Chulayarnnon Siriphol

Myth of Modernity

The single-channel video Myth of Modernity by Chulayarnnon Siriphol opens on historical representations of the universe in Thai Buddhist places of worship—pagodas, palaces and spirit houses. Denoting three cosmological worlds, the colored religious illustrations and ornate monuments are slowly replaced by images of anti-Yingluck protesters during the 2013-2014 Thai political crisis. Over the masses, a flying neon pyramid—the light sculpture Myth of Modernity—echoes the popular simplification of worship architecture into geometrical shapes. Such associations between the political state and religious realms of worship imply an idealistic reverie among politicians and masses. The gradual oversimplification of the worship structures and its connection with political instances remind us of the risk for religious or political instrumentalization, recalling the polarization of society on political matters and the nationalisms’ influences.