The Big Sculpture, mini architecture
Year: 2019 – OnGoing
A guardhouse can either be viewed as small-scale architecture
or as a large-scale art installation. Sometimes guardhouses
are meticulously designed to physically and visually correspond
with the spaces and the main buildings they are part of.
It’s also very common to see factory-made or prefabricated
structures, as well as those built by contractors, carpenters,
steelworkers, or anyone who possesses the skill and experience
to construct a simple structure. There are plenty of guardhouses
that have been thoughtlessly set up using scrap wood and steel,
resulting in those funny looking structures that seem out of place
and unexpectedly amazing all at the same time.
While some guardhouses show evidence of thoughtful design and
attentive construction, not all of them are able to satisfy everyones
needs. Perhaps that’s why, under those security uniforms, we see
the instinct of an interior decorator expressed in the ways that
the space has been brought to life. Everyday objects can be found,
from batons to fans, chair, calendars, ice coolers, kettles, rice
cookers, and chess boards, etc. It isn’t surprising for a guardhouse
to appear like a large-scale art installation, bringing a smile to
one’s face thanks to the miscellaneousness of the everyday objects
that it’s made up of.
This small space isn’t just somewhere one works, rests, eats, and
sleeps; it reflects Thai identity and ordinary peoples way of life,
doing their jobs and living their lives.