Another highlight, and on the tourist trail for most visiting Bangkok, is 'Jim Thompson House'. The brief story is that he was a silk trader who "single handedly revitalised the hand made silk tradition in Thailand" according to the guides who run tours through his house. He lived in this house during the 50's, built from inspiration across the various Asian cultures - something he was well able to do as he was a trained architect. We were only allowed to take photos of the gardens, so I miss out on sharing some of the art that was in the house, and how well is was presented, but I think you get the drift that I was impressed (I'm writing a blog entry on it aren't I?).
Their website is average (http://www.jimthompsonhouse.com/), but does give a few more photos and some history for those interested. In short, I'd recommend a visit to anyone finding themselves in Bangkok for more than a stopover.
The other thing that I should mention is that at the time that Ros and I visited, there was a textile exhibition in their gallery (yes they also have a gallery and a gift shop that feels lifted from a premium Japanese shopping centre - as did the prices). The exhibition was french in origin and had some amazing works. Soft, heavy, bold, subtle, layered, etc. lots of artists presenting works that were in various textiles that were in many cases as beautiful as they were thought provoking. A nice bonus when all we expected to see was a 'nice house full of interesting stuff'. I'm sure every traveller has had these moment of the 'unexpected bonus' - this is one of mine. I invite you to think of some that you have experienced...
1 comment:
Yeah, the Jim Thompson House rocks! I've been there twice and I'm sure I would have mentioned it had I known you were heading through Bangkok (like horny man who walks through the metal detector sideways). Bangkok also has a massive mansion built entirely out of Teak... no wonder Thailand doesn't have any timber left (it mostly comes from Malaysia now).
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