Back

The 1^st Xiang Party; Media Festival
Submitted by Santiphap Inkong-ngam

Brief description of the project
Introduction

The word “Chiang” (pronounced differently in various locations as Chiang, Cheng, Xiang, Jing, Keng) refers to a city. It has been placed prior to major cities in Lanna Region, for example, Chiangroung (Sibsongpanna, China), Chiangtung (Chan State in Myanmar, Chiangsan, Chiangkhong, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand), Chiangtong (Luangprabang, Laos), etc. However, not every city in the region is entitled to use it because according to social dimension, the word “Chiang” refers to a city with a defined parameter and surrounded wall that plays important role in the mixed-race society.

Conflicts over land allocation in the colonial era and the beginning of national state have put an end to fraternal connections between the Chiang cities for half a century. Even worse, the importance of “Chiang” as cultural center for various ethnic groups has also been diminished to only a tourist spot to serve global consumerism.

Reasons and inspirations

I have been traveling to and from many “Chiang” cities during the past few years. That gives me an opportunity to see a quick drastic change as the agricultural society mixes up with industry and finally turns into an IT city.

Dated back four or five years ago, the cities in the region, especially among educated groups, were excited about the new media. During that time, I wondered and looked for the answer of how the whole city took on as this type of innovation stepped in.

Until now, those new media from IT technology became of a household name. (People can buy CDs laid on the ground for sale next to vegetable stalls in the market) Tales of the city along with its weird and unique information were quickly transferred into disc but what interested me is the media that’s the reason of our presentation of mixed-media from the “Chiang” cities for the time ever (paving the way for the next). The presentation will put audio and visual works (music and film) produced in the “Chiang” cities on display as a festival fair. The project aims to introduce the cities’ handmade media, produced only in small quantity (and never made it to the public) and hope that the media reflect details in those people’s lives and lead to a mutual discuss or compromising talk in a wider area (economic and political problems, of course, results in conflicts, racism issues, and misunderstanding in the region). We also hope that the project create a network to put those small media producers to meet, exchange and develop their works toward the same direction so that they have a clearer stand with strong network in the future.

Aims/ Objective/ Goals of project

The project aims to support locally-made contemporary media in Southeast Asia (with focus on the “Chiang” cities) to be widely known among the audience and also create a network, connection, exchange and development collaboration among people and people, people and the city, the city and the city.

We expect this project to provide mutual understanding among participating parties and the audience and hope that the informal meeting and art network will relieve political tensions among the ethnic groups.

Besides, we are conducting a workshop for Youth Corporation representatives from the five Chiang cities to form a working network (who will work as young reporter/ young organizer/ young researcher in the future), which will mark as the beginning of a network connections among the Chiang cities. In long term, we plan to collect and edit all locally-made media and put it in our online database.

In terms of the festival, if it turns out to receive a warm feedback, we wish to continue the joyous activities and host the next one in other “Chiang” cities the following years, on and on.

Methodology/ Implementation of project

The implementation of the project is planned as follows:

Fundamental research and field study *(operated by personal funding)
Conducting a fundamental research in terms of documents, information, record, survey and sample collection in the selected area (operated since early 2003-2007 in 5 Chiang cities including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chiangtong, Chiangtung and Chiangroung).

Fieldwork and possibility enhancement
We will revisit each Chiang city once again to meet with Youth Corporation and look for a possible method to work among cities under the condition to use each Chiang city as a foundation for workshop and network formation in item 3.

Workshop and network connection
The workshop for Youth Corporation (aged 19-25) from the 5 Chiang cities to form a working network stemmed during a field trip on the concept of respect that we should not take anything from the city, using merely a visitor’s eyes and opinions, without local people’s acknowledgement.

As a result, we will form a working group in each area giving an opportunity for the youth to explore their own community and propose any suggestion so that we can adapt the project to a more suitable direction towards their people’s understanding and respect.

The workshop will be held in Chiang Mai by inviting the Youth Corporation from each area to meet, be friends, exchange and learn a required skill for equipment use so that they can actually start network connection and work in their own area.

*- For the workshop, we limit our role as a counselor to accommodate during their stay and teach fundamental knowledge on equipment use to the Youth Corporation, not an opinion leader.

- We are unable to provide workshop content in detail at the moment because we have to wait for information in item 2. However, we got a rough idea from item 1 that the workshop will cover general basic skills, for example, photography, computer, data collection and category for research, management procedure, communication gears and internet to link network connections and database.

Report findings and presentation on the internet
When the Youth Corporation returns to their area, we will call them the working network. These representatives will report back to the center on movies, music and the happenings in their area as well as maintaining update information to the project to rearrange data then upload to the internet and keep it updated until the end of the project.

The working networks propose names and artworks of artists in their area to the project
After the working network finishes the research and data collection in their area, they will propose names and artworks of artists in their area to the project.

The festival committee screen the artworks
The project staff collects all data proposed by the working network to present to the festival committee for the final lists of artists.

Grouping and public relation procedures
The project staffs put artists in the final lists into groups; assign (movie) show time and performance schedule and start PR works.

Festival time
During the festival, there will be movies, mini concerts, booths, talks and small-group discussion. It is basically an absolute entertainment in a temple-fair style.

Conclusion and evaluation
There will be conclusion and evaluation after the festival based upon questionnaire survey, opinions from the working network and participating artists, and also suggestions and proposed solutions from the project staff. The information will be collected then put on report papers.

Time frame of project

The project runs from March-December 2008 in detail as follows:

Projected output of project

Workshop and network connection
The 7-day workshop for Youth Corporation (aged 19-25) from the 5 Chiang cities including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chiangtong, Chiangtung, and Chiangroung will be held to provide an opportunity to youth in each area to explore their own community and propose any suggestion so that we can adapt the project to a more suitable direction.

The workshop will be held in Chiang Mai by inviting Youth Corporation in each area not only for each representative to meet and make friends, the workshop content will give them an idea and fundamental skills to actually work in their area, knowledge for equipment use to form a network connection in report finding and updated information.

The festival

During the 9-day festival, held in public space in Chiang Mai, there will be activities, academically and local entertainment, which are divided into 2 sections as follows:

1. Open public
1.1 Movie and music in public space composes of outdoor movie screen, mini concert, and ethnic booths, and selected contemporary artworks produced in the Chiang cities by independent media organizations from 2006-2008 with a possible highlight of old films and songs from “Chiang” cities (if there is one and available).

1.2 Academic talk on “Bond on lifestyle and ways of tradition among 5 Chiang cities” by Witee Panitpan.

1.3 Academic seminar on “Direction and media stand point of 5 Chiang cities” by participating artists. Interesting audiences are welcome to take part in the session.

2. Closed section
The participating party (artists, musicians, film directors, media producers and working groups) will use this section to exchange their experience and plan their future together. The activities include group discussion, small workshop, talks by philosophers and local historians, tour guide, and plans on network connection for mutual development in the future.

Who is your target audience for your project?

Considering from the project’s format, it can be presented as mass communication. However, the target audiences for the project are local people because in our opinion, most activities are held aiming to impress tourists, students, and people of high purchasing power. That leaves a small limited channel for local people to take part in the activities.

As the festival comes out in temple-fair style, plus movies and songs from various ethnic groups, we believe it definitely makes an impression to local audiences (mostly ethnic groups as well) and encourage them to take part in the festival.

How do you propose to disseminate information about the project to your target audience?

We hope that the project will form a mutual understanding among audiences. The ethnic groups will be proud to see media in their own dialect and accent put on screen in public space while the non-ethnic groups will acquire more idea and respect to each other through their media viewing.

How do you think your project will create impact on the cultures that you want to engage with?

We can feel that the project is so powerful in forms of format, thinking process, and procedures because it can really extend its connection to local people in each area and also work as a media to convey a message to mass viewers at the same time. It can even inspire major media and local media producer to improve the quality of their work (Major media from a city center are generally active while local people are passive viewers. It is interesting to see the opposite when local people become active to stir up a small shake, which later may inspire a development in major and local media).

We waited 3-4 years for the project to ripe. Now the time is right because we have enough materials (movies and local songs), new management by local people, equipments, etc. We strongly believe that if the project really takes place, it will become a powerful project to inspire more dimensions in our society.

How will it develop the field of your art form?

Personally, as an artist who is responsible for the project and also its originator, the project is a great effort to break an art form and blend it into a way of life and stay with local people. It is no longer and academic art form, but it is firmly grounded on reality that makes an artist to live and stay with local people without unfamiliar feelings of an outsider. More importantly, local people will feel free to take part and enjoy the artwork without an awkward feeling likewise.

For a wider view of art industry, if the project works well, it will be an example to ring the bell signaling artists and relevant parties to realize that on the road of creativity, fame is not its only end, because it can lead to a happy living together as well.