Ruangsak Anuwatwimon
and ART WORMs Collective
Curatorial essay by Thanchanok Benjajinda
As the nature of the Mekong River becomes increasingly impoverished and volatile, the livelihoods of those within its biosphere have been profoundly disrupted. Through his on-site research, artist Ruangsak Anuwatwimon, together with the ART WORMs Collective, present the “Mekong Fulcrum Project”.
Ruangsak delves deep, recollecting the history of what was once an abundant river through the remnants of its dissipating cultural and environmental essence. In the face of modernization, man-made modifications have been imposed on the river to exploit it. The already precarious ecosystem has collapsed rapidly in recent decades. Since the dawn of time the Mekong has been the source of sustenance to the community that depends on it. Today it is witnessing the loss of lives and traditions it has cultivated.
For millennia, the Mekong River has been a haven for a multitude of flora and fauna as well as numerous riverside communities. It is the longest river in Southeast Asia, running through six countries: China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. With more than 1,000 freshwater species, it is the world’s second-most diverse river, capable of sustaining the world’s largest inland fishery. The eight riverside provinces of Thailand rely on this great river for their food security, while the rest of the northeastern provinces benefit from the Mekong’s tributaries.
From the Mekong’s origin in China to its convergence with the sea in Vietnam, water supply, nutrients, and sediments are distributed along its course, contributing to the foundation of many ecosystems and astounding biodiversity. The development of hydropower dams have sectioned the Mekong from its natural flow. The mega projects cause artificial fluctuations in the water levels. Dams pose great risks to migratory fish species and other species relying on the natural floodplain to complete their life cycles. The dams block migratory passages while changing the river’s hydrology, turning the free-flowing river into a still reservoir and making seasonal flows unpredictable. Currently, there are more than 20 hydropower dams on the Mekong’s mainstream, 12 of which are located upstream in China.
Ruangsak started to collect samples of the soils from the Mekong in 2015. Since then, he has taken multiple trips to different locations for his ongoing on-site research, where he skirted the riverside areas, interviewed locals, and consulted with experts and activists concerned with the activities and well-being of the great river. In this project, Ruangsak traces the vanishing cultures and ecologies that the Mekong had fostered for generations. The artist presents a floating installation of a section of the Mekong along the Thai border in the main gallery while introducing manipulated sound artwork in the upstairs room. Together, they recall the lost inheritance of the Thai Mekong region.
Specimens and soil from each of the six riverside provinces on the Thailand border make up a floating diorama of the Mekong’s topography titled “Excavated Gods”. This skeletal stretch of the Mekong outlines the 858-kilometer riverside boundary of Thailand from Loei down to Ubon Ratchathani. Apparent on the work are clam shells, dried fish, dried Cladophora, a goat skull, and earthworm exoskeleton as poignant remains of today’s river. Each of the 13 pieces comprising the diorama shows a different soil texture in correlation with the actual findings. As the river becomes increasingly unreliable, small creatures and plants endemic to the area are the first ones to get affected. Their populations are dwindling due to the loss of natural habitat. Hence, more bodies lay at the riverbed or sandbank. Is this barren diorama depicting the apocalyptic alter ego of the Mekong, or is it just the river in its current and genuine state?
On the second floor of the gallery, the faint sound of vintage records evokes the impression of the Mekong. In the artwork titled “Amphasia”, the music occasionally breaks up and progressively worsens. The more the turntable reminisces these beautiful resonances, the more Mekong sand grits attached to the record surface reveal themselves and wear out the needle. In the same area, an excerpt of the Mekong shoreline is recreated as a solid block. The work titled “Rifting Landscape” preserves the river soil while molding it into a souvenir from the abundant past. Visitors are encouraged to take a seat, listen to the music, and read through the books and reports provided by the artist.
“The Mekong Fulcrum Project” draws attention to the fragile interplay between nature and humanity, highlighting the dwindling ecosystems of the river at the cost of progression. It is a lament for what has been slipping away and a call to protect the remaining essence of the Mekong before it, too, fades into memory.
