The Quiet Hours
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The Quiet Hours

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

Thepharak "Gap" Chanomnoychai, the photographer behind "The Silence Project By Gap", is hosting an exhibition entitled "Covid19-19.00". All the photographs on display were snapped at 7pm over a two-month period of nationwide soft lockdown imposed by the Thai government. Gap spoke to Guru about the inspiration behind this project.


How did the idea of taking photos at 7pm come about?

It was mostly out of curiosity. Places which were very familiar to me that are usually bustling with life in the evening, became unrecognisable once the curfew kicked in. The streets became empty several hours before the curfew began for the night. Every place I went to looked like a ghost town. Suddenly, it felt like time had come to a standstill. I began to take photos of this bizarre phenomenon. As the days went by, I realised that a collection of the photos that I was taking could be used to showcase Bangkok during this unprecedented time.

Why 7pm?

That is the time at which Bangkok is usually at its liveliest. People are getting off work, going somewhere for dinner and taking their families out for the evening. Street hawkers are really busy and the town looks like it's full of colour and vibrancy. The photographs capture the absence of all of this.

The Quiet Hours

Were there nights when you did not make it home in time of the curfew?

Never. I always made it home in the nick of time, maybe with five or 10 minutes to spare before the curfew began.

What's the message that you would like to send with the exhibition?

The feeling that I intend for the audience to experience are those of uncertainty about what is going on and the unsettling anxiety that accompanies them.

The Quiet Hours

What are some of your photography techniques?

I don't move objects or people in the environment when I take photographs. The state of things in my picture is the state they were in when I arrive at the scene. After I take the picture, I add colour to it during my editing process. I'm inspired to produce pictures the same way a painter creates fine art.

Which photo in this series is your favourite?

I cherish all the photographs. However, one of my daily photography sessions stands out. It was when a stranger approached me to ask the way to Bangkok Bus Terminal in Chatuchak. He was going to walk there from where we stood, which was Central Chidlom. I reckon that is at least a four-to-five-hour walk. Turns out he had already walked a long distance from BTS On Nut to get to where we were. He had no money and his employment had been affected by the pandemic. So he intended to walk all the way to his destination. That interaction really struck a chord with me. It showed me how drastically the pandemic affected an individual.

The Quiet Hours

In what way has the pandemic stood out from other events that have disrupted life in Bangkok?

The effect of the pandemic has been far greater than any previous large scale event similar to this. It froze everything and affected all aspects of life for everyone. Even the 2014 Shutdown Bangkok movement was not as effective in shutting down Bangkok as this pandemic.

"Covid19-19.00" will be held at The Shophouse 1527 until July 26, from 11am-7pm / Call 088-248-2929, visit fb.com/TheSilenceProjectGap.

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