10 Questions with Founder of Wonderfruit Festival

PUBLISHED January 30th, 2017 06:00 am | UPDATED July 22nd, 2024 02:34 pm

More than just a festival, Wonderfruit is a way of life, a broad and all-encompassing platform that promotes and celebrates positive, impactful social change. While everyone is excited and raving about the musical line-up, the founder and Creative Director of Wonderfruit, Pranitan “Pete” Phornphraha answered our questions on the art vision and artistic highlights at the festival that’s happening from 16 – 19 February 2017.

Tell us more about yourself.

I was born in Bangkok and spent my childhood there and in Vancouver. I studied in Massachusetts and finished up school in London before coming back to Bangkok.

As the Founder and Creative Director of Wonderfruit, what do you contribute to the festival?

I oversee the overall vision and ensure that we continue moving in the right direction. So, that includes providing the all conceptual and strategic direction for Wonderfruit, as we grow. I am very hands-on, so all content is filtered through me.

What is the art vision for Wonderfruit this February?

We aim to use the art at Wonderfruit to promote positive impacts, environmental sustainability, and community engagement. As we evolve, that vision has become more and more emphasized and in turn, the art that we showcase has become an increasingly interactive experience of sharing and inspiration.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

It’s all around me, both internally and external. Back in 2012, it struck me what a great medium a festival would be to promote creative sustainability because everyone can relate to arts, music, and having fun.  That mindset grew into the ethos of Wonderfruit, which has informed everything we represent. All our content – from the venues and art installations to the farm and the activities you can do there, to the kinds of speakers we give a platform to – is inspired by the aspiration to be a catalyst for social change.

What are some of the artistic highlights at Wonderfruit this year?

There are so many! There’s Tom Potisit’s roving sea-monster sculptures made from trash materials collected by Trash Hero Thailand; Basurama’s installation, which uses recycled materials to create a visual impact of societal consumption; Ada Chirakranont’s large rock-like installations sculpted from recycled rubber foam. We’re also crowdfunding our very first art car; the Wonder Kar will be a roaming truck inspired by Thai architecture and made from trash, and Wonderers can get the chance to ride on it by crowdfunding it at Asiola.com.

What are the criteria for selecting the artists to showcase their art pieces at Wonderfruit?

Everything should all tie into our ethos in some way. We consider pieces that are built from sustainable or reclaimed materials, that make a statement about or promote positive change as a lifestyle, or that bring people together to interact and share and become inspired in some way. Ultimately, the art must communicate the things that we are interested in.

What’s a typical day for you leading up to Wonderfruit?

I try to keep a routine like any other day, but it does get a bit flooded with requests and concerns.

What do you think of the art/design scene in Thailand?

I love it. It’s unique and interesting, and there are so many layers to it.

What is your favourite art installation at Wonderfruit this year?

I’m personally really excited about the Farm Stage. It’s a brand new venue for this year and, inspired by really fascinating age-old farming traditions, the teams from PO-D Architect and Thor. Kaichon are building it from rice. More than just a beautiful performance space, it’s a demonstration of the history and the sustainability intrinsic in rice farming culture.

What are some of the challenges at your job?

The biggest challenges are probably music curation and education about what Wonderfruit is. Our musical direction is unique and diverse and getting just the right balance of bands, DJs and acts, all on the right stages is the hardest part of the programming, for sure. Meanwhile, shifting perspectives and challenging expectations about Wonderfruit being “just a music festival” will, I suppose, just take time.

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Wonderfruit Festival is happening from 16 – 19 February 2017 at The Fields at Siam Country Club, Pattaya, Thailand. For more information, please visit their website.