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See old Siam through the eyes of foreign visitors at the new free Museum Siam exhibition until 4 October.
If you are a sucker for historical dramas or just think Thai history is pretty cool, Museum Siam’s latest exhibition is right up your alley.
Running until 4 October, Thai Dialogue: Foreign Quote lets you see old Siam through the eyes of the foreign – or farang – visitors who once arrived on its shores. You will get to dive into the world of the expatriates, missionaries and diplomats who lived, worked and spent their remaining days in the kingdom.
It is fascinating to see what these visitors thought of Siam – was it just another exotic, Orientalist fantasy, or was it more than that? This exhibition takes you back to an era of major transformation, when Siam was juggling foreign diplomacy while launching a massive “civilising” project. Since projecting an image of sophistication is basically Statecraft 101, watching this national campaign from the receiving end is especially insightful.
The exhibition does a great job of keeping the mood fun, showing that history was a two-way street. These travellers actually brought something to the table, introducing Western science, technology and religion while they gathered local artefacts and made ethnographic notes. It was a cultural exchange: while the visitors were studying Siam, the locals were forming their own judgements about the West in return.
To top it all off, the museum has some great little extras before you head out. You can grab exclusive, vintage-style souvenir coins for just THB 20 each: they come in three cool designs with a display card and give off great childhood nostalgia vibes. Plus, you can also hit up the photobooth, which prints out bright colours and fun animal designs so you can walk away with a great memory of the day.
You can catch this free exhibition from now until 4 October on the first floor of Museum Siam (Temporary Exhibition Rooms 1–3) on Sanam Chai Road. The doors are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, with the museum closing every Monday.
