Slow hand Design:  Interweaving the Spirit of Thai Craftsmanship 

This exhibition is supported by the Office of Product Value Promotion, Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce of The Royal Thai government in collaboration with Thai Trade Center Office, Milano and the Design & Objects Association. 
Exhibition curator: Eggarat  Wongcharit 
Exhibition design: B.U.G. studio 

Curator’s manifesto 
Thailand is renowned for her rich culture and the colorful people. The interweaving of such cultural diversification has created a Thai identity that differentiates Thailand from all other Asian countries. Thais are immersed in a culture that nurtures the skills of creative handicraft works from a young age. Objects that Thai have created by hand have developed from their historical past until the present. The subtle taste of spice infusion makes the famous Thai cuisine a perfect reflection of how local Thai art, crafts and industries are shifted, intermingled and developed together within the global living context. The new blood influencing design still emits from the local identity inspiring Thailand’s modern industries. 
The refine Thai craftsmanship and new design industries development are interwoven and reflect its content via design showcase object awarded by Thailand’s pride of Design Excellence (Demark) award to reflect the inseparable relations between local creative wisdom and the global context of industries.
Eggarat Wongcharit 
Curator

Interweaving Thai Design Spirit 
When digging deep into the root of how art and design in Thailand have developed, the chronicle of infusion between arts and cultures always reflect the presence of the modern Thai design industries. Either local artisans or modern product designers, their intuitive thinking can be traced back to the influences of sub-cultures infused with local crafts wisdom. 
Even today, when traditional arts have developed from visual function into practical design, the fusion between local material use, crafts techniques and new technologies are still considered the “approach” in most design cases. This is the reason why Thai design always reflects different characteristics, as the sources for the design process creation and manufacturing does not come from merely global influences but it also derives from our own local Thai identity. 

Interweaving crafts manufacturing with massive design industries 
Even though Thailand has been shifting against industrial production for many generations, the manufacturing processes still relies on labor intensive operation. A new production technology cannot always offer a full spectrum of end product finishing. Perfect craftsmanship still relies on hand-operation. Thanks to the slow development of Thailand’s industries, manual operations have brought along advantages to the industries when other business competitors tend to focus more on fast and larger production quantity with less concern in quality. The “trust” of Thailand’s manufacturing quality has gradually established the country’s reputation among foreign investors.