Growing up between two cultures in the US and Thailand, I often struggled to figure out where I fit and how my two ‘homes’ connected. While spoken language was often a source of disconnection, I later discovered that the mediums of craft and design offered a new possibility to communicate. For the craftsperson or designer, our process, materials, and the products that result are a kind of universal language that transcends the need for spoken word.

Four years ago I relocated my studio from New York City to Chiang Mai and set out to build relationships with Thailand’s craft and design community. We communed on the common ground of our appreciation for Thai artisanship, materials and creativity. This exhibition brings together the work of some (but not all!) of the many designers who have provided inspiration and guidance as PERN BAAN established its footing in Thailand. These designers and the objects they make are the ‘Friends of Our Home’.

Curated alongside Rathee Phaisanchotsiri - a designer, photographer and community builder who was one of my first friends in Chiang Mai - FOTH brings together a diverse selection of work from across Thailand’s creative landscape. 

Some participants, like Studio Mueja and Ceremonial Pacha, have independent craft practices and home studios. Others are industrial designers, like SarnSard or Kitt.Ta.Khon, who breathe new life into traditional Thai craftsmanship through their collaborations with heritage weaving  artisans. Moonler and Podium - two of Thailand’s leading export furniture factories - commission leading Thai designers like Atelier 2+ and help establish the country’s design voice in markets around the world. Countless others produce singular works in textiles, ceramics, metals, fibers and other materials that defy easy categorization.

The extraordinary design talent of this cohort is shared across several ‘roomscapes’ in PERN BAAN’s 5-story Shophouse. We hope that it provides an example for what a contemporary Thai designed Home could be.

-Robert Sukrachand