Ruangsak Anuwatwimon
17 million years – 57 years, 2021
Cladophora in borosilicate glasses tube
57 cm in diameter
Cladophora is a type of fresh-water plant found in the Mekong River. A rich source of nutrients for the dry season, it was once a crucial economic crop for locals that made their homes along the river bank, both in Thailand and Laos. Cladophora can be naturally found growing on the rocks and beaches of the Mekong, though the formation of a dam on the lower reaches of the river – combined with the impact from 11 other dams constructed upriver in China – have led to tumultuous water levels in the river since 2019, in turn stunting the growth of Cladophora, resulting in smaller clusters compared to before. The artist aims to present several methods of maintaining the natural abundance of the ecosystem that has been cultivated over millions of years, but has been so easily destroyed over the past 50 years, by creating a sculpture that acts as a time capsule which preserves this rapidly disappearing symbol of life in the Mekong.
For the exhibition, the artist has collected samples of Cladophora from the Loei Inland Aquaculture Research and Development Center, Loei Province, mixed with water from the Mekong River. The artist chose to display the sample in a double-layered borat-silicate vial, a highly heat-resistant glass used in scientific experiments. Any materials placed within the vial will be able to maintain a constant temperature, leading to increased longevity and permanence. The vial is placed on a carved wood sculpture of a Naga, believed by many Southeastern cultures to be the guardian deity of the aquatic realm responsible for maintaining the abundance of the Mekong River. The wooden Naga head sculpture is commonly used as an ornament for the mandolin, a musical instrument local to the Esan region. The Cladophora is considered one of the indicators of a healthy ecosystem. The deterioration of biodiversity has also affected other organisms surrounding the river, including the way of life of local people who rely on the Mekong, which have also been lost.
17 million years – 57 years (Details)
Beyond Blue, 2021
Video documentation
39 mins 25 sec.
The genesis of this project came about when the artist noticed photographs of the Mekong River turning blue, an unprecedented phenomena. Commonly known as ‘hungry water’, this occurs when a body of water lacks the essential minerals and sediment as a result of constructing dams on the river source, turning the Mekong’s once mineral-rich brown waters a turquoise blue that resembles ocean water. Ruangsak was also interested in how satellite images can paint a picture completely at odds with reality. Data gathered through the use of technology at a certain time has become obsolete, failing to reflect the true extent of the changes that are swiftly occurring in the present. This video work reflects the conflicting truths, the unsuspecting pictures gained through scrolling along the Mekong’s length on the computer contrasted with images of the very real crisis occurring along the river’s shores today.
Beyond Blue (Details)
Excavated Gods, 2021
Mixed media; tissue paper, carcass, soil and sand from Mekong River, pigment from China and northeast Thailand Dimensions variable
This installation raises questions regarding the rapid changes occurring around the biospheres surrounding the Mekong River through the presentation of a diorama of the landscapes found along the river’s length, a total of 858 kilometers from Kaeng Kut Ku in Loei province – the birthplace of the Ta Jung Kung Dang Daeng myth – to the edge of Thailand’s Mekong River boundary in Khong Chiam district, Ubon Ratchathani province. The artist skirted along the Mekong’s edge, stopping in various districts along the way, witnessing the increasingly volatile and unpredictable changes in the river’s water levels. These changes are conclusive proof that the ecosystems along the Mekong’s edge have been transformed. The artist collected carcasess of dead organisms, from various species of fish, land-dwelling organisms, shells, to freshwater vegetation that has become all but extinct from the loss of seasons. These remains are then used to form the base of the exhibited diorama.
The artist initiated this creative process by saving digital images of satellite imagery used to indicate soil levels and topography, before creating a structural framework for the diorama using pulp paper and covering it with soil samples collected from the various areas he surveyed. He then recreated the Mekong River using a special type of blue paint found in local paintings found in the Esan region, which is mixed with a powder paint extracted from minerals found in China, where the 11 dams erected in the river’s headwaters have had profound effects in the areas downstream.
The animal remains used to form the foundation of the diorama acts as an under-layer meant to represent the rich biodiversity that is currently being destroyed by human hands, as it is these very organisms that were responsible for the abundance of life in the area. In other words, this installation acts as a monument dedicated to the verdant environments and lifeforms, all of whom have long acted as the protectors of the Mekong River’s natural balance.
