lacquerware craftsmanship. The project emerged amid a critical crisis faced by stakeholders in the Thai lacquerware industry, where fewer than seven artisan groups or workshops remain. Without urgent intervention, this refined heritage—passed down through generations—risks being permanently replaced by industrial materials such as plastic and metal.

To address this challenge, the project applies a systematic Soft Power framework. It identifies lacquerware as the core Product & Craft Focus and strategically positions it within Thailand’s most powerful Soft Power category: the food industry. The project is anchored in three key values: Country Friendship, Sustainability, and Culture.

A defining strength of JANRAK lies in its dual cultural approach:

High Culture:
The project elevates lacquerware into artistic tableware for high-end fine dining. Leading Thai and Japanese artists and master chefs collaborate to create bespoke pieces that enhance both aesthetic value and dining experience.

Pop Culture:
To broaden accessibility, the project encourages active public engagement through Thai cooking workshops, where participants can experience and interact with lacquerware firsthand, fostering emotional connection and tangible understanding.

The policy for revitalizing lacquerware addresses key challenges such as the decline of skilled artisans and the diminishing cultivation of lacquer trees due to time-intensive production processes. By linking craft value with fine dining—an industry that demands customization and exclusivity—the project transforms limitations into strengths, creating a high-value market that supports artisanal production without reliance on mass manufacturing.

Through the lens of brand value:

Brand Identity: Lacquerware is redefined as natural-material art (woven bamboo coated with lacquer) that conveys stories, emotions, and memories.
Brand Meaning: It integrates Bangkok’s diverse food culture with the vision of top artists and chefs, enhancing credibility and emotional engagement.
Brand Response: It openly addresses stakeholder challenges, including complex production processes and fragile material ecosystems.
Brand Resonance: It proposes a practical policy—positioning lacquerware within the fine dining sector, where customization aligns with artisanal capacity.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

SDG 8: Generates value-added economic systems, restoring income and dignity to artisans.
SDG 11: Preserves vulnerable cultural heritage of Thailand and Japan.
SDG 12: Promotes responsible use of durable, natural materials and environmentally conscious production cycles.

Reinterpreting the Gestural Vocabulary of Lakhon Chatri into Contemporary Performative Aesthetics.
Project name : SARTORIAL, Sense of NangLoeng
Partnership : CEA, NangLoeng Community
Venue : NangLoeng, Bangkok Design Week
Year : 2023

The Sartorial project was initiated in response to the decline of the Nang Loeng community, once a vibrant hub of Thai artists and musicians. This area has been significantly affected by the relocation of government offices, urban expansion, and the COVID-19 pandemic. If left unaddressed, the cultural ecosystem—blending Southern Nora dance and Central Thai Khon performance—risks disappearing, leading to an irreplaceable loss of identity, multicultural wisdom, and a unique local economic system.
Objective:
To address this crisis, the project began with a stakeholder analysis, focusing on master Chatri dance teachers and Thai musicians in the area who are facing a lack of performance spaces and income. These individuals are the lifeblood of Thai performing arts, yet many struggle to sustain themselves within Bangkok’s dense urban environment. The project therefore examines performing arts aesthetics through a Soft Power framework, identifying “Chatri dance” as its Product & Craft Focus—an increasingly rare art form. It is positioned within the Entertainment & Festival industry, a category in which Thailand holds strong global potential, grounded in the core values of History and Culture deeply rooted in Nang Loeng.
Soft power Strategy:
A key strategy of Sartorial is the design of experiences that integrate both High Culture and Pop Culture, allowing traditional arts to survive and thrive across multiple industries.
High Culture:
In the High Culture dimension, the project introduces a temporary art installation that integrates architecture, light, color, and Thai music. This installation serves as a backdrop that gradually reveals the charm of Thai musical instruments, elevating the experience into a Performance Installation Art. It functions as a “cultural vessel” designed to support high-end dining businesses, offering a refined, immersive experience that enhances the value of fine dining.
Pop Culture:
In the Pop Culture dimension, the project highlights the legacy of Master Kanya Thippayots (Kru Ja), a local artist. Sacred Chatri dance is reinterpreted and simplified into a more accessible form of communication, resulting in a “blessing dance to invite deities.” This adapted performance can be used in contemporary social contexts, such as birthday celebrations or housewarming ceremonies, where auspiciousness and approachability are desired.
Project Outcome:
This project goes beyond preservation by transforming traditional art into a viable economic model. It generates real income through adapted performances and extends into digital asset markets such as NFTs. Ultimately, the Sartorial project synthesizes its process and outcomes into a practical policy framework, demonstrating how the integration of art, technology, and architecture can bridge cultural heritage with the modern economy. This approach not only restores dignity and quality of life for master artists but also offers a scalable model for revitalizing the spirit of Nang Loeng in a sustainable way.

Research Approach

This research aims to develop soft power by first identifying cultural assets and positioning them within target industries, alongside stakeholder analysis. It then defines cultural positioning (high/pop) and core values to clearly articulate systemic challenges. The process continues with translation and reframing to create new applications that generate economic, social, and cultural value, with the potential for broader scalability.

Input(Cultural Asset) → Mapping (Category & Stakeholder) → Positioning(High / Pop) → Value & Problem → Transformation(Translate/Reframe) → Policy Output(Impact & Scale)

Translating Shadow Play Heritage into Contemporary Installation and Performance Art Practice
Project name : RAMASURA
Partnership : BACC
Venue : Bangkok Art and Cultural Center
Year : 2023

The exhibition “RAMASURA” emerged from an awareness of the declining presence of Thai folklore imagination and the traditional art of Nang Yai leather craftsmanship. Historically, Nang Yai served as a vital medium for conveying Thai ways of life and belief systems. However, with the decline in popularity of traditional performances, key stakeholders—including performers, leather artisans, and Thai classical dancers—now face a lack of performance spaces and sustainable income. As a result, the intricate knowledge and craftsmanship of this heritage are at risk of disappearing from contemporary society.
Soft power Strategy:
In response, the project transforms this crisis into an opportunity by applying a Soft Power framework. It identifies Nang Yai as its Product & Craft Focus and positions it within Thailand’s globally recognized Soft Power categories: Culture, Entertainment, and Art.
Rather than adapting to mass markets, the project elevates Nang Yai into the realm of High Culture through contemporary artistic interpretation. Working closely with the local community in Ratchaburi and master artisans from Wat Khanon, a renowned center of traditional performance, the exhibition draws on the myth of “Mekhala–Ramasura” as its narrative core. This story, associated with the rainy season and abundance, is reimagined through an immersive installation. Visitors experience a dynamic interplay of light, movement, and storytelling—depicting the mythical chase between the crystal ball and the lightning axe—presented in a cinematic, three-dimensional environment.
SDG Goal:
The project is grounded in the value of SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, emphasizing that cultural revitalization requires collaborative networks. It brings together artisans, contemporary artists, designers, and audiences to co-create a new cultural ecosystem that supports sustainability and innovation.
Project Outcome:
the exhibition transcends traditional preservation. It becomes a learning community that connects people while proposing a concrete policy framework. This policy highlights how integrating art spaces with contemporary technology can elevate traditional crafts into High Culture, sustain artisan communities, restore economic value, and position Thai heritage as a powerful and sustainable form of Soft Power in the modern era.

Research Approach

This research integrates Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model to evaluate the transformation of Nang Yai craftsmanship into contemporary art across four dimensions:

Salience: Reviving awareness of endangered cultural heritage
Performance & Imagery: Assessing the effectiveness of immersive installations in communicating identity and elevating perception to High Culture
Judgment & Feeling: Evaluating audience perception in terms of emotional aesthetics and social value aligned with SDG 17 collaboration
Resonance: Measuring engagement and the potential to build a sustainable learning community network

The findings contribute to policy recommendations aimed at advancing Thailand’s Soft Power in a sustainable and impactful way.

Salience → Performance → Imagery → Feeling → Judgment → Resonance

Exploring Objecthood, Temporality, and Contemplative Design Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Project name : PINIJ, Happiness in Quarantine
Partnership : S.A.C Gallery
Venue : OP Place, Bangkok Design Week
Year : 2022

The exhibition “PINIJ” (Mindfulness in Quarantine) emerged during a global crisis that forced people to live within confined spaces. This condition not only reduced social interaction but also caused accumulated stress and intense psychological pressure, inevitably affecting overall well-being and emotional balance.
Strategy:
To address this mental vulnerability, the project elevated its approach through collaborations with leading art institutions such as SAC Gallery and the Creative Economy Agency (CEA). A group of artists and designers were invited to experiment and create diverse works, using art as a tool for emotional healing while reflecting the hidden social conditions beneath the crisis.
The exhibition raises awareness by inviting audiences to reconnect with their inner world through the concept of “slowing down time.” Collectible design pieces serve as a medium to communicate abstract narratives. In terms of performance, these works function as safe spaces where viewers can pause, reflect, reduce stress, and develop new perspectives on isolation. In terms of judgment, the exhibition successfully connects personal emotional struggles with broader social and global contexts.
Emotionally, audiences experience calmness, contemplation, and heightened awareness through subtle shifts in perception. The visual language of the exhibition represents a transition from chaos to stillness, from movement to pause—mirroring a healing journey of the mind.
Project Outcome:
the exhibition fosters engagement by connecting designers, artists, and audiences into a shared community of experience. It stands as a commitment to using art as a guiding force—to heal wounds, build mutual understanding, and help society move forward with resilience through challenging times.

Research Approach

The PINIJ project applies the CBBE model to evaluate the exhibition’s potential as a tool for emotional healing during crises. It begins with creating salience through the concept of slowing down time to explore the inner self. It then examines performance and imagery, positioning the works as safe spaces that transition from urgency to calm. Furthermore, it evaluates judgment and feeling, assessing how effectively the exhibition connects personal trauma with broader social contexts. Finally, it measures resonance to determine its success in building a healing community that unites artists and audiences in navigating hardship together.

Salience → Performance → Imagery → Feeling → Judgment → Resonance

THAI LACQUER WORK PAINTING

“Lai Rod Nam” is a type of art in the form of monochromatic painting. It is believed to have originated from the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th century and has been documented in historical records, such as letters exchanged between the Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) and China.

These records describe the practice of writing royal messages to establish friendly relationships with China using the “Lai Rod Nam” art form. It is one of the ten royal crafts (Chang Sip Mu), also known as “Chang Rak.”

“Lai Rod Nam” encompasses various patterns and designs covered with gold leaf on a lacquer surface. The final step involves rinsing with water to reveal the gilded design, hence the name “Lai Rod Nam,” which literally means “water-rinsed gold motif.”

This art form holds significant importance in embellishing everyday objects and household ornaments in traditional Thai culture. It is applied to a wide range of items, from letters and objects to architecture, including items used in Buddhist religious practices and those associated with the monarchy.

While gold leaf is commonly used as a background in Asian paintings and objects, in Thai “Lai Rod Nam” art, the gold leaf becomes the subject of the painting itself. The SuMphat gallery aims to preserve and promote this traditional art form in everyday life, bridging the gap between the past and the present.

TRADITIONAL SHADOW PLAY ART

“NANG YAI”is an ancient Thai performing art with its influences dating back to the reign of King Alexander the Great. This revered cultural heritage of Thailand combines the elegance of “Khon” dance steps with mesmerizing shadow play puppetry, captivating audiences from diverse backgrounds. Each step of the process demands precision and patience to convey intricate details, recounting the epic battle between humans and demons.

Translated as “Big Theatre,” “NANG YAI” features grand-sized shadow puppets gracefully intertwined with the Khon dance movements, performed by skilled artists on stage. These exquisite puppets are meticulously carved from buffalo or cowhide, tanned to perfection, and adorned with continuous Thai patterns, creating a seamless visual spectacle. The addition of hundreds of needles brings the story to life through intricate shadow and light effects, enhanced by vibrant coloring.

Despite facing challenges and a decline in modern audiences, this captivating art continues to be produced and cherished in Bangkok’s western provinces. To keep this timeless legacy alive, SuMphat gallery plays a crucial role in promoting “NANG YAI” with its contemporary designs that embrace relevance while preserving rich traditions. As dusk sets upon this cherished cultural gem, SuMphat’s dedication ensures
“NANG YAI” will shine brightly for generations to come.