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Past in the Present
In 2009 and 2010, museum staff traveled to villages all over Thailand where traditional textiles are still woven. For many years, Her Majesty the Queen visited these same villages in an effort to preserve Thailand’s textile traditions and improve villagers’ lives. She encouraged rural weavers to continue to make these distinctive textiles while introducing new colors and other changes to adapt them to modern tastes, and marketing them through Her SUPPORT Foundation As a result, Thailand’s textile artisans now enjoy a better standard of living, and have kept their textile traditions alive.
The photographs in Past in the Present were taken by Thai photographer Mr. Anak Navaraj and allowed visitors a glimpse of what the museum staff saw during their visits—the villagers’ calm dignity, their absorption in their craft, and their deep contentment and gratitude towards Their Majesties.
About the Photographer
After graduating from Pratt Institute in New York with a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography, Anak Navaraj worked in the United States as a freelance photographer, specializing in travel and documentary photographs. Between assignments, he taught photography at American University in Washington, D.C. Now residing once more in Thailand, he continues his freelance career and teaches at Silpakorn University in Bangkok.
