This Saturday we went for an excursion to visit ComPeung artist village at Doi Saket. ComPeung is the first non-governmental artist-in-residence program in Thailand. Founded in 2005 by artists who believe places that resist the conventional art’s obsession with selling rather than content are needed. Alternative places that experiment with and question the role of art, artists’ positions, and the interdependence of art and society. ComPeung aims to be one of these places, open to all who share the importance and the compassion for creativity.
The actual ComPeung site, comprising of a total of 112 ares (2.8 acres), is situated in the outskirts of Doi Saket town and surrounded by hills, forests and natural lakes. All the houses in ComPeung are made from mud and bamboo and it aims at being environmentally friendly.
Local and international artist are invited to come and live there for one to three months. The artist pays 27.000 baht (860$) per month for housing, three meals a day and the right to utilize the surrounding space as they please. Artists also have the opportunity to exchange ideas and share experiences through the process of creating artworks, developing conceptual projects as well as participating in workshops and other ComPeung activities.
While visiting we spoke with Ong who is the manager of ComPeung. He is a very friendly young Thai man with excellent English. His idea for the village arose from travelling and his art studies at Chiang Mai University. He explained to us that they are also building a small hut for tourist/visitors to stay in for a shorter period of time. We enjoyed the afternoon very much and definitely recommend people to make their way to this off-the-beaten-tourist-track site.
For directions to ComPeung visit their website – http://www.compeung.org/indexB.html
You can view more photos in our Flickr account – http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthoria.
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