BAD TIMES, GREAT PICTURES

 The flood catastrophe of 2011 will be one to remember, not just for its tragic consequences but also for the outpouring of caring and community spirit. Anyone around the world who’s seen the thousands of photos posted online will have marvelled at the spectacle.
The Culture Ministry is moving fast to start building a photo archive of the crisis, inviting citizens to show what they shot in an exhibition next month called “Water + Empathy”.
“People have captured this historic flood disaster from all sorts of angles, even in heavy floodwater,” Minister Sukumol Kunplome said yesterday as she unveiled plans at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
She said the awful scenes from temples, private homes and city streets have consistently mixed with depictions of kindness and good cheer, reflecting the widespread empathy that emerged even as the country was submerged.
“These photographs record both history and the Thai culture of kindness,” Sukumol said.
The ministry and the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand under His Majesty the King’s patronage want people to “share their empathy” and submit their digital photos to the Big Camera website by the end of this month.
A jury will select 200 to display at the Culture Centre from December 8 to 30 and at the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Tourism Complex from December 11 to 15.
“The aim is to record the flooding with a highlight on the spirit if Thai people in helping the flood victims,” Sukumol said. “At the same time we’re raising money for the Fine Arts Department’s restoration of damaged heritage sites.”
“We hope the photos encourage donors,” Deputy Permanent Secretary Apinan Poshyananda added. “Donors will get a 1.5-per-cent tax refund.”
Apinan explained that the exhibition has five themes: affected historical sites, empathy, flood incidents, humour and “innovation/imagination”.
On view with the public entries will be five photos taken by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. One is a bird’s-eye view of Ayutthaya’s Wat Chaiwattanaram engulfed in floodwater. The Princess flew over the World Heritage site in a helicopter on October 14.
Ayutthaya has 505 temples – and only three escaped flooding. So the push is on to raise money for renovations.
“Wat Chaiwattanaram was one of the most seriously affected and it will be very sensitive to restore since it’s so old,” Sukumol said.
Unesco has already pledged support, as has the German government, which promised