SEAS students on a GLAM study trip as an outside classroom learning on October 25-27, 2019
October 25-27, 2019 – 15 students of Southeast Asia Study Program, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences who registered in the course 412322 Local Information and Cultural Heritage led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Vissapat Chaichuay, made a study trip to GLAM (Gallery, Library, Archive and Museum) to receive direct experiences on collection, analysis, presentation of cultural heritage information from the true areas.
The trip was made at 4 GLAMs in Bangkok, including the National Archives, which is the national heritage memory resource. The documents here dated back to the end of King Rama IV’s reign until the contemporary ones – on history, economy, social, politics and art and culture. One among these documents is the important document of King Rama V, which has been registered as the world heritage memory. The students also learned about the document maintenance process, use of modern technology for management and documentation for research service.
The National Archives is an organization under Department of Fine Arts, Ministry of Culture, that functions in compilation, storing, maintenance, and conservation of cultural heritage, which includes ancient documents, fine arts, stone inscription, ancient palm leaf scriptures, ancient books, printed matters, audio visuals and different electronics media. The students learned about the exhibited items, standards in document management, exhibition models, and National Library’s service processes.
Bangkok’s National Museum is the first of its kind in Thailand under the Department of Fine Arts. Inside the museum, a great number of invaluable assets and ancient objects are exhibited. These objects have been classified into various categories and placed at different buildings such as Thaksina Pimuk Palce, Uttra Pimuk Palace, Issaretrachanusorn Palace. It was fortunate for the students that on the day they visited Bangkok’s National Museum there was an exhibition of Qin Shi Huang: the first emperor of China with his baked-clay soldiers at Sivamokkhapiman Palace. The exhibition enabled the students to learn about the great world heritage in China, including the beked-clay soldiers, carriages, armaments, utilities and ancient objects aged over 2,000 years. The students learned how they differently manage cultural heritage.
The Art Galleries of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit exhibits circulations of art works, especially those by young artists who have created outstanding by not widely known works as well as by prestigious artists whose works contain both beautiful concepts and imaginations, and techniques used. Some pieces may not look like anything special but in reality they hide inside the philosophy of thoughts. The students moreover learned the exhibition techniques different from a museum.
Miss Tanatchaya Khuyingrat, a third year student said, “This study trip impressed us a lot. We had fun and obtained a lot of knowledge. It was the first time for me at some place. The place that impressed me the most was the National museum, for there are many items to see. It was the good chance for us to see the Qin She Huang exhibition. We organized this trip by ourselves and were able to know what we did. But we have to thank all of the professors who supported the trip.”
Miss Kewalin Pornpong, another 3rd year student said, “This field trip made us learn about the cultural heritage sources and obtain knowledge from the experts at each place. It is the most impressive outside class learning.”
The interesting field learning at the cultural heritage institutes made the students become aware and want to cherish the cultural heritage more. Even though there are not many items of ancient objects, they will become significant once people see the beauty and grandeur. With the knowledge gained in terms of the past technical-know-how, the students have developed in-depth understanding, which could lead to further studies and sustainable conservation.
The students arranged the trip, coordinated, and did everything on their own. This made the project become successful. Although there are many things to learn within the limited time, the benefits of out-of-class learning in real conditions outdo the constraints and yield a lot of experiences for the students, which can be applied in their future career.
News: Nilanara Pimpan
Photos: Tanaporn Pakdeetana, Nantana Nasui, Arisara Promduang, Sansanee Lunkrapee
[ Thai ]
