Irreversible Encounters and the Point of No Return! Katherine Olston MFA 2009 Abstract Irreversible Encounters and the Point of No Return! investigates the politics of Otherness through an examination of the position of the Westerner as Other within the context of Thailand. The project initially explores Otherness as a construction in general and then focuses specifically on the configuration of Otherness within Thai society, and its role in the enactment of core, interlinked ideals of Thai self-identification and nationhood. The research project considers the particular historical, political, cultural and societal factors that have contributed to contemporary Thai perceptions of the Westerner, or ‘farang’ as Other in relation to the Thai Self. Through sculpture and video installation the art practice delves into the intimate space of the experience of being Other, acknowledging the relative nature of identity and examining issues such as the shock of recognising the Self as Other and the subsequent realisation that the Self may simultaneously be Self and Other. The practice examines the barrier between belonging and not belonging, and the desire to traverse this barrier through adaptation and the modification of one’s identity, and the futility of this endeavor. Irreversible Encounters and the Point of No Return! reveals stereotypes and preconceptions extant in the way we view ourselves and others in order to explore the complexities and contradictions inherent to the process of Othering. Through theory and practice the project provides an insight into just one of those irreversible experiences in our lives where core perceptions of Self, and the way we inhabit the world are fundamentally challenged, forcing us into previously unknown territory, to a place from which we can never return. 2 ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the thesis by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………........................... 3 Contents Introduction: The Cosmos of the Unequivocal Self 5 Chapter 1: The Politics of Otherness • The Politics of Otherness 9 • In the Land of the Barbarians 10 • Critiquing Dominant Paradigms of Otherness 15 Chapter 2: The Construction of Otherness in Thailand • The Construction of Otherness in Thailand 18 • ‘Farang’ as Other to the Thai Self 23 Art Works 26 Chapter 3: Falang! Falang! • Falang! Falang! 27 • Falang! Falang! A New Context 28 • The Exotic and Freakish Other: Interrogating the 30 Depiction of Otherness in the work of Orlan. Chapter 4: This Golden Cosmos Comes Crashing Down • This Golden Cosmos Comes Crashing Down 35 • The Negotiation of Otherness in the work of Mella Jaarsma 37 Chapter 5: Under My Skin • Under My Skin & Under My Skin II 41 • Embodying the In-between: Liminality in the work 42 of Dacchi Dang Chapter 6: Dok Gluay Maai • Dok Gluay Maai 45 • Contingent Identities: Otherness in the work of ‘Moti Roti’ 49 Bibliography 53 Photo Credits 56 4 Introduction: The Cosmos of the Unequivocal Self Background Between 1999 and 2005 I spent a total of five years living and working in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. The photo in figure 1 was taken in 1999 during a visit to the Karen village of Nalutar, in the province of Chiang Mai. I was invited by a German anthropologist to attend the wedding of a young woman to a man from a neighbouring village. Upon arriving I was ushered into a stilted bamboo and wooden hut and given a long, white, embroidered sack- like dress to wear for the ceremony. The traditional hand-woven dress is worn by the hill tribe’s unmarried women, and as most are not even twenty I was viewed as a strange anomaly, being twenty-four at the time. Having only been in Thailand for a few months when invited to attend the wedding I had accepted keenly, viewing it as a rare opportunity to visit as a guest rather than as a tourist. However, where I had taken for granted that it was I who was going there to observe the ‘foreign’ ways of an ‘exotic’ tribe, in fact the situation was the complete opposite. As I followed my hosts up a steep incline to the site of the ceremony, the entire village stopped to look, laugh and comment upon my appearance. Everybody, it seemed, was intrigued by my foreignness, my exoticness, my essential Otherness. The experience of my own Otherness was equally present in my interaction with mainstream Thai society; people stared at me and made gross generalisations about me and my ‘Western’ culture. I was assumed to be wealthy, to take off all my clothes when I visited the beach, to like ‘free sex’ (promiscuity) and to not care about my parents. In addition, I had a new name, farang1, the Thai word for white westerner whether they be American, French, German, Swiss, Australian, Italian etc. The word farang can be used as both a noun and an adjective to describe anything associated with western culture, for example - Farang Western person Wattanatam farang Western culture Aahaan farang Western food Paasaa farang Western language Kwaam kit farang Western thinking Thus, despite the fact that there is infinite variation within the cultures, food, language and belief systems of western cultures, in being a farang, it seemed, I was part of one great amorphous, homogenous farang mass. This kind of generalising view can also be observed in Australia with the use of the term ‘Asians’ to refer to all people of Asian appearance, similarly ignoring the vast 1 Although the word ‘farang’ is generally a neutral word it can also be used in a derogatory manner depending on the context. The origins of the word, ’farang’ have been widely debated, for a basic etymology see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farang. Please note: All Thai words included in the paper have been transliterated in accordance with The Thai Royal Institute system of transliteration. 5 diversity present within Asian cultures. Whilst many of the stereotypes regarding westerners in Thailand may well be grounded in a certain amount of fact, they are generalisations nonetheless and to discover that you are subject to judgment based upon them breeds a certain level of frustration and confusion. The key issue here, however, is that my fundamental perception of Self had been challenged. Where I had previously conceived of Others in relation to my Self, I was amazed to realise that, as a white westerner in Australia, I’d never before experienced what it was like to be in the minority, to be Other. Consequently, the artwork I produced whilst living in Thailand, demonstrated an investigation into my identity within the ‘new’ cultural sphere of Thai society and a growing awareness of my position as Other2; many of these works and ideas have informed and inspired the artworks contained in this research project. The Research Project The project, Irreversible Encounters and the Point of No Return!, investigates the politics of Otherness through an examination of the position of the Westerner as Other within the context of Thailand. The project initially explores Otherness as a construction in general, maintaining that the construction of Otherness is an inherently human compulsion extant in all cultures and communities, whether they be local, national or global. The project then focuses specifically on the configuration of Otherness within Thai society and its role in the enactment of core, interlinked ideals of Thai self- identification and nationhood. The project considers the particular historical, political, cultural and societal factors that have contributed to contemporary Thai perceptions of the Westerner, or ‘farang’ as Other in relation to the Thai Self. Through sculpture and video installation the art practice delves into the intimate space of the experience of being Other. The practice functions as a mirror to the artist’s personal experience of Otherness, progressing and morphing in stages in accordance with existential revelations pertaining to identity.