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Mobile Lab

Proposal for ANA

1 Aims / Objective / Goals of project

Mobile Lab project is aiming in experiment and research on new ways of human's visual and sound perception, which are different from human's normal perception. The project takes important on working methods from researching on historical, social and political information that is recorded by human from many generations, until they became beliefs and became living. The project will experiment on changing the perception of those beliefs. We will record and express them into a visual and sound media. The purpose is to open the mind of people who receive communication from our project that there is always the other side of belief and new beliefs can always rise up.

2 Brief description of project

Mobile Lab is a documentary, which tells a story of a small film production team; a director, actors and art crews who go filming their latest film in Bangkok, Kalasin Province and Cambodia. Aod, the main character in the film, has just been discharged from the army. He goes back to his hometown at Kalasin Province. Later he finds out that his parents were dead from the protesters crackdown incident in Bangkok in April 2010. After that, Aod has a nightmare every night because he was a soldier who did a protester crackdown mission in April. Aod has a Cambodian girlfriend who is saviour of his soul, but they have problems in crossing the border to meet each other since Thailand and Cambodia is having Preah Vihear problems. In the film (which will be shooting in the documentary) called 'Eyes Opening', its film crew will learn many people's different point of view from the shooting. They will learn a different point of view from shooting the beginning of the film to the end of the film. They will learn everything after they have researched, analysed and experimented about people from different classes of Thai society.

Mobile Lab will contain 6 following experiment;

Lab 01. Gaze & Hear

'Gaze & Hear' is an experiment on propaganda media from the bigwigs of the country. They use this media every day for brainwashing their people. The video contains a cold and calm narration about a living god who is venerable. The video is experimenting on the changing of people's ways of perception by combining the narration with the annoying visual and background sound. The video will be used in the story of 'Eyes Opening'. Aod, the main character of the film will watch this video every day at 8 before he goes to sleep and has a nightmare after he knows about his parents' death from the demonstration.

Lab 02. Process in October 2010

'Process in October 2010' is using visuals in experimenting on the controlling of democratic governing. We will use the photography of the Democracy Momument in the centre of Bangkok as a background and will combine it with another layer of the video that records a red mosquito larva in the big fish tank with a green screen as a backgorund. We will pour blue condensed syrup into colorless water in the fish tank and record what happen and then we will combine it with the photography of the Democracy Monument as we has mentioned. The experiment will be used in 'Eyes Opening' in the nightmare of Aod, the main character.

Lab 03. Foundation

This part of the experiment is the center of all the stories of this project. We will tell the stories of the laborer class in Thai society via the shooting of the film from loosely written plot. We will research datas and interview for point of views of the people who live in Kalashin Province, the border of Thailand-Cambodia, and in Cambodia. The data gained between the filming will have an impact on the experiment in making more plots, which will be changed from the firstly written one. The main subject of our story is Aod, a conscript who was just discharged. He will lead Mobile Lab to the point of views of the people in the area. The following text is the fundamental data that we have been researching until becoming the synopsis of the film 'Eyes Opening'

13 - 29 September 2010 - In the process of data collecting at Roi Et Province in the Northeastern part of Thailand

Roi Et is a province in the Northeastern region of Thailand, 600 kilometers far from Bangkok. Most area of this province is a rice field. In September, it is the beginning of winter in that province. The harvesting season has yet to come. Most areas are still green. All the farmers wait for the rain so their crop would be plentiful, but sometimes there are marshlands. The villagers have to use boats to get out from their house to the road. The water flooded on the field glitters in sunny afternoon, reflects the blue sky with some white clouds.

Not far from there, on the rice field in the appropriate landscape, the field was so green in the end of the rainy season. The afternoon sunlight shined on the top of the green rice leaves that are swaying in the wind. The elderly people sat leisurely in a small hut. Some of them cooked. A girl was waiting for someone. At the other side of the field, a cow and her calf was fawning on each other. Every creature around here was taking a rest, waiting through the slow passing time until the green field turn into gold color. That would be the time everyone harvest the crops.

A body led the camera from the sunny field to the side of the hut to the shady area under the big tree. Leaves from the tree fell down. The leaves was sparkling on the ground. In front of that, a young boy, around 20-years-old was holding tools in his hands. He walked on the laterite road. At the side of the road, there were electricity posts with loudspeakers on them. The village headman was telling every villager via those loudspeakers to welcome the film crews who will film in this village next week. The boy stops at a place at the end of the field. The place had a square shape. There was a wooden house unfinishedly built. Next to the house, there was a tree as tall as the building of two storeys. On the tree, there were fews leaves. The boy walked and stopped at the tree. He put down his tools. He picked a leave from the bucket. He bound the rope, coated the glue and stuck the leaves onto the tree leave by leave. We had a conversation. The boy's name is Aod. He is 24-years-old. He was a workman who can do anything. The art crew of the film hired him to build the set. Today's work was to stick leaves onto the trees for setting. The wage was 500 baht a day, but his boss took 250 baht from him. He told me that before he worked here; he used to be a soldier in Naratiwat, which is a province in the Southern region of Thailand. He had to leave his hometown in Sisaket province and go to the southern which is dangerous from the unrest. Bombs are usually goes off. Most of the dead victims are policemen. "Do you think all the protracted problems in the South rooted from the titanic amount of expenditure from the government to solve the problems?", I asked Aod. He answered, "Maybe. I once saw the army's armory. The weapons in there can easily use for terrorizing the whole area. When the red shirts protested in April, I was a soldier and I received order to disperse the mob. I fired at the sky. I was in the front. I observed at the protesters whether they were armed or not. If they are armed, I must charge them and snatch the weapon. The position I was in was the one who die first. The position behind me was medical officer." I ask him, "You said you fired at the sky, but there were 91 deceased!" Aod answered me, "At the time that many people died from the dispersion operation, I was discharged from the army a week before that. 4 juniors in army were killed. Most of the soldiers were from the Northeastern. The protesters were the Northeastern. They didn't want to kill each other." During our conversation, Aod wrote something on the red soil. I asked him what he had just written. He answered. "Tor-Tor-Ror". It is a word in Khmer language. The meaning of it is "Why do that?" I was surprised that he can speak Khmer language. He answered that Sisaket province is close to Cambodia. Almost everyone from that province can speak Khmer language. So, I told him that I was going to shoot a documentary about three classes in Thai society. I am interested in him and his hometown and I want him to guide me to various places in Sisaket and Cambodia. Aod was Okay with that. "But if you want me to take you to Cambodia, you must return here before 6 pm, or you could be killed if you are still at the border at that time.” He tells me. I smiled and thanked him. "Can you give me your number?” I smiled and knew in my heart that I had got my subject.

Lab 04. Consumer

We will research on the consuming habit of Thai middle class citizen, which has an affect on the point of view in living, society, politics and beliefs of the Bangkokians. The 'Bangkokians' includes those who live in Bangkok from the beginning and those who came from the rural area to Bangkok. We will record the living of the Bangkokians, who live like a machine. They wake, travel, work so they can materialistically consume. Their consuming is the part of living prestigiously in the society. The result of this experiment will be used in the film 'Eyes Opening' in the scene that And wakes up before goes back to his hometown at Kalasin.

Lab 05. Monopoly

We will research and experiment on the way of thought and the important things for the living of the ruling class which also has an affect on the living of the middle and lower class of the society. The video will show the result of the experiment combining with the playing of Monopoly game. The tokens will be replaced with Thai social context such as mass communication, mass transportation system, electricity, water supply, soldiers, police, real estate, demonstrator, parliament, court, etc. The visual of playing the Monopoly game will be combined with the voice of the player. The result of this research and experiment will be used before the end of 'Eyes Opening'.

Lab.06 Extinct

The video research and experiment on the extinction of man made buildings and other non-man made environment. The video shows decay that leave behind only debris and memories. We will begin the video with the shooting of the vegetables, fruits and animal remains. We will use Time-lapse photography technique in order to show the decay process. We will film man made buildings, which will eventually be dilapidated, and be destroyed. Even the idols or the things constructed for worshipping might someday be broken from the effect of time. The result of the research and experiment will be presented as a 90 minutes film. The film will be screened at suitable film festivals. The process in making this film will be uploaded on the Internet. We will also hold a seminar with the theme 'The perception of the same art and media and the difference in interpreting in different classes of people in the society'. We will hold a visual and sound workshop about the changing of visual and sound perception of human.

3 Methodology / Implementation of project

3.1. We will open for applications of the film crews on the internet and will select the suitable crews. Crews will be selected from social viewing and mind preparedness. The project's crew need to have patience, time. They have to travel. And most importantly, they must love film, art, and have viewing on politics and society in the way that can push the project forward.

3.2. (Lab03.) We will travel to Sisaket Province and Cambodia for researching the data and point of view of people around there in society, politics and their own living. We will also look for filming locations.

3.3. (Lab03.) We will begin the filming from the plot. The story of the film may be changed after the research in the real filming locations.

3.4. (Lab.02) Then we will return to Bangkok and check the 'Lab 02' project in its composite process and may revise it.

3.5. (Lab.04) We will research on the Bangkokians' consuming data in terms of statistic, income, point of view in everyday's life, spending, leisure, working. Then we will compare those who live in Bangkok for a long time to those who have just come to Bangkok. We will research on their point of view in politics and society.

3.6. (Lab.04) We will film Bangkok through the eyes of Aod.

3.7. (Lab 05) We will study and research on the history of the ruling class and their holdings. We will replace the holdings of the ruling class with Monopoly game's tokens. The tokens will stand for the organizations such as the army, the police, the courts, mass communication, mass transportation, public facility, electricity, water supply, and consumer goods. We will find people to play this monopoly game and recored their voices, then combining the voices of the players with the documentary style visual.

3.8. (Lab.06) We will study on the Time-lapse technique and use the technique in showing the decaying corpse of living beings in the very short period of time. We will travel, search for, and film the picture of the collapsing and dilapidated man made building which its decaying cause by time and humen. We will also search for the building that is called 'permanent structure', and record what is changed by time.

3.9 Editing process.

3.10 Promotional process. We will PR this project via the internet, printed matter, websites, posters, postcards.

3.11 Screening of the project and holding a seminar.

4 Time frame of project

Within the year 2011

5 Projected output of project (Is it a workshop, a discussion, a showing, etc.?)

We will hold the seminar 'The perception of the same art and media and the difference in interpreting in different classes of people in the society' after the screening. The speaker and the audience will express their point of view on the society. We will filming the seminar for further research and may send the seminar video to libraries. We will also hold the workshop "visual and sound", which is about the changing of the visual and sound perception of human. The targets of this workshop are students or those who interested in visual arts. We will send the participants to record a video or sound. They must try to change human's visual and sound perception.

6 Who is your target audience for your project?

Our target audiences are the middle class in this society, students and people who interested in movie arts. We hope to open their eyes in seeing the human dignity in the people who they called 'lower class'. The middle class may not have a chance to contact, talk or understand the lower class so we hope that if we show our project to the middle class, they will gain a new point of view in their society and will see the people from different class in a different way. We hope that our project will help in decreasing Thailand's classes’ problem.

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

We will screen our project at suitable film festivals. We will also screen the project in the place that the middle class can easily access such as the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre or movie Cineplex in the downtown near BTS. We will promote the event via the Internet and social network. The press materials will be modern to attract the interest of the middle class.

8 How do you think your project will create impact on the art communities/the cultures that you want to engage with? How will it develop the field of your art form?

Mobile Lab takes an important on the process of making a piece of art more than its output and the presentation of the origin of the thought. We will emphasize on the research and the experiment that will bring the development of the project. The audience will see all the process along with its output. We hope that the presentation of the process will be the inspiration for the art communities in creating art in the future.