When artist and social activist Wishulada Panthanuvong was asked to display her art at Volvo Studio Bangkok in Iconsiam, she decided to showcase her unique designs including a 100,000 baht dress made from used computer keyboards, a couch made from two broken chairs, and a sculpture made of used fan covers, bottle caps and straws.
Wishulada also created a new piece, a map of the Charoen Nakhon area using waste material including aluminium can lids, bottle caps, fabric scraps, used snack packages, used flute boards and plastic waste.
"The map of Charoen Nakhon area is a part of the map series -- Charoen Krung, Klong Lot Wat Ratchanatda and Charoen Nakhon. I created these three maps because I believe that creativity can be useful and art pieces do not need to be in galleries or museums. Since I work on environmental issues, my art pieces should be easy to access. If not, there will be no impact and no community involvement," said Wishulada.
"Each map was created from waste material in its area. The Charoen Nakhon piece consists of many fabric scraps because it is an area of the fashion industry. My father, community residents and I worked for a month to finish the map. The prominent blue colour was unintentional since we used random waste material that we collected," Wishulada explained.
A graduate of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Wishulada is notable for turning trash into treasure. Instead of creating paintings or sculptures, the young artist creates with waste material such as fabric, metal and plastic. She got the idea from growing up with parents who reused everything possible.
"My parents built tables and chairs from wood that was left over from our house renovation. When a glass bottle of syrup became empty, they recycled it as a water bottle. I was not concerned about environment issues at that time, but seeing those DIY items taught me to value things around me," said Wishulada.
After creating many artworks from reused materials, Wishulada had opportunities to work with people in several communities such as Khon Kaen, Raipahattana in Chai Nat and Bang Yai in Nonthaburi. The artist noticed that each community had its own unique waste materials. While Khon Kaen had many silk scraps because they produced silk products, Raipahattana had many snack packages; Bang Yai had a lot of metal and wood scraps. She asked people in the community to collaborate with her in order to create their artworks.
"I want to connect with communities, so they can reuse materials and reduce waste in their area. People in communities know about recycling, but they thought the purpose of recycling only served to add value to their products. I told them that environmental issues affect them. For example, global warming causes low rainfall and less rice productivity," Wishulada said.
"I also told them about how to separate, clean and dry trash. As a result, they began to collect trash instead of throwing it away. However, at first, some people consumed more products, so they could collect more snack packages or bottle caps to make the pieces of art. I had to explain that was the wrong idea. We can brainstorm and adapt what we have to create a piece of art."
Over time, she noticed the Raipahattana community managed to reduce its amount of waste material significantly.
"Currently, there are no waste packages left in Raipahattana; they started to collect snack packaging from other nearby districts. People often asked me if art can help create environmental sustainability. Art can inspire people to make changes, but the changes are limited to only a small area. I want to expand this project. If I have an opportunity to speak with people at a state agency, I would like to create a project, 'One Tambon One Reused Material', " said Wishulada.
In addition to creating large artworks from reused materials, the artist launched an eco-craft brand, Wishulada, available at Iconsiam, Siam Discovery, ChangChui and MOCA Museum. Wishulada said she started the brand because many people wanted to purchase her work, but did not have space to store large pieces.
"I was thinking about what people could use in their daily life. At that time, there were many fabric scraps, so I created a bag collection. Colourful fabric scraps were sewn over recycled tote bags. Wishulada bags are unpredictable with different colours and unique designs because we make them from reused materials. In the past, we made bags from straws, old zippers, silk scraps and sack bags. When these materials ran out, we stopped making them. Making Wishulada bags is fun for me because my main income comes from large sculptures," said Wishulada.
The eco-craft brand Wishulada is now available at the Shinjuku-Takashimaya Department store in Japan as well as on the website meetz.store.
"I participated in a workshop organised by the Thai Textile Society and they introduced me to other retailers. Shinjuku-Takashimaya introduced me to customers from Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. I am happy that international customers understand that these bags are made of reused materials, so each bag is different and unique. These customers appreciate my product and do not quibble over price," she said.
Currently, Wishulada is working on several projects involving the environment.
"I want to use energy to create art, so I am studying for a master's in energy technology and management at Chulalongkorn University. I study many types of energy and I plan to adapt energy to art. Also, I submitted an investment proposal to an institution. I plan to create a platform that uses augmented reality technology to design clothes for users. These clothes either are made from reused materials or are second-hand clothes. It is a brand for people who care about environmental issues," said Wishulada.
- The Charoen Nakhon map by Wishulada Panthanuvong can be viewed at Volvo Studio Bangkok, Iconsiam, until March.
- For more information about the eco-craft brand Wishulada, visit facebook.com/ICONCRAFTTHAILAND and facebook.com/WishuladaPanthanuvong.
