[Tlc] T-talk/art

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Forwarded from the Informal Northern Thai Meeting.
Best,
justin

309th Meeting: Tuesday, February 10th 2009

 

"Unseen in Thailand: Buddhist Murals from the Isan Heartland"

A talk and presentation by Bonnie Brereton

 

Art historians studying Thailand have generally failed to notice the Thai-Lao Buddhist murals of the central Isan heartland, i.e. the provinces of Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham, Kalasin, and Roi Et. These murals are found on the exterior of temple ordination halls in villages, most of which are far from urban centers.

The work of talented but untrained country people, these murals are conceptually distinct in the prominent role played by ordinary people – rather than the elite – in their day-to-day secular and religious activities.

Filled with the details of village, life and death, work and play, murals of the Isan heartland are time capsules of a way of being that is quickly becoming forgotten. This talk will examine some key examples of this exuberant and unusual art, and discuss its narratives, stylistic features, and purposes.

 

Bonnie Brereton is an American researcher based in Chiang Mai. She holds masters degrees in Southeast Asian studies and Asian art history, and a doctorate in Buddhist studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.

She first came to Thailand in 1965 as a US Peace Corps volunteer, serving in Uttaradit province. She has also lived in Songkhla, Pattani, and Khon Kaen as a university lecturer, consultant, translator, and researcher.

Among her many publications are Thai Tellings of Phra Malai and "Traditional Shadow Theater of Northeastern Thailand: Hardy Transplant or Endangered Species?" (Aseanie journal). A book on the murals of the Isan heartland, co-authored with Somroay Yenchuay, will be published later this year by Mekong Press.

______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
3046 INTN
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu