Museum on the move

MUSEUM SIAM is taking learning about the Kingdom’s past and present to a new level with the introduction of “Account Thailand”, a new travelling exhibition that’s part of its popular Muse Mobile project.

Slated to travel all over the country, “Account Thailand” tells the story of the country and its people by bringing a selection of the exhibits at the Bangkok mothership to the provinces and using converted shipping containers as the galleries. 

 “We’ve been running Muse Mobile for six years with the aim of offering people more access to museums and learning centres, but this is the first time we are taking ‘Account Thailand’ on the road. Our first stop is Trat but we will be visiting other regions too,” says Rames Promyen, director of the National Discovery Museum Institute (NDMI) or Museum Siam, during the recent opening of the exhibition at Trat TK Park.

“In addition to this exhibition, we are organising three activities. The first, ‘Kam Thai Thai Kam’, focuses on Thai words that are mixed with languages from our neighbouring countries. We are also holding talks by conservationists from several Asean member nations on the management and maintenance of antiques, and providing the histories of localities around the country.

“Account Thailand”, which has been on permanent show for the last eight years, occupies 17 rooms of the three-storey Museum Siam building on Saman Chai Road and offers a comprehensive historical narrative of the country. Some of the information, content and the models that tell the story of Thailand from ancient times up until today have been packed up for the road show and moved into five steel containers. The scaled-down exhibition has a range of tangible objects, graphics, videos, games, animations, and interactive multimedia that encourage visitors to learn about different facets of Thailand, including archaeology, lifestyle, faiths, trade, traditions and politics. 

The containers themselves have been adapted and boast three layers of doors, says Preecha Ratchakhun, managing director of De To Great. The first door opens into a walkway leading from one container to another. The second, a roller shutter, protects the contents and visitors from the rain, while the last is a sliding door to ensure none of the cool air leaks out. The side and end walls are supported by a two-layer structure of steel and wood that keeps the containers weatherproof. 

 The first container is home to the “Typically Thai” exhibition, which is a summary of the “Immersive Theatre” and “Typically Thai” rooms at Museum Siam. It serves as an introduction to what “Typically Thai” means and identifies the characteristics of Thainess.

“We have kept the key elements and the most important contents, including the tuk tuk, a som tam (papaya salad) cart, and a Chinese shrine as well some examples of Thainess such as Sala Chalermthai Theatre, Yaowarat, the Giant Swing, the Royal Barge Suphannahong and Wat Arun,” Preecha explains. 

The second, “Introduction to Suvarnabhumi”, encompasses the museum’s “Founding of Ayutthaya” room.

“Here the story begins in the Tawaravadee Era and continues through to the time when U-thong or Ramathibodi was crowned the first king of Ayutthaya. It has a timeline that compares the development of Thailand with Western civilisation,” says Preecha.

That third container is called “Siam” and brings together the splendour of Ayutthaya and Siam’s culture and heritage including the Royal Barge Suphannahong. The fall of Ayutthaya, shown in Museum Siam’s War Room, is discovered through an interactive game room named “Kol Suek” (“gun battle”).

 “I had planned to put another game about the war stratagem in this room too but there was no space,” Preecha explains. 

The fourth container, “Bangkok, New Ayutthaya”, covers the period when the centre of power moved from Ayutthaya to Rattanakosin Island and is home to an interactive display that shows the transition from Ayutthaya to Rattanakosin and Bangkok. The construction process of the city, civilisation and culture is explained on the walls. This container summarises “The Map Room”, “Bangkok: New Ayutthaya” and “Village Life” sections of the main exhibition.

“Politics & Communications” is the theme of the last container and explains the changes that occurred during the reign of King Rama V. Visitors are invited to dress up in Thai costumes to get a better feel for the era. A second room focuses on the Siamese Revolution of 1932 as well as the early days of democracy, the building of the Democracy Monument and the adoption of the Thai flag and national anthem. The exhibition wraps with “Thailand Today” depicting the country as it is now.”

“Museum Siam has more than 100 ceiling-mounted television sets but we could only fit 30 in this container. They are tuned to free stations and cable TV. It’s important that visitors witness the same things at our mobile show as they do at Museum Siam,” says Preecha. 

“We’ve been able to keep almost all the information and contents by using interactive monitors.”

The Muse Mobile not only helps promote creative learning but also extends learning opportunities to children nationwide, breaking down the barriers between the learning potential of central Thailand and the regions, and serving as a model for sustainable knowledge management of learning centres around Thailand.

In addition to “Account Thailand”, Museum Siam is also organising two other mobile shows. “Discovering Thai, Discovering Me, Discovering E-San” is now on display at Nakhon Phanom Science Centre for Education while “The Potential of E-San” is at Surin National Museum. 

In the six years since its introduction, Muse Mobile has travelled to 32 provinces in all four regions thanks to the collaboration of more than 70 local agencies, both public and private sectors and welcomed more than 300,000 visitors. 

 

Our Heritage Explained

 

Muse Mobile “Account Thailand” is at TK Park in Trat Province until September 15 and open daily from 10am to 6pm.

For more information, |call (093) 690 2041