A heady brew of art

 A series of colourful illustrations of Nescafe red mug interactive art in a contemporary Chinese style and trick art augmented by advanced AR technology are installed throughout the station under the concept “The Land of Irresistible Aroma”. The works by Phannapast, who has also worked with leading global fashion brand Gucci, are being portrayed as a perfect bond where coffee meets contemporary Chinese art.

Nescafe believes the interactive art station will delight the millions of MRT riders who pass through the station.
Naritta Vipulyasekha, business manager – Nescafe Coffee Mixes, Nestle (Thai), said, “Nescafe Blend & Brew, Yaowarat, and Wat Mangkon all have a common value of nurturing stronger bonds among Thai people. This is why we invited talented Thai artist Phannapast to create gorgeous interactive works of art drawn in her unique style everywhere in the station under the theme ‘Land of Irresistible Aroma’. The story begins with many kinds of creatures bringing the two types of Nescafe Blend & Brew coffee beans together, which are then roasted by a fire-breathing dragon to deliver the irresistible aroma and great taste of coffee for everybody to enjoy together.”

She said they have bonded the coffee culture story with contemporary Chinese art, enhanced with advanced AR technology, to reinforce Nescafe’s position as the number one favourite coffee mix of Thai people. “We anticipate that the Nescafe Interactive Art Station will have more than 12 million visitors over the coming year, or about 30,000 people a day.”
Visitors can see all the AR moving images by downloading an application Recall on their smartphone, which is used for seeing the AR.
Artist Phannapast said, “MRT Wat Mangkon is located in Yaowarat, the heart of Thai Chinese commercial community, which I am very familiar with and share a strong bond with, as my family often visit Wat Mangkon. My illustrations tell a great story about how Nescafe and Wat Mangkon connect people together. The Sapha Kafe is a centre for coffee that creates love, friendship, and bonding. If you look closely at every dragon in the illustrations, they are smiling as if they were saying, ‘Start your day with a smile, start your day with coffee’. So don’t forget to take a selfie with the dragons.”

The official launch of the interactive art station at MRT Wat Mangkon was led by Victor Seah, chairman and chief executive officer, Nestlé Indochina, along with executives from Nestle (Thai) Limited, artist Phannapast, actor Jirayu Tangsrisuk who is Nescafé Blend & Brew brand ambassador, Thanapob Leeratanakajorn ( Nescafe Americano brand ambassador), Teeradon Supapunpinyo; Chutimon (Aokbab) Chuengcharoensukying and Marie Broenner.
Victor said, “We have transformed the station into the Land of Irresistible Aroma, showcasing beautiful works of Chinese art enhanced by AR technology. This creates a truly unique and immersive experience for people visiting Yaowarat on the MRT. We believe that MRT Wat Mangkon will be a new landmark in Yaowarat, delighting visitors from Thailand and all over the world.”

Yaowarat has been the centre of the Thai-Chinese community and a prosperous commercial area for over 128 years. For the past 148 years, Wat Mangkon, the largest and most important Chinese Buddhist temple in Yaowarat, has attracted millions of visitors from around the world and is a major centre for members of the Thai-Chinese community.

Nescafe is also offering an exclusive line of merchandise specially designed by Phannapast featuring contemporary Chinese designs. This limited collection, which includes a Nescafe red mug, bag, notebook, scarf, and T-shirt, is exclusively available at MRT Wat Mangkon from September onwards.
Nattavut Trivisvavet, managing director of Bangkok Metro Networks Limited, said, “With the public’s positive reaction to the art installation even before the official launch, as well as today, I believe that MRT Wat Mangkon will help promote tourism and become a new destination that Thai people as well as visitors to the country will love.”