Wonderfruit

Wonderfruit is an annual arts, music and lifestyle festival that takes place at The Fields at Siam Country Club, outside Pattaya in Chonburi province, Thailand. With an emphasis on participation and inclusion plus sustainability and social responsibility, the event features musical performances, art installations, workshops and talks, plus banquets by renowned chefs. The event was launched in December 2014, produced by Thai-based production company Scratch First, in collaboration with Secret Productions, co-organizers of Secret Garden Party and co-founders of Wilderness Festival in the UK.[1] The second iteration, produced solely by Scratch First expanded from three to four days and took place a year later; plans are underway for 2016.[2]

Notable musical acts have included De La Soul, Woodkid, Little Dragon, José González, Seth Troxler, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Submotion Orchestra, Chris Levine x Jon Hopkins (the iy_project), The Faint and Blonde Redhead. Controversy was caused in the first two years with no-shows from billed performers Chet Faker (2014) and Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def (2015).[3]

History

Wonderfruit was founded by Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha and Thai musician Montonn “Jay” Jira in an effort to bring the festival experience to Thailand, with an emphasis on arts and awareness.[4] The son of the founder of Think Earth, Pete was inspired by the environmental projects of his father’s organization but wanted to merge fun with social responsibility, and to solve environmental problems in a relevant, contemporary way.[5] He aimed to combine quality curation and social responsibility in a platform that would engage audiences.[6]

Line-up 2014

Music

De La Soul, Little Dragon, Woodkid, José González, Jamie Jones, Damian Lazarus, The Gaslamp Killer, Francesca Lombardo (Live), Andrew Ashong, Nick Mulvey, Hercules and Love Affair, Seth Troxler, Fat Freddy's Drop,[7] Craig Richards, Subb-An, Soul Clap, Citizen, Pillow Talk (Live), Ali Love (Live), Boris Rubin, Sunju Hargun,[8] and local Thai acts Paradise Bangkok International Molum Band, Burin Boonvisut, Apartment Khun Pa and Yellow Fang.[9]

Art

Offerings included work by Thai architect, Duangrit Bunnag.[10]

Food

The inaugural banquets in the Wonder Feasts series were helmed by David Thompson, owner of Michelin-starred Nahm (London) and winner of Asia’s Best Restaurants for Nahm (Bangkok) in 2014.[11] He was joined by Paolo Vitaletti from Appia Roman Trattoria, while other food and beverage providers across the event included Never Ending Summer, Quince, Burnt Ends, Smokey Trails and the Bangkok Farmers' Market. The on-site farm offered tours and foraging workshops and Siam Winery offered wine tasting sessions.[12]

Line-up 2015

Music

Jon Hopkins x Chris Levine (iy_project), Submotion Orchestra, Rhye, Lucent Dossier Experience, Goldroom, Com Truise, Daedelus, Greasy Cafe and “Pu” Pongsit Kampee,[13] Electro Guzzi, Polycat and Win from Sqweez Animal,[3] with Thai folk music (performed at the Morlam Bus, presented by Jim Thompson Arts Center).[14]

Art

The main Living Stage was designed by Coachella and Burning Man artist Joel Stockdill, and featured spiralling bird structures either side of the proscenium.[15] Gregg Fleishman, the designer behind the Temple of Whollyness At Burning Man 2013,[16] built The Playground, incorporating climbing frames, slides and a Headis pitch on which guests played the German game - a hybrid of table tennis and football.[3] Thai installation artist, “O” Witaya Junma created an interactive bubble blower,[17] and Blossom Poetica by French-Laotian artist Aligna featured flowers sculpted from aluminium cans and other discarded materials.[15]

Design

Local and international designers showcased and sold festival gear at A Taste Of Wonder, the day-to-night fashion market.[18] The Wonder Salon offered hair and makeup treatments.[19]

Food

At the Theatre of Feasts, Wonder Feasts were presented by Gaggan Anand of Gaggan (voted number one in Asia on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2015 and 2016),[20] and Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones of Bo.lan.[15] Cocktails designed by mixologist Shingo Gokan were served in hidden bar, The Shingo Shack.[19]

Talks & Workshops

In 2015, Wonderfruit introduced Scratch Talks, a new series of seminars by international speakers. Talks included “Creativity at the Source” by Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag, and “Unleash your Legend” by Dream Rockwell - founder of Lucent Dossier Experience. John Hardy, founder of Bali’s Green School and Isabel and Melati Wijsen of Bye Bye Plastic Bags also delivered talks and eco-friendly workshops. A number of additional craft workshops took place in The Sharing Neighbourhood, including traditional skills and techniques,[19] as well as meditation, self-defense, breathing exercises and foundational yoga at the Goddess Camp.[21]

Activities and Experiences

Circus skills including hoop and poi were taught by Samui Circus Camp,[19] and guests had the opportunity to be ordained as a Latter-Day Dude Priest by the Church of Dudeism.[22] Champion free runners, Team Farang taught their skills to youngsters, among other child-friendly activities including a kids’ disco, foraging workshop and traditional kite-making, plus storytelling, magic, and a puppet show in Camp Wonder. Natural adventures included swimming in the lake and a boot camp set on an obstacle course.[21]

Ethos

Sustainability

Wonderfruit encourages sustainable and environmentally-friendly living. The on-site water filtration system allows festival-goers to refill the biodegradable water bottles on sale,[15] and the bars serve drinks in biodegradable cups.[23] Creative agriculture is explored via the onsite farm - manned by local organization, Thailand Young Farmers, who grow organic produce, some of which is used in the Wonder Feasts. These communal meals take place in The Theater of Feasts, which is among the structures (including The Quarry and The Sharing Neighbourhood) that are built from locally sourced bamboo.[13] The crops on the farm include asparagus, mushrooms, mulberries, salad leaves, herbs, pumpkins and melons.[24]

Pillars

In 2014 and 2015, Wonderfruit was structured around six pillars: Arts, Music, Farm to Feasts, Health & Wellness, Talks & Workshops and Natural Adventures.[3] For 2016, Wonderfruit has announced a slight alteration the original list: Music, Arts, Family, Farm to Feasts, Wellness & Adventures, Talks & Workshops.[2]

Address and Location

Wonderfruit takes place in The Fields at Siam Country Club, 50 Moo 9, Bang Lamung, Pong, Chonburi 20150, Thailand.[21]

External links

References

  1. ↑ Griffiths, Sean. "Thailand's Wonderfruit festival: sweet sounds and green shoots". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Wonderfruit". Wonderfruit. Scratch First. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Wonderfruit signals major growth in Thailand's fest scene". Fest300. Fest300. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Coultate, Aaron. "Wonderfruit adds more names to 2014 lineup". Resident Advisor. Resident Advisor. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Rish, Maddie. "In photos: Wonderfruit Festival in Pattaya, Thailand". Everfest. Everfest. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Khawaja, Jemayel. "Can Wonderfruit Festival Save Thailand from EDM?". Thump. Vice Media. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Corner, Lewis. "De La Soul, Little Dragon and Woodkid for Wonderfruit Festival". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Soul Clap, De La Soul, fat Freddy's Drop, More @ Wonderfruit Festival, Thailand". Bhavishyavani Future Sounds. Future Co. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "De La Soul, Woodkid, Jose Gonzales + More added to Wonderfruit Festival line-up". I House U. I House U. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Beanland, Christopher. "Top 10 Music Festivals for Winter Breaks". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  11. ↑ Holroyd, Jane. "David Thompson's Nahm restaurant named Asia's best". Good Food. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "Michelin Chef at Wonderfruit". Food and Travel. Food and Travel.
  13. 1 2 Duwe, Morena. "Exclusive Photos from Wonderfruit Festival 2015 in Thailand". Huffington Post. HPMG News. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  14. ↑ Sakaowan, Prae. "Wonderfruit delivers 4 days of hippie happiness and awesome arts". Coconuts Bangkok. Coconuts. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Abad, Paolo. "The sights and sounds of Wonderfruit, a rising music and arts festival in Thailand". Rappler. Rappler. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  16. ↑ "Gregg Fleishman, Melissa Barron, Terry Gross // The Temple of Whollyness". Sands To Ashes Movie. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  17. ↑ "Campaign funded: Into the Wind by "O" Witaya Junma". Asiola. Asiola. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  18. ↑ Razon, Katrina. "In review: Thailand's Wonderfruit Festival Experience". Pulse Radio. Pulse Radio. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Wonderfruit, Thailand's premiere eco-friendly, globally conscious festival returns for triumphant second year". Let's Fest. Let's Fest. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  20. ↑ "Asia's 50 best". The World's 50 Best. William Reed Business Media. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  21. 1 2 3 "Wonderfruit Festival: Hippest Festival in Asia". Our Awesome Planet. Our Awesome Planet. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  22. ↑ Warner, Alicia. "Wonderfruit: sounds, experiences and promise of wonder like no other". Music Weekly. Music Services. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  23. ↑ Prendergast, Sapphire. "Fear and Loathing in Pattaya". Myanmar Times. The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  24. ↑ "Wonderfruit: festival revolution". Ecozine. Ecozine. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
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