35 years ago, in 1982, one of the largest tropical rainforest of Thailand was shifted in biology, geology, and ecology system due to the construction of Ratchaprapa Dam and nowadays it appears 100,000 Rai of Cheow Larn lake that has divided the forest into 2 parts; Khlong Saeng - Khlong Ya wildlife sanctuary and Khao Sok National Park.
Well, for my project, I’d like to go far back of the lake and observe an abundance island with the area of 7 km sq., this isolated island is oriented one side facing toward the East and another side facing toward the West, which receive the directly light from the sun in totally different time in the day and is consisted of 4 types of ecologies.
- The Tropical Evergreen Rainforest
Which contained native species of plants, such as Tangerine, Wild Rubber Tree, ferns, and wild animals such as Tapir, Wild Elephant, Wild Bulls, mostly are the species that could survived in the specific area after the lake was starting to fill.
- The Secondary Forest
Is the forest that had been destroyed by concession and timber harvest, which has re-grown in ecological succession, plants are easily grown species such as bamboo, ferns, rattan, and vine. Species of wildlifes such as Wild pigs, wild bulls.
- The Aquatic Ecology
Beneath the 80 m. from mean sea level under the surface of water there lives several aquatic species such as Snakehead fish, Giant Catfish, Malayan Leaffish, and including algae and kelp on the dead trees.
- The Wildlife corridor
Appears only when the lake is dewatering, since this is not an ocean so the water level wouldn’t varied daily due to the moon like tides, but the dewatering process would be annually when it’s in need for the city and also push out the unbalanced of mixed seawater inland for agricultural. So when the corridor appears, certain species of animals could cross over to forage.
For me this is a suitable site for K. Seub Nakasathien and Khao Sok memorial, because he deserves more than just a Statue and also the history of Khao Sok should be a reminder to us all! So please let me tell you a brief history about K. Seub and Khaosok!
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 of Khao Sok 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.
But 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. And today Khao Sok became a tourist attraction that I don’t know if they know the history of Khao Sok or Seub that I’ve just told.
So .. What exactly is my project?
My project is a design of sequential attraction spots in each certain place, certain day and a certain time, with nonvisualized of manmade construction. Only using the integration of classic elements Earth, Wind, Sun, and Water as related mediums to manipulate phenomenons that would only happen once in a year.
The only construction methodology operating in the project is cutting and blasting the mountain. Due to the Act of Legislation on National Park in Thailand; any procedure occurs allows to serves only for the use of the National Park, and Environmental Impact Assessment [EIA] stated to temporary detain the wildlifes away from the operating area, due to the noise and accidents, because they are what valued the most.
There are 2 typologies of blasting; Tunnel blasting and Open pit blasting. The process started with planning the blasting route, pinch a hole, and place the dynamites. Then it will blast from the inner route to the outer. And the conveyor belt.
Why the memorial has to be a journey?
Instead of just memorable of his name and instead of only appreciate the nature, the users would be part of nature and absorb both aesthetics and its importance and eventually to be able reach the point of realization of K. Seub’s aspiration in order to conserve value of nature.
Before you enter the memorial island you will receive a MANUAL BOOK and it only available for 20 people per year, luckily that this year we have enough places left, and today i’ll be your forestry ranger, and by walking towards the destination you will receive direct and indirect messages as following.
Day 1 started on August 29th | The Arrival
In the early morning you will enter to the island by a local boat to the pier that was carved at best to emerge with the landscape. This island is isolated by water far away from human activities means a testimony of k. Seub soul, how he distanced from social and keeps all his thoughts and pressure to himself and never let anyone know.
All through the day you will accordingly adjust to blend in while you’re hiking, from the balance of each steps, the smell, the sound, and the feel of the forest. Then until the late evening, you’ll arrive at your first camp.
You’ll spend your first night at this quiet space, that cut through the mountain and meet the cave, sheltered from strong wind and rain, and connected to the tunnel of aquifer, where provides space for cooking, relaxing and sleeping on the side walls. The pit opening will be approximately 2m H., that let the fresh air ventilate to the interior, while the smoke will detained by the barrier.
Day 2 August 30th| The Lost
You’ll start to acknowledge symbolical phenomenons, when the sun rises and you could see it from the pit because the space has designed to precisely angled corresponding to the sunrise of only this day. Sunrises emphasize the beauty of lives, but in contrast within this space you wouldn’t hear any sound incorporated with lives except ours? Isn’t there something strange? Then you’ll noticed the dead trees from far away with the atmosphere conveys the sense of overwhelming, represent the lost of forest and wildlife that K. Seub put his life to protect while he lived and also his death. These dead trees are memorial without names appeared infinite in numbers of uniqueness and the sameness.
Before lunch, you will arrive at a space filled with clean water, accumulated from the runoff surface and small streams. By staring into the room while the sun shines towards your back and cast your shadow on the surface of water, with the reflection of the water on the ceiling of calcite minerals that shines bright when the light touches. Where you are the only living, any action you proceed effects changes in the room, you walk your shadow changes, you touches the water the reflection changes, you paddle the water the sound changes, you speak the room louden you noises. This means nature has life of it own and it is infinite, but the only one thing that could damage them or help them live eternity is your action. And when it’s noon this room will be all dark. And you’ll spend the rest of the day hiking and then you’ll arrive at your second camp site in the forest.
Day 3 August 31st| The Way
This morning is differed from your first morning, you will wake up by the sound of the forest, birds chirping, the breeze, and the sun light that shines through the gap between each truck of trees, but this will be your last sunrise you would see.
Through the afternoon you’ll be hiking across the peak of the mountain to the other side where sunrise wouldn’t appear. It is an open pit channel that the length from the plan is only 200 m. but with the height makes it more tough with the gain or 60% upward and 80% slope downward on the other side. As the channel surface is mostly rock small plants and shrubs are mostly grown, however, through the succession, soil and plant seeds could deposit by wind or water, and the space will process through time. Also the channel is angled directly to the afternoon sun as it’s like you’re always hiking towards the sun, but there is no way back! The condition of the weather would challenge you differently, just think what if it’s raining or what if it’s cloudless and also your physical condition would be another challenge, you can ask PP, how did he survived such condition like this, so you might arrive at your camp the first or the last at 3 hours behind and it’s all dark. This night you would camp in the forest.
Day 4 September 1st| The Death
This day you’ll spend the whole day hiking to the only destination which is your last campsite. You will arrive in the near evening where you will unexpectedly break the feel by the polished limestone floor, which makes you feel uncomfortable with the balance. Then after you all settled with the camping the sun will starting to set precisely through the cutting channel of the mountain, and you all will gathered to appreciate this delicate phenomenon, as the sun goes down the light will cast on the polished floor beautifully, and then at the last minute, appears a twilight shines horizontally through the gap between the floor wshppppp----! as it was the last light, and afterall it becomes all dark and silent. THIS means the death of K. Seub.
Day 5 September 2nd| The Realization
Through the day you will walk within the small open pit cut through the surface of the mountain which divided the upper part as the primitive forest and the lower part of the cut as the secondary forest. The mist from the evaporation of the water surface by strong heat radiation of the afternoon sun plus evapotranspiration of the forest when the weather is hot but the trees are dense with humidity, these evaporated clouds will confuse your visualization plus the feeling of lost the sense of direction, because everything is all white and you couldn't see what’s exactly below the pavement. You could only walk carefully along the appeared path.
And in the near evening you will arrive again at the pier, you will leave the island when the sun goes down, as the boat is sailing the sky starts to dim to the almost complete darkness, this will be the time you will get to recall and understand all the experiences and phenomenon that had happened from the whole journey before you arrive to the city.
Then finally you’ll realize that the “legacy” of khun Seub is neither the Huai Khakeang, Khao Sok, nor any forest that was protected by the sacrifice of his death. But his name that lives to carry his aspiration will contribute by the livings, in order to leave “The Forests” as our “legacy” to the generations of us all.
Thank you.
