BAAN DAM MUSEUM, Chiang Rai

The mysterious Black House of Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai is already popular for its White Temple, located about 15km south of the city. The Baan

Three-tiered Lanna roof

Dam Museum, at about 10km north of Chiang Rai, has been wrongly called the Black Temple. This is because it is drastically opposed to the white purity of Wat Rong Khun ('The White Temple'). So, some people consider it is a contrast between the forces of good (white) and evil (black). These opposite symbols do exist in Hinduism & Buddhism. Yet, Baan Dam means the black (สีดำ, dam) house (บ้าน , baan). There is a definite reason for this name.

First, the Black House is a sort of art gallery spread out on a vast hilly ground facing a large pond. It is made of many different buildings some built in the traditional style, others totally modern in shape, like a series of white upturned glasses or a huge gray fish resembling Captain Nemo's submarine!

The second surprising element of this open-air museum of art is the prevailing obvious death theme.

It is not only due to the black color. There are a number of dead animals skins, skulls, skeletons, and

A strange circular meeting room

bones everywhere. This is a hair-raising taxidermist place: the skeleton of an elephant, a carpet made of a full crocodile skin, a long wood table adorned with a snakeskin. The animals, the architecture belong to the southeastern Asian sphere. Sometimes, the style of the buildings recalls the Lanna architecture, mainly by the impressive roof design.

Roof finials shaped as horns

At other times, it seems more primitive recalling the Pacific tribal art of the Indonesian archipelago. But there is one artistic unity: the recurrence of the water buffalo horns or skulls. As a matter of fact, there is a live pink buffalo grazing on the grass near the small lake.

It leads to a third surprise that only becomes evident after a while: an array of intriguing symbols. Some are fully visible in the open by the use of stones. Here, a giant spiral leading to an elevated central stone; there, a huge triangle shaped with stones, or another entirely made of stones; in another place, there are 6 upright stones curving around a big rock in the middle. One black stilt building is made of 3 houses whose roofs end with a gable-finial symbolizing the horns of the male buffalo. It is presented as a temple with incense burning. Another smaller construction shelters 3 statues of Buddhas in successive height.

The 'temple' seen as an effigy of number 3

There are many descriptions of the Black House but none consider the underlying symbolic

Another strange meeting room

explanation. Moreover, some of the rooms have been clearly designed as meeting rooms using the horns of animals for the chairs or other pieces of furniture or decoration. So, what is the meaning of all this? What is the cultural background lying behind? What can it be used for? The esoteric atmosphere of the place seems particularly evident.

My own explanation can only be tentative based on anthropology and a cognitive social knowledge of the Asian culture(s).

Thawan Duchanee

In order to build up an accountable analysis, we need obviously to consider the creator of 'Baan Dam', Thawan Duchanee (1939-2014). Born in Chiang Rai, he became a painter, a sculptor and an architect. He studied in Bangkok, particularly at Sikpakorn University. It is an interesting fact already to know that he was both an architect and a gifted painter, who studied Hindu, Chinese and Japanese Arts. He was

A white meeting room with a black door

particularly keen on the Chinese form of black and white pencil drawings. Architecture and painting are forms of art that use a symbolic heritage. Thawan Duchanee was also a devoted Buddhist in spite of the controversy triggered by his definite vision of art. He was made a national artist of Thailand and was internationally known. He traveled a lot to Europe, North America, Australia or even across Asia. He seems to have had some inner connection with the Netherlands and Germany that may have influenced his art.

Next, if we now consider some of the previous descriptions of the symbols on display at Baan Dam, this is what can be said:

• The southeastern Asian culture. Asian art is characterized by its curves, spirals, and volutes. This is a common trait in paintings, sculptures, and architecture. The Asian roof is often curved and always ending with a finial symbolizing a protecting deity. There is a reason for that. The

  

  Taxidermist display

  Asian spirituality believes in the opposing forces of good and evil. The Balinese sanctuary is guarded by two fierce-looking deities. The Thai wats are often protected by two Nagas. Asians believe that the evil spirits must be constantly chased away. A malevolent sky creature descending the roof of a temple will be pushed back thanks to the protective curved finial of the roof. The sound of the small bells attached to the roof serve the same purpose: the sound they make will scare away bad spirits. All the human or animal protective guardians look fierce and powerful to frighten the evil forces. Because demons can resemble Men in order to lure them! This is almost a Shakespearian concept: appearance is not reality. The oriental concept lies far away from the western concept. In the Greek mythology, the gods looked like humans. They were able to become animals or sometimes pretend to be simple men, who could easily lure other people. In this case, reality becomes an appearance. Both concepts have had a deep influence on beliefs, art, architecture or even people's minds. The straight line belongs to western culture whereas the curve represents the eastern civilization. An Asian cannot give a direct answer like a Westerner does because it would sound rude. Linguistically speaking, there is no such word as NO in Thai. 'Yes' or 'can' translate into dai; its opposite 'cannot' uses mai dai, which can be literally translated by 'not yes'.

This long digression serves the purpose of explaining the spiritual concept of visual art in general. But in the case of the Baan Dam Museum, there is also a need to clarify what appears to be a cult to the buffalo.

3-Buddha sala

Asian cultures from China to Indonesia are deeply rooted in the cult of the water buffalo. This image can be linked to the Mediterranean cult of the bull or the North-American bison.

Like the Lanna houses of Baan Dam, the roofs of the Bataks in Sumatra, or the Torajas in Sulawesi always have a V-shape finial symbolizing the horns of the male buffalo. It is a way to protect and sacralize a house.

Triangle shaped with stones

The black water buffalo represents strength, power, vitality and it is no accident if it has also become a Chinese zodiacal sign known in the West as Taurus. The Asian buffalo is an earthly animal associated with water. When it is in a pond or a river, it keeps its head above towards the sky. Its powerful force enables farmers to plow the rice fields. Asian art often represents the buffalo as a child carrier in the countryside. All this makes it a protective animal throughout the Far East. Its huge curved horns are a symbol of the cup, or the lower part of the original egg that belongs to Earth, as opposed to the upper part – the dome – that belongs to the Sky (the 'celestial vault').

• The universal symbols. Baan Dam offers many other symbols, which are more common everywhere else. Ethnology would classify these as universal symbols because they belong to all the human communities on Earth whether they are primitive or more advanced.

          Here is what one can clearly see at the Black House:

- A huge spiral made of smaller stones leading to a bigger center stone. It can be seen as a figurative representation of a spatial constellation or also as a symbol of the Asian spirituality described previously.

Stone spiral with an entry on the left side and an upright stone in the center

- A series of large equilateral triangles using stones to shape the three sides or filling the shape with as many stones as necessary: the void and the plain. But of course, the triangle is a geometrical representation of number 3, a symbol of the accomplished. The wooden temple of Baan Dam is made of three juxtaposed stilt-houses having two stone-filled triangles spread on the ground in front.

- Another display shows a rectangular platform filled with flat pebbles, having in the middle a curved line of 6 upheld stones with a 7^th horizontal stone resting in front.

Stone alignment on a rectangular platform

These various symbols can be linked to the Asian culture. Particularly the stone, a common ornament of Chinese art. One can also evoke the Japanese Zen dry garden of Kyoto.

Another interesting combination lies in the wooden façade of rural houses said to resemble the face of a water buffalo: a square shape with a central door and two side windows becoming triangular under the roof crowned by two stylized horns.

• The possible esoteric message. This section of the analysis remains more obscure. It seems evident that the few closed areas containing chairs serve the purpose of meetings. But it is not clear to know if this bears a purely symbolic purpose or if they are really used for some kind of esoteric reunion. By definition, if the purpose is esoteric, it remains a well-guarded secret. It simply would be interesting to know if such a secret society exists in the country.

An intricate roof design

But whatever it is, it seems useful to stress that the Black House is not a place meant to attract a sort of black mass dedicated to the evil forces. It is black because it represents the evil forces of the world. To be aware of the evil is a way to be protected from its destructive force. Again, here appearance is not reality. Thawan Duchanee was a devout Buddhist with an artistic and knowledgeable vision of spirituality.

It is also interesting to know that Ajarn Chalermchai, who built the White Temple, was Thawan Duchanee's student. And truly both sites are unique in style.

Christian Sorand