Pisitakun Kuantalaeng: Revolutionary Music Movements under Distorted Rule of Law

31.01.2024 / 16:00 – 17:30
With Pisitakun Kuantalaeng

with Eugénie Mérieau and Pinky Htut Aung
moderated by Stefanie Alisch

A long-term figure in Thailand’s anti-monarchy demonstrations, Pisitakun Kuantalaeng has been researching the sounds of protest in his native home and connecting to other movements worldwide. Part of his long-term artistic project “The Three Sound of Revolution” is presented this year at CTM. This session will take a deeper look at Thai political and legal contexts, and the protest movements and musics that aim to influence and improve them. A look into neighboring Myanmar, which is closely interconnected in history and protest, aims to reveal how separate movements can influence and reinforce one another while remaining focused and independent.

Music is an indispensable element of protest and political movements, uniting people and opening a channel for communicating ideas and stories about injustice and limited freedom of expression. It not only presents an image of each protest movement but can also shine a light on and express particular legal contexts that oppress communities or societies at a given time. Conversely, understanding laws and legal contexts against which protest movements are agitating is important in order to be able to explore the communication taking place through music.

Beginning with Pisitakun’s native Thailand – whose recent protest history began with a student uprising turned popular resistance movement on 14 October 1973 – the specialist in Thai law and politics Eugénie Mérieau will share academic and historical details on Thailand’s political complexities and dilemmas, as well as how each political resistance and its aftermath has impacted Thai society today as a whole. Pisitakun will be joined by the artist and activist Pinky Htut Aung to share their insights into Thailand’s coup culture and Myanmar’s current political climate, bringing forth sonic examples from their own experiences within artist and protest movements in their respective countries, they also point to how these movements can remain interdependent while resonating with and reinforcing one another.

Conversation in English

Supported and co-produced by DAAD Artists-in-Berlin Program in collaboration with CTM Festival

Photo: Jasper Kettner / Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD
Documentation Photos: Udo Siegfriedt / CTM Festival