44
STYLE
SOULSCAPES Laos’s emerging art scene provides some soulful additions to your home or office décor. TEXT BY VANIDA PHIMPHRACHANH & DOMINIQUE LE ROUX PHOTOGRAPHS BY TON PHANUMAD & ALEN CHIT SCENOGRAPHY & STYLING BY BIRDS FOLLOW SPRING
L
aos is a country in transition. So, too, its cultural landscape is moving from a traditional to a more globalized perspective. Who better to portray this than the fresh crop of emerging artists capturing today’s Laos with vintage tools and a contemporary eye? Theirs is a take that moves from mere digital photo accumulation to a considered commentary on the present moment, portrayed in a unique style. We’re inspired by imagining their work in modern homes around the world. After all, a picture speaks a thousand words: why not take a Lao artist’s print home with you and display it in unexpected ways in your own interior space? Carry the vibes of these contemporary artists to a land far away and add some Lao soul to your home.
TON PHANUMAD While the Insta-feed of this filmmaker at Lao New Wave Cinema reveals a street photographer’s sensibility, here Ton wanted to graphically illustrate his perceptions of the traditional takbat ceremony. We like the idea of adding his imagery to a window box that references an ancestral altar in the family home or creating a cabinet of curiosities by pairing a print with a collection of memory-evoking objects. Instagram: phanumad_disattha
