Can you tell us about this event?
On March 18th and 19th, we will host a celebration of Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned Chinese writer and activist who won the Nobel Prize last year. The event features performances by Thai musicians, poets, DJs, painters and filmmakers who want to stand in solidarity with Liu and other persecuted artists around the world. Liu is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for calling for greater freedoms and human rights in China.

How did you get involved?
In addition to being a poet, I’m an editor with the Pirogue Collective, a Senegal-based arts organization. We were approached by Internationales Literaturefestival berlin to organize and promote an event in New York. Since I now live and write in Bangkok, I wanted to put together an event here.

What is your contribution to the event?
Almost all of the performers are Thai, though the readings will be a mix of Thai- and English-language poetry. Each night I’ll read a few English translations of Liu’s poems. On Saturday, I’ll also read some of my own poems inspired by Liu.

What are some of the highlights we shouldn’t miss?
On Friday, Vasan Sitthiket and Kwanchai Lichaikul will create original, “live” paintings while DJ Maft Sai of the ZudRangMa Radio Show spins records. On Saturday, Tul and Pump of indie rock band Apartment Khun Pa will play their own songs, and provide instrumental accompaniment for Zakariya Amataya, winner of the 2010 SEA Write Award, and several other exciting young Thai poets.
Read the full interview online at http://tinyurl.com/5s39y3r

What’s the story behind this show?
It was inspired by my trip to attend the funeral of an upcountry relative. I had a chance to help the locals do the dishes in the temple kitchen, which reminded me of my childhood. When I was younger, I used to follow my grandma to the temple and we would meet a lot of mae krua [female cooks]. That’s how it got started.

How did you get to direct it?
I’m already a member of B-Floor. We have a tradition of taking turns doing things, from directing and acting to managing. I pitched this project to the group and got the nod from everyone.

Is there a story in Taste of Curry?
There’s really no plot. The show tries to capture the different periods of one’s life where food plays a part.

How is Taste of Curry different from B-Floor’s previous performances?
You know how a projector has always been an integral part of our productions? Well, we’re not using it this time around. The show focuses more on the dialogue, which will be in Thai, English, Spanish and French. It’s also olfactory because the characters will also be cooking on stage.

B-Floor has a reputation of producing abstract theater. Is that the case here?
If you come to see the show expecting to see a nang ek (leading female character) and phra ek (leading male actor) like in a soap opera, you will be disappointed. My advice is to come with an open mind, go with what’s happening on the stage and you’ll eventually enjoy it.

Keeping up with Jaarunan Phantachat at Taste of Curry

How would you describe your sound to those who haven’t heard your music before?
We play a kind of nomad-rock. It’s basically music without limits. We get a lot of influences from gypsy and old European music, and we put a modern spin on them with elements from more modern sounds like hip hop and electro.

Tell us about your many instruments.
We play acoustic instruments like horns, sax, gypsy guitar, and we mix them with keyboards, loops, electric guitar and bass. The point is to create an authentic sound at the core of a modern sound.

You guys look pretty stylish. Who inspires you when it comes to fashion?
We love the whole steam-punk fashion trend. It’s a kind of mix between old and futuristic styles. We love to talk about retro-futurism, so it’s cool to go on the stage looking like this and then talk about our travel between time and continents with our surrealistic caravan.

What can we expect to see at your gig here?
We play world music and music for the whole world. So, it’s all very international in terms of the sounds and lyrics. We’d like to invite everybody to come inside our caravan, travel with us in time and space. Dance, sing and just have fun!

Catching up with quirky French band La Caravane Passe at Music Day (La Fête de la Musique)

Technique & medium: A still from a video multimedia presentation.

Tell us about this exhibition
The main concept is to portray my family’s beliefs and traditions in raising female family members. The name of the show, Possessed/Poach, is a push-and-pull between active and passive, which reflects my attempt to come to terms with myself and my gender as perceived by my family and the people surrounding me.

What inspires it?
The art-making process to me is like I’m having a conversation with myself. Sometimes it can even turn into a self-scrutiny. For this show, the dialogue has become a lot more intense. Several questions came up, some of which I could answer, some of which I couldn’t. I began to question the rules and regulations in life. The most crucial thought, however, is how I am treated by my female relatives.

What’s a background to this piece?
This is a screen capture taken from my VDO titled Online Processing. It’s a metaphor, aiming to reflect that instant connection between two distant objects. It’s also based on the belief that female family members have to be raised by those of the same sex to please our ancestors.

Who are the women here?
The woman on the left is my mother and that’s me on the right. I make it a point to appear in all of my video works because they’re all based on my own experience.

What do you hope to achieve with this exhibition?
To address some of the questions I’ve had regarding how I was raised. At the same time, it also serves as a reminder to myself and others to accept their family the way they are.

Keeping up with Posessed/Poach Exhibition at Tang Contemporary Art

Blessed with swells 365 days a year, Bali is an amateur surfer’s dream.Technically, Nov-Apr is off-season, but we’ve been there in December and had a great time. While you can just rent a boogie board and wing it on your own, a few hours with an instructor can save you a lot of frustration.

Pick the Right Beach
Surf schools are abundant on the island, ranging from those run by iconic surf labels like Quiksilver to local family-run operations. Try to steer clear of schools in Kuta Beach, though, as the waves there can be a little too rough for beginners—not to mention the crowds of rowdy tourists. Head instead to the more forgiving and more mellow Legian Beach, also known as Double Six, where well-established schools by Quiksilver and Rip Curl are located.

What Your Money Gets You
If you’re on a budget, opt for locally operated schools like Double D and Odyssey Surf School (see Essentials). Surf brand giants like Quiksilver Surf School offers a 2.5-hour lesson at US$39 (B1,200), though it’s cheaper to buy a package (US$100 for 7.5 hours over the course of three days). Rip Curl School of Surf, on the other hand, charges almost double the price (starting from B2,250), but you do get a well-equipped facility and nice little perks like a transfer to surf at a less crowded spot, a towel and even some sunscreen. Most places will also provide you with a rashguard, but make sure to wear board shorts long enough to cover the knees. Trust us, you want to keep nasty board rash to a minimum.

Just One More Wave, Dude
Regardless of where you’re enrolled, the first lesson usually covers basics like ocean safety, surfboard anatomy, how to lie down and how to pop up on the board. After practicing on the beach, you’ll be paired with a sturdy beginner’s board—with a soft top—and then led into the ocean where the fun really begins. Standing up may be the Holy Grail for novices, but the real challenge, as you’ll soon discover, is trying to brave the oncoming breaking waves with a cumbersome 9-foot board beside you. And most of the time, you’ll be riding mushy whitewater straight back to the beach. As tedious as it may seem, once you’ve ridden one wave all the way through, the sensation is unbeatable. Ask any surfer about the infamous “just one more wave” syndrome.

Like any other sport, surfing takes a lot of practice. Wipeouts are inevitable, and you simply won’t learn without inhaling and swallowing some saltwater in the process. If you just want to have fun, one lesson should give you enough basics to catch a few waves. Those aspiring to master fancy moves like duck diving and bottom turning are best off taking a continuous course. Make sure to allow yourself at least one rest day after a lesson, though, because as effortless as it looks, surfing is a very intense workout, using muscles you never knew you had.

Surfing in Thailand
While it’s pretty much flat half the time, Phuket turns into a temporary surfers’ playground during the monsoon season (May-Oct). Surin, Kamala and Kata are all rideable, but Kalim and Nai Harn are the top spots. Beginners should look for a school at Kata, where rides are fairly short. Andaman Sea Surf (Taweewong Rd., Patong Beach. www.andamanseasurf.com. Contact Day at 089-9732161 or daysurfer@gmail.com) offers a one-on-one lesson (3 hours/day or 1 hour/3 days) for B2,800, or, if you're hoping to turn pro, go for the one-week package (B8,150), which includes lessons, room and airport transfer.

SURG SCHOOLS 
Odyssey. Jl Pantai Kuta. Kuta. www.odysseysurfschool.com
Quiksilver Surf School. Jl. Pantai Legian Kaja (next to Jayakarta Hotel), +62 361 731 078. www.quiksilversurfschoolbali.com
Rip Curl School of Surf. Jl. Arjuna, Kuta, +62 361 735 858. www.ripcurlschoolofsurf.com
Double D. Double Six Street, Seminyak Beach. www.surfschoolbali.com

GETTING THERE
Air Asia (www.airasia.com) flies to Bali daily. Rates start from B1,990 one-way.
A roundtripticket from THAI Airways (www.thaiairways.com) is from B18,454.

VISA
No visa required for Thai nationals. Some 30 countries are eligible for a visa on arrival (US$25) that can be purchased at the airport immigration counter. Details at www.indo.com/tplan/visa.html