Technique & medium: Digital photography on light-box, screen, photographic paper print.

Why Bangkok Noir? Actually Noir is the French word for black. The title is inspired by film noir, which is a movie style that has roots in  German Expressionist  cinematography. It emphasizes  low-key lighting and  unbalanced compositions; this is the perfect characterization for the kind of mood which I want to photograph.  Bangkok is a world of shadows and occasional bursts of light that make it an interesting model for my camera.

What inspired you to take these images? Bangkok itself. Bangkok’s shadows always interest me more than the scattered light. Bangkok is often characterized as an erotic city but there is so much else going on at night.  There is always activity: you can donate a coffin for homeless people in a temple, get a tattoo, visit night and flower markets—and there is always a special food, bar or disco out there. The pictures are taken from everywhere in greater Bangkok, chosen by instinct, by chance and sometimes by planning.

What draws you to a particular image? As a photographer I always found it very challenging to capture the various light moods in Bangkok at night. Sometimes there is only one bulb, one neon strip, a Tuk Tuk passes by with red, green, yellow lights or sometimes there is a fully illuminated  skyscraper. This light, the reflections, rain, clouds and moon are always moving. Everything is permanently changing. You find an amazing location, the next day it has may be gone.

This exhibition is categorized under the five human basic senses, why is that?

For me, there is no other megacity in the world where the human senses are always this stimulated.  Bangkok is a 24-hour kitchen—a smell, a taste, a sound, something to see, to discover, and if you need a touch, get a massage or try giving one. Bangkok is the perfect blend of form, content and feeling. It’s full of shadows and light. I love Bangkok.

Parisa Pichitmarn