Map of Khao Sok, Surat Thani Province, Thailand
Water is the most appearing in the map right?
It is Ratchaprapa Dam that creates Cheow Larn lake Within area of 100,000.- Rai
That has divided the upper part as Khlong Saeng and Khlong Ya wildlife sanctuary
And the lower part is Khao Sok National Park
Khao Sok is the most significant rainforest of Thailand even after the dam was built, it contained infinite number of wildlife including 4 species of the endangers
Plants are varied due to the continuous canopy levels from highest to lowest and abundant with high volume of rainfall approximately 1,700 mm per year, so no wonder why the 70% of the area is Evergreen rainforest.
Khao Sok has the speciality of the landscape as limestone mountain ranges which, believe me it delivers unusual scenic experience for visitors, that’s why Khao Sok became one of the most attractive spot in Southern part of Thailand.
Tourist Attraction, and actual photograph of Cheow Larn Lake
Talking about tourist attraction, khao sok is actually available for visiting all year round
There are 2 Seasons where it always rains, where khao sok always been visited by Southwest and Northeast monsoon, where November received the highest volume of rainfall
Apart from the transparent emerald water of the lake and surrealism of landscape, several programs and activities are provided to appease both domestic and international tourists, including floating bungalow and raft, kayaking, and sightseeing.
Analysis of Geo-morphology process
It all started from the ice ages where jurassic fossils were deposited and uplifted by plate tectonic, then about 2M years ago these dense rock surface started to crack and appeared fractures due to the chemical reaction of acidic rainwater to alkalinity property of the limestone, watertable starts to conjoint as aquifer, small caves starts to appears.
From 1000 years the development became critical as rainwater drilled down from the surface, water carved and enlarged the cave, connected tunnels to tunnels, and finally surface that cracked open and sinkhole became shafts.
From then until now within both dry and underwater Caverns, there appears stalactites (หินย้อย) = alkalinity water that drips hundreds of years and created a hang while the dripping spot eventually become stalagmites (หินงอก) and when these two are touched it became column of limestone.
Timeline collage represents story of Khao Sok and Mr. Seub
The story is based on Khun Seub and my project aims to create Sueb Nakhasathien monument that rely on human experience, since i notice we cannot tell anyone to ‘do anything to protect’ if they didn’t acknowledge it themselves, so I’d want to make them, see from the perspective of khun Seub
Let me tell you a brief story about Mr. Seub Nakhasathien,
After the construction of Ratchaprapa Dam to provide electricity for Thailand. Mountain ranges became hundreds of islands after the lake was filled. Forests had been destroyed, wildlife has been killed. Seub was assigned as foreman of the reservoir wildlife rescue project. For two years seub and his colleagues devoted their time and energies in evacuating lives without fear of any danger to themselves to save them from impending flood.
It was a very gloomy project while they were rescuing wildlifes they could hear the sound of the guns hunting those lives in the same time
However, many rescued creatures could not survive due to a sudden change in living conditions and broken ecosystem, so the project was failed.
He never gave up, as a one small voice of human he always speak on behalf of all wildlifes and forest while others are ignored, even he knew that he, is fighting all alone with no one lending a hand, he did his best.
At dawn, on september 1st, 1990, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the stillness of Huai Kha Kheang Forest.
The bullet that seub nakhasathien used to kill himself was not only an expression of his determination to protect the forest and wildlife but also a wake-up call, for public awareness that saving the forest is the duty of us all.
A year later after his death and his effort, united nations had considered Thung Yai Naresuan and Huai Kha Kheang forest as a world heritage site.
Project Proposal
I’m interested to develop a series of atmospheric experiences of the monument produced by manipulation of natural phenomena that will enhance the ‘acknowledgement’ of Seub Nakhasathein’s aspiration in order to conserve value of nature. By walking towards the destination you will receive direct and indirect messages,
and, " the core idea is that i don’t want to build anymore manmade construction to it. "
The isolation
The site is an island isolated far away ignored other human activities, where it shows the introvert personality of Khun Seub, how he keeps all his thoughts and pressure to himself and not to tell anyone.
The silence
Entering the within the island but seeing and hearing nothing, the evapotranspiration clouds conveys a quiet scene, meant for reflection of losing the forest that he tried to protect.
The way
Only once a year appears the path walking towards to the inner island, where The actual area is long and shallow intentionally carved by underwater stream, allowing for a sense of changes through the seasons and over the years, where you starts to hear sound of water dripping and crashing the outer walls it could represent the souls that had buried under the water.
The lost
These limestone stumps represent memorial without names for wildlife appeared infinite in numbers of uniqueness and the sameness, conveys the sense of overwhelming, while unifying these individuals into a whole to feel the loss of countless number of wildlives. We the living are brought to a realization of these deaths.
The forest
After experiencing the lost i’d like to convey that there’s a hope where you will see the evidence of ‘forest’ which is wildlifes. You don’t need to see numbers of trees but footprints could show the abundant of the wild.
The last is the everlasting
Entering to center of the inner island there stand a ficus tree represents the rebirth where the seed was brought by the running water and stuck within the island, decades has passed the tree alone grows and branches are expand and benefits birds to nest and feed while the fallen seeds became food source for the mammals.
