It is now October 12th. So far I have fallen into a rhythm of one day out shooting, followed by a day writing these field reports and general data hygiene. I would like to be able to get to the point where I can do this blindfolded in an hour or two after getting back from a day’s shoot, and I am sure it will get there. I have a bottleneck in my ingestion (possibly card transfer speed of V30’s), as I seem to cap out at around 40-50mbps which I believe my Angelbird reader and USB-C interface exceeds. Once on the SSD, cloning to the second is instantaneous with even 100GB transfers taking seconds. I am seeing a real benefit to my upgrade to a pair of WD Black 850 drives for this project. Cold storage backup takes forever as it’s a large mechanical drive but this is a weekly backup, and I can transfer the files in the background with minimal impact to my system.

The next step would possibly to be to upgrade to V90’s or CF Express cards now that my Sony system supports them. The reality remains a set of four CF Express or V90’s (in a decent size) currently exceeds the entire budget I have for production. My hopes are to be able to shoot the project on the equipment I have, as storage-wise I have already been subsidised on faith alone. Even with Angelbird’s support I have spent around 26,000THB (800 USD) on 4TB hot storage and 24TB cold storage. For context, 26,000 THB exceeds two months at the average wage here in Isaan. This is the core issue I am consistently facing, in the UK or US cost of equipment is fairly negligible compared to wages, however there is no way I can produce long-term immersed fieldwork from a satellite. Even if I were, the cost of travel (and western living expenses) would nullify any gains. It is important I tell you this, as no YouTuber will. No magazine article will — and I have written enough of them that never got published.

Which leads fairly nicely into what I am showing you all today, this giant dragon. I have followed this landmark since the ideation phase, when they were mocking up dioramas (you can see the image set here and an interview with the art director and patron here). Overall, I am astounded by two things in particular. The easiest for me to explain would be the speed at which this is built. In the UK, they would think about this longer than this took to build. This cultural difference is what I love about Asia. The UK has become rigid and stagnant, committee run for the likes of no one. Thailand and Asia at large, is the opposite. There is very little in the way of idea and, well, a giant dragon being built. Since the diorama, we are just over a year. The foreman believes it will be finished in the next two months. That is an impressive rate of execution. One could argue that despite longer lead times, things in the UK tend to be built with permanence in mind. An argument I would full agree with — if made fifty years ago. Whilst the temporal nature of Asian infrastructure is the very reason behind Discover Temples of Thailand, it still begs the question: “Why does this happen here and not in the West?”

Before I make an attempt at answering that question, I will try and give a little information, a few observations and dig into what astonishes me most. The Thai Chinese Cultural Centre was opened to the public in 2013, as a celebration of Sino-Thai culture prevalent in Isaan. Since then, it has served as a prominent landmark and domestic tourism destination for the city. In close proximity to Chao Phu Ya shrine, that serves the community in the usual ways a temple does. It also houses Amphitagun’s studio, where he builds the dragons used in traditional performances. Sino-Thai schools practise traditional dragon and lion dances and has an Engkor troupe that is present in many public celebrations and charity fundraisers. During times of disaster, the shrine is basecamp for relief efforts, be it essentials for dispatch to flooded areas, or recently barbed wire and building materials for the Eastern border. It is of note and correlates directly to what I am about to inform you.

The dragon is unapologetically being built as a tourist destination, as a landmark for the city. The cost of the project is astronomical in local context — at 20 million Thai Baht — and proffers immediate scrutiny when there is seemingly so much more that needs to be addressed before giant dragons need to be built. This is where I need to dig deeper, and leave any bias at the door. We have already gathered that the efforts of the past have directly influenced the community positively, and we can see in the images in front of us that this project has created employment opportunity. And we can all agree that the supporting infrastructure surrounding increased tourism is a net gain for the city, without needing a degree to figure it out. That isn’t what amazes me, not in the slightest. its prudent and obvious. What astonishes me the most, is that they did not build a resort, a hotel, a bar, a night club, a strip mall, or anything else synonymous with Thai tourism. They chose to build a giant dragon, a symbol of strength, of faith, and of shared heritage. Am I so naïve to believe this is coincidence considering the obvious (if not publicised) formation of a corridor between South China, Laos, and Thailand? No I am not, but it still remains stark in contrast to Laos’ Special Economic Zone.

Historically, Thailand has been strongly associated with the West, from colonial Britain to post-war America. Thailand has been valued as a consistent neutral buffer in the East, especially during the Cold War. The United States decided that Communism must not be allowed to spread, and the United Kingdom believed that the United States must not become the dominant global power. The rest — as they say — is history. Why is this important? I could tangent off into how Udon Thani was built to support the U.S.A.F, or the Vietnamese migrant population that followed. No, not a story for today. It is important because for the first time in fifty years global dynamics are very publicly changing. Thailand’s military is still supported by the U.S.A, and it is far more advanced than any other country (or government) in Southeast Asia because of this. However, with tariffs and overall changes in Western spending habits, China has become an economic port in this current political storm.

With Sino-Thai culture in Isaan existing to the extent that (far enough back) we were one and the same peoples, it does not come as a surprise that it is Chinese tourism that has been targeted. The same can be said for Bangkok, with malls such as Paragon, Siam One, EM, Icon Siam and many, many, more specifically targeting Hi-So, KoL culture. My thoughts on this are mixed leaning negative and not subject of this specific discovery. This giant dragon, however, will be followed by the cafe’s and what have you. It is only across the road from Central Festival, I am sure that we will soon see the emergence of Louis Vuitton and the like. The Udon Thani yellow duck trended on Instagram, Moo Deng did too down in Pattaya, and my hopes are that something like this, can be the same. That this dragon can be a gateway into people wanting to learn more about culture and heritage, to dig deeper than a selfie with a monument. Because that exists on a separate plain. Engkor, Amphitagun, my work, we don’t need clicks.

So, whilst I cannot directly answer why this happens here and not back home, I think in asking the question we have found out many pebbles that cascade into a landfall. Could such tactics be used in England? I am most certain they could, if those who can decide leave hubris out of the equation. Certainly so for Scotland and Wales. Being a millennial I grew up in an expanding world, one that seemingly iterated and opened as the years passed by. I saw Y2K, the internet, and social media. I saw domestic markets turn global. And from a Western perspective, I saw it all contract. I think one of the main reasons that this does not happen back home is that they are afraid of their own identity. Yes, colonial actions were not the high point, but Japan has overcome this, Germany has moved on from this. Certainly so for the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch, whose colonial actions were in parallel with ours. The United Kingdom of Great Britain has become so afraid of itself that it no longer exists. No longer Great, United, and decreasingly British. Thailand is not. Thailand is Thailand, every house has a shrine, every town has a temple. If you parachuted in blindfolded, there would be no mistaking where you are in the world. The same can be said for Japan, and possibly where much of my love for the Japanese comes from. Whereas the English refuse their heritage, spanning France, Denmark and more of Europe than you would imagine, they are afraid to show it. And that is not just a loss for my own culture, but a loss for the world. I would love to explore my Anglo-European heritage the way that I explore my Thai-Asian, but how could I? To fly our flag is considered the act of a dissident, an extremist. Here in Thailand our anthem plays twice a day, and everyone stands to attention when it does — no matter their thoughts on the King, the government, or the price of bread.

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Discover Temples of Thailand is supported by Angelbird Technologies with companion motion sequences in collaboration with Dehancer Film Emulation.