Bangkok’s first crowdfunded moving installation is making art accessible to everyone in their most familiar place, The BTS Skytrain
Who would have thought that a routine as mundane as commuting to work could become something to look forward to? Asiola, the first crowdfunding platform in Thailand introduced Bangkok’s first moving art installation on the BTS Skytrain in July 2017. Backed by supporters across Thailand, the project successfully surpassed their funding goal by raising THB 2,608,600 to bring Universal Connections to life. All advertisements on the BTS were replaced by exclusive art pieces by renowned Thai contemporary artist Kamin Lertchaiprasert, in collaboration with Pete Phornprapha, the Founder of Wonderfruit Festival. Their aim was to make art accessible to everyone.
John Lor, Founder and CEO of Asiola says, “When people think about art, they think that it should only belong in a gallery setting, and only viewed by a certain type of person…we want to surprise people and show them the unexpected side of things, so they feel like if they have great ideas, anything is possible. That’s what Asiola is all about.”
The inspiration behind Universal Connections explores the concept of the human mind, the soul, and the meaning of life through fractal geometry, an infinite repeated pattern that believed to make up all living being.
The inspiration behind Universal Connections explores the concept of the human mind, the soul, and the meaning of life through fractal geometry – an infinite repeated pattern that is believed to be made up of all living beings. His background in contemporary art has allowed Karmin to to represent fractal geometry through a unique monochromatic design. He combines this with thought provoking quotes, in hopes of making viewers look deeper into their own purpose in life and share their compassion with others. He says, “we live in a visual culture, and are bombarded with advertising media every day. I think this lack of substance and human value can cause us to live and think superficially.”
The Universal Connection train runs on both the Silom and Sukhumvit lines and commuters can scan the QR code within the artwork to learn more about the story behind the project. “We hope it will be something beautiful for Bangkok, that will uplift people’s minds and souls, to make their commute a little more meaningful and, in turn, our society a better place,” said Pete.
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