When Chumpon Akpanthanon was hired to fix up an old wooden house by a klong in Nonthaburi, he had no idea it would become the project of his life. The elegant wooden structure wraps around a centuries-old stupa in the back, and is surrounded by canals on two sides, across from a nearby temple. When its owners failed to find a buyer for the house, Chumpon came up with a remarkable idea: to buy the house himself along with some friends and turn it into an art center open to the public. Today, the house is home to former members of the Joe Louis Theater who were left jobless when the Suan Lum Night Bazaar closed. It also sees rotating exhibitions and sells locally-made handicrafts. It has profoundly revived the area, which had little to offer in terms of jobs or touristic appeal before the house opened to the public.

How did the thought of opening this house to the public come along?
The first time I saw this house, I had a vision of this house in the past—and it was so beautiful. But while I was fixing it, I realized, it’s not fixing the wood that’s hard. It’s how you live in it. How do you restore that after the construction ends? So I knew what I wanted to do, but I also knew I had to fix it first so that people could see how beautiful the house is before wanting to get involved. Finally, I found some well-to-do friends who helped me buy it from the original owner. We wanted to make this house a place where people can come and see how people lived in the past. Here, monks still row their boats to receive offerings from villagers. The villagers still travel by boats to see each other. This is about the river that narrates the story of our culture. This is where we need to make it happen.

How does making a house for the arts achieve your goal?
Art is the perfect tool to bring many things together—and people. It creates mutual understanding. After we finished fixing this house, we tried to involve the community through art and welcomed their children. We taught them art for five to six months and during that time, we got to talk and know each other better. By teaching them art, we were connected to their parents. The whole community was connected.

So his project is about arts, but also community?
And the environment, too—motorboats, regulations governing the klongs, sewage water. It’s all connected. I can’t help wondering how the people here have been tolerating these living conditions for 50-60 years. And it’s also about tourism. If your house doesn’t look good, how can you expect people to visit? We started with our own house but other organizations need to join. I personally think the environment is a more serious issue than tourism.

After transforming this house, what changes have you seen in the community?
We started to see people in the community really live their lives to the fullest, right here, along the klong. Before, they had to go somewhere else to make a living. Now they can stay here, selling souvenirs in front of their house. Maybe this isn’t enough to provide for the whole family but I feel that the house makes this community livelier, and people are happier. People from elsewhere can come and see how they live. That’s why I think this is a great start because this liveliness really did come from the fact that people can make a living here.

What kind of support do you need?
I’d like there to be a law about noise pollution (from water transportation) that protects people living near rivers the same way people living near the roads are protected. Rivers are the same as roads. They also are places for transportation. Teenagers who race motorcycles on the streets go to jail for a month. Their vehicles are seized. They’re gone. The law works. The noise from the boat, which we hear while we’re speaking, can be fixed by simply extending the exhaust with a pipe. The problem has a solution. It just needs to be implemented. We’re ready to build 2,000 pipes if we get some support from law enforcement.

What would you say to those considering starting a project in their community?
You can’t buy the culture. You can build houses and make them look old but we can’t create the community and lifestyle. The old culture can’t be created. So try to preserve that. Think of the economic aspect, but preserve the community’s identity. I’ve always loved art but this is like painting a bigger painting. You’re not just affecting an individual’s feelings, you’re affecting people’s lives when you work with the community. I feel that this is real happiness. It’s tangible. Personally, I find this more satisfying than creating a painting.

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