Fah Thai Magazine May June 2019

OVERTURES
NEWS AND EVENTS
May 2019
LAOS & THAILAND
ROCKET FESTIVAL
If you happen to be in Laos and the northeastern
provinces of Thailand like Yasothon and Roi Et in
May, chances are you’ll bump into a procession
of people out celebrating the rocket festival. It’s
one of Laos’ and Thailand’s much-loved and most
thrilling way to communicate with the gods.
“Bun Bang Fai” or Rocket Festival has become
an important part of the fertility rites observed
for strong and healthy rice crops. When farmers
prepare for the growing season along the
Mekong River in May, villages from near and
far create rockets and launch them into the
sky. Fast and furious rockets go heavenward
in a message to Hang, the god of rain, to send
downpours to help their rice grow.
It does not take a rocket scientist or
aerospace engineer to make these rockets
fly. The masters are typically monks with a
knowledge of gunpowder and a good sense of
air motion experts enough to send the rocket
to where the gods dwell. But be cautious,
some rockets have a poor sense of direction!
tourismlaos.org, tourismthailand.org
Now
-12 2019
MAY
SINGAPORE
GOOD EATS
Discover the best in the culinary world at the
World Gourmet Summit (WGS), as it returns
for its 23rd edition. The 2019 event, which
will be held until 12 May across various
restaurants and venues in Singapore will offer
a diverse curation of epicurean experiences for
discerning gastronomes.
WGS is Asia’s premier haute cuisine
festival that celebrates fine cuisines, excellent
wines, and wonderful dining experiences.
The festival presents a unique opportunity to
relish gourmet dishes sporting a multitude of
culinary influences.
This year’s event will not just feature a
diversified line up of culinary stars but also
a showcase of products, cuisines and master
classes. Ever-evolving, WGS 2019 will also
focus on sustainability practices and movement
towards food-waste management and a plasticfree
environment in the world of gastronomy.
worldgourmetsummit.com
N o w - 2019
JUN
HONG KONG
ART IN HOSPITALS
After being held in New York, London
and Geneva, international culture project,
Contagious Cities arrives in Hong Kong.
This unique art showcase explores the city’s
experience of pandemics and the cultural and
social impacts of disease on its community.
Contagious Cities features a diverse
range of programmes and exhibitions that
illuminates the role of urban areas in causing
– and controlling – infectious diseases in our
densely connected world. The exhibition is
being held at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital
and Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern
Hospital galleries until June 2019.
The city-wide project has
collaborated with Art in Hospital,
Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong
Museum of Medical Sciences,
Oi! Street Art Space, Tai Kwun
and The Common Core (HKU),
to help tell illuminating
stories of the city’s history of
epidemics. wellcome.ac.uk/
what-we-do/our-work/
contagious-cities
Photos ARTPLAY Media
Now
-31 JUL
2019
BANGKOK
ART ALIVE
Following its tremendous success in Berlin,
From Monet to Kandinsky: Visions Alive,
the multimedia show finally makes Bangkok
its next destination and first stop in Asia.
More than 1,500 magnificent works from
the world’s most famous master painters in
the realm of expressionism, abstract art and
surrealism will be presented with stateof-the-art
projection and an impressive
surround sound at RCB Galleria, River City
Bangkok. The exhibition will feature not only
the aesthetics of the art masters, but also
present talks from experts in European art
in collaboration with the European Union.
Tickets are available at zipeventapp.com
Now
-31 AUG
2019
SIEM REAP
PRESERVING APSARA DANCE
No trip to Siem Reap is complete without
attending a traditional Cambodian dance
performance. The ancient traditional Khmer
dancing and Apsara dance performances
are performed on a regular basis in various
locations around the city.
Thanks to the influx of tourists to the
country, the ancient art form and traditional
dance has enjoyed a revival over the last
decade. For visitors, Apsara dance provides
a chance to enjoy the beautiful
performances and understand
stories, which have formed an
integral part of the Khmer culture
for over a thousand years.
Most importantly,
the popularity of
the performances
has also ensured
that the art form
is preserved for
generations to come.
tourismcambodia.com
3-5
MAY
2019
KUALA LUMPUR
GET JAZZED
Ever since its inception in 2012, the World
Youth Jazz Festival (WYJF) has stood as a key
event for jazz lovers, serving as a platform
to promote the talents that are establishing
themselves in the genre. The 8th edition of
the event, happening this May, promises the
same with an eclectic line-up of international
as well as local musicians.
Like previous years, WYJF provides an
enticing opportunity to see up and coming
jazz acts sharing the stage with veterans of
the jazz community. This year’s event will see
an impressive array of musical talent who will
perform at the Panggung Anniversary and No
Black Tie in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Slated
to perform at the annual free jazz festival are
Thailand’s Asia 7, Korean band Goochu as well as
Indonesia’s Daya Quintet and Michał Martyniuk
Quartet from New Zealand.
worldyouthjazzfest.com
22 23