MYSTERIOUS ORDINARY

The last months have been a whirlwind, an exciting blur that is as enchanting as it could have been destructive . . . depends on how you want to take it.

For me, finally, I have a moment, to breath after this full force collision.

What to do with these pieces/fragments of these collisions? That is the fun of it all, how to make it coherent, how to make them matter, not just to myself but beyond myself. This blog has enabled me to pull together my thoughts, what I see and express them. I wonder how many of these things matter to others. I hope they do, a little, there is so much beauty in the world and at the same time so many problems and issues that it enables us to ask questions, attempt to find answers/solutions and ask even more questions. Such is life. The question comes up after 2 1/2 years of Chomontherox as I ask myself what is next. Venice inspired this blog and in a way Venice has inspired me this year, to move on. It is funny how the same city of meandering canals and water can inspire such different things at different times. Recently I have started to contribute more and more to printed newspapers and magazines, these too take time, it even takes time to go out and buy a copy.

This is NOT a farewell but rather a beginning . . .of something new, called Mysterious Ordinary. Whilst I prepare to launch that to the world, you can find me on Tumblr at Mysterious Ordinary Journal which has been in the works . . .quietly, for a while, it is my moodboard.

Here are some flashbacks of the last few months . . .

Film on the Rocks Recce - to come in 2012, curated by Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Tilda Swinton produced by Nat Sarasas and Mysterious Ordinary (me!).

P'Joei and N'Teem in the jungle

my partner in crime, Nat Sarasas

the rocks

the village

A day and night with Rirkrit Tiravanija and Pette for 2 Mag . . . (Super limited 2 Mag x MYSTERIOUS ORDINARY Edition Art Issue and more widely available 2 Mag Art Issue at good newstands in Thailand, Singapore and HK)

Tangmo on the run

P Rirkrit

Dean, P'Ruay, Lynn, Me, P Rirkrit, Pette

please compare this to the published version

P Rirkrit and Lynn

the kitchen

Tangmo = watermelon

the cover shot

Paris SS '12

Betak magic continues with Viktor and Rolf and Galliano. . . .

The Brigettes at Viktor and Rolf

Galliano post-Galliano

Bill (not John)

a bit of nature

Chanel underwater

stripes while waiting at the Bar du Marche

Patsri et Moi

Valentino

See even in Paris, they get that Chanel in the day time and Valentino at night is ideal . . . it would be perfection. Well for me at least anyway, especially now with how very cool Valentino has become, defo not for big haired ladies, elegant, minimal but still totally glamourous. I loooooved it.

OLT

Cleo

me with Le Tans

Miu Miu was monumental

it was as if I had entered Metropolis

amazing.

and back to Bkk in time for more Frenchness . . . Apichatpong's speech upon receiving his Legion d'Honneur

then from Palais Royale via Tokyo, Corto came to visit me in Bkk. What a treat.

Pette with Corto and a bright red Susan

Lynn, Corto and Jane

Corto and Ti Foster at Mahanakhon for 2 Mag shoot

and more

Corto

T I F O S T E R (C) 2011

Not only Corto was in town but one of my favourite persons in the world, Stephanie Betant and her mum, who I will see in a few days in Beijing.

Then a few days after that was the 2 Mag Art Issue dinner . . .

hosted by Lynn (editor-in-chief of 2 Mag and my BFF), Pette, Ying (the publisher) and me. We decided not to call it off even though it was very much the height of flood hysteria that weekend. It did not flood . . .

Atmo . . .

chairs that walked home with us.

Dinner was to launch this . . . . this is the real version. There are 60 Fake Limited versions floating around the place too. With outtakes and posters.

2 Mag Art Issue Oct/Nov 2011

Finally. . . it is always kinda fun to visit a new place or to visit an old place in a different light. Bkk the last few months has been a very strange place indeed, human error that led to what should not have happened and created a crisis, flood hysteria, melancholia and actual severe damage. I decided to become a flood refugee for a week and it was amazing how light it felt, to not feel victimised or so helpless. Singapore, usually robotland was fun this time around, and a breath of fresh air. I also did a small detour to KL where I have never ever been. It was interesting. . . especially to see the possibilities of an empty lot, an old building recently demolished next to the Petronas Twin Towers to be the canvas of Buro Ole Scheeren's first building, Angkasa Raya.

the floating building will take the place of the empty lot on top

me

Skyscrapers, especially ones like Ole's make me think of The Fountainhead. It then makes me wonder how possible it is to actively create or at least attempt to create what you believe in or that you love and continue to do so when there are so many obstacles. I guess I've been kinda lucky in that those I encounter in their own mysterious ways, do this . . . constantly and yet make it look like it is the most ordinary thing.

This is not farewell, it is platform migration.- Doy Moreau

See you very soon.

www.mysteriousordinary.com

Monkey Ghost at the Monkey Bar

After months of planning and deliberation, the night of my dinner in NY for Apichatpong arrived. Brian Phillps of Black Frame and I had talked and planned for some time, the idea coming up even before P'Joei won the Palme d'Or in May, we love his work and I still want to adopt a monkey ghost from Uncle Boonmee.

On Monday 27th September at the Monkey Bar in NYC, the host committee of Tilda Swinton, Marc Jacobs, Francesco Vezzoli, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Brian Phillips and myself invited our friends to celebrate Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives at the Monkey Bar, on occasion of it winning the Palme D'Or and also premiering in the US for the first time at the 48th New York Film Festival (2 screenings to a packed out theatre and riveting q and a sessions).

Arriving at the Monkey Bar before our guests, I had really no idea what to expect but by the time I had floated around and met some guests, did a couple interviews of the director, his producer Simon Field, Lee (in from bkk that day) and Nanda Hampe, I was greeted by a sea of people of whom included Cindy Sherman, David Byrne, Shirin Neshat, Steven Klein, and Waris Ahluhwalia . .and of course our friends, old and new, and P'Joei's friends and supporters.

10 minutes before . . .

Brian, Terence Koh and Derek Blasberg

It was a wonderful night . . . the booths intimate, everyone excited to meet this director who's name they find hard to pronounce, thus, they settle on Joe and this movie about a man called Uncle Boonmee which takes them on a surreal journey where nothing is ordinary, yet at the same time, evokes a certain memory or a certain time. I was wedged between Waris and the floor so I could circulate. A lovely lady called Emily Holt from WWD, Diana Picasso who I had not seen in ages so we had quite a bit to catch up :) and the lovely Juliana from Black Frame. It was a rather nice little booth as P'Joei was to my left and Ambra Medda and her bf, Greta Gerwig and Derek Blasberg to my left. Some funny moments there . . . oh and I gave a little speech during dessert . . . nerve wrecking.

Julien Cahn, Polina Aranova, Lee Chatametikool and Patrick Li

Nanda and Derek

Diana Picasso and Me

Jeremy Dawson and Waris

Fashion, art, music and film converged to celebrate the success of P'Joei, his film, his vision . . . one man, with his unwavering vision, cheeky grin and subtle ways and sense of humour that brought everyone together that night. It is a start and I hope something that can be repeated . . .again and again and I very proud to have been part of this start and morever be able to share it with our friends who were present that night as well as friends and supporters who from behind the scenes, supported us. It was truly Bangkok in NY seeing as Singha, ERB, Boyy, Mahanakorn and 4x4 made it possible and of course, the help and love I had from our patrons Russell Willimanson and Nat Sarasas. And of course from Brian Phillips and Black Frame, our host committee particularly Francesco and Rirkrit for inviting their friends, and last but not least P'Joei for being their and Simon Field, Marcus Hu, and Lee for all that support.

Francesco Vezzoli and Me

P'Boyy, P'Joei and Jesse

P'Joei, a friend of P'Joei's, P'Rirkrit

P'Joei, Goh and Nook

On a grey rainy night, we said our good-byes as they ushered the last remaining people to the bar of the restaurant . . . what fun it was - I woke up to my little Uncle Boonmee Boyy goody bag and a message from P'Joei as he was on his way back to Bkk and felt happy, satisfied and hopeful that we will a ll meet again in NY, perhaps not for Uncle Boonmee but something else . . .

This was last Monday, I wanted to wait to see who would get to this before me and I am very happy that they did, style.com, wwd, wisekwai, WSJ . . . and more coming . . . totally icing on the cake and yes, the Monkey Ghost on the poster looked rather happy at the Monkey Bar that night.