The transparency of Joyfulness (2024)

In 2023, I began a series of workshops with Polish children as part of my PhD research, using simple creative activities to explore how making and physical interaction could encourage connection and expression.

One workshop, Phuang Mahot, based on a traditional Thai paper-cutting practice, became particularly important to my artistic development. Through cutting, folding, touching, and making with paper, the children engaged directly with the material while discovering a traditional form through their own actions and interpretations.

The experience influenced the development of my later work and became the title of my solo exhibition, Phuang Mahot. For me, the project represents how a traditional practice can be transformed through contemporary artistic processes, while preserving the personal meaning of making by hand.

It was also an important turning point in my practice. Working with participants who did not share the same language encouraged me to rely less on verbal instruction and more on demonstration, material, gesture, and touch. This experience strengthened my interest in how art can create understanding through direct physical engagement. 

Mixed-media installation : Paper and foil sheets cutting