CONNECT WITH US and see what students and faculty are up to!
TOM SAVINI’S SPECIAL MAKE-UP EFFECTS PROGRAM
GRADUATE SUCCESS – Pete Uttawut Vechayanon
Pete Uttawut Vechayanon is known for making a ‘Prawit Mask’ at a protest to protect democracy that took place on August 3rd, 2020. Pete tells us that in his view, using political expression is the right thing to do at this time, and Pete’s tool of choice for political expression is his ‘Art’. Finally, Pete concluded that politics is everyone’s business. Whether you are a child or an adult, everyone has the right to choose and make their life better. In 2011, Pete attended Thammasat University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
For the last ten years, Pete has lived two sides of life. First of course, is his interest in politics. The other is his love of art. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, he decided to move to the US and study Special Make-Up Effects. He is a freelance artist now and is looking for his moment to shine.
Ten years ago, two sides of Pete that are extremely different came together; even though it seems so difficult for two different sides of his country’s politics to come together. Pete frequently attended protests, but this time Pete showed up with something different. Amid a protest to protect democracy at the Democracy Monument, Pete decided to show up as both sides of himself.
He along with his younger brother wore custom masks that were made in the likeness of Defense Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, and carried signs of the slogan to answer questions of the protesters, with humorous words such as “I don’t know, no, no, no, no.”
Since the protest, the “Prawit Mask” has generated lots of talk. It is one of the key examples of how art is being used to communicate politics. For this reason, this reporter traveled to meet with Pete about the matter. As it turned out, news came out regarding the detention of artist/rapper HOCKHACKER from Rap Against Dictatorship, and it became a social issue.
After creating this mask, how did Pete feel about all that happened in front of him? This time there is no reply of “I don’t know, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no” anymore, because he now “knows” firsthand.
Pete was asked how he felt about controlling HOCKHACKER, since what he does is a work of art just like him.
“I feel that expressing whatever, whether spoken, written, or sung, people should have freedom of expression. And if freedom does not violate or disrespect anyone, I think we should let the ideas spread throughout society. People will use these perspectives to help them make decisions and verify what they think is correct or not,” Pete stated.
He continued to say, “For me, there is a conflict in society. But if we think of us on one side, there is no way out, because everyone has their own reasons. Therefore, letting people have multiple ideas and producing critical thinking is essential. If freedom is restricted, I think it will not lead to a society that uses reason for solving problems.”
What kind of feeling is it when you see people who work in art like us have to be arrested like that?
Pete replied thoughtfully, “It is a lot of emotions, but the main thing is, are you sick of doing this again? Using power to control people’s thoughts? What year is this? Why do you still choose to use the same method?”
Pete continued, “If we look at the big picture, every problem has never been one-sided. There are always two sides of thought that don’t always match. But the method he chose to use now only uses one side of reason. It is an operation from one side. So this is not a real solution. But this is defeating the other side. The real problem remains the same. So why didn’t you think of fixing it?”
When I saw the news, did you think that one day we might be the one who got hit like that?
Pete replied, “I didn’t even think about the stage of coming home, but if really pressed, I consider this to be an exercise in excess of my rights. Because I have reviewed the law, that this mask design does not violate anyone. I am careful of myself and the fact that I didn’t sell these masks even though someone asked for it. Because I thought that someone might continue to use the mask and affect other people. Art is not a crime.”
So, if Art is not a crime, in your opinion, what is art?
“Art is communication and it does not divide who can or cannot use it. So, I chose to use art to convey what I want to say. It is a way to speak your own opinion out loud.”
“Politically, art is an area of interest to me. Since entering university, I have seen problems and conflicts for a long time with this subject, but people rarely use rationality and use emotion to drive society. So, from seeing this all the time, I felt I had the opportunity to express my own opinions so that it would benefit many people. I also like to speak and express my personal opinion about what I think.”
“Why is it a mask? It is because I am good at this work and have studied it. I have liked masks since childhood, too. It gives me a feeling of transforming into another person and transform back into yourself in just a moment. So, I set out to make a mask of someone that is a recognizable icon to encourage people to see something. This is the value that I intend to achieve with this work of art.”
And why did you choose to be the first to make a General Prawit Wongsuwan mask?
Pete stated, “I really want to do many people, but I chose to do Big Fort first because he was a representative of the government. He has a lot of power. And I want to talk about it first. Because, personally, I think that many of the problems that arise right now have the main variables on those who can make a difference in the big picture, which is the governmental authority, who can make that difference.”
Photos courtesy of BBC. Article HERE
Translation from adaymagazine.com
Translation from adaymagazine.com
