THE HOLY SPONGE

Now, I am a kitchen sponge.

My body is soft, porous, and yellow, it looks somewhat like cheese.

I have 9 siblings from the same pack. Although we share the last name, we have different skin colors.

Some of us are red, some are blue, and some are green.

However, all of us have short and stiff dark green hair.

Sometimes, I want to try dying my hair to different colors, but I am too busy being used in a human cleaning job.

I have the ability to absorb (not knowledge but) liquid. But I wish I could dry myself too.

Every day, I am soaked in water.

Over 8 hours a day.

So cold that I cannot stop shivering. I sleep in the same sink again.

It takes the whole night to get dry again. When the sun comes, I’m soaked again.

People in the kitchen use me to remove stubborn dirt.

It always hurts when their rough hands squeeze my body. I get new bruises every day.

I lose my hair every time they scrape me into dirty pans. I worked until my back got crooked.

I worked until my body was full of bacteria.

I guess I will have to work until the last second of my life.

My lifespan is so short. I experienced being a witness to the death of my siblings.

We, as the working-class kitchen sponges, couldn't access any treatment and we don't have any health insurance.

We don't leave any letters because we cannot write. We don't have a funeral like people do.

Before I was thrown away.

I wonder what it's like being held gently by rich people's soft hands. Would rich people feed me with a golden spoon?

Would other people respect me more if I'm wealthy and lived in a rich house? If yes, would I become more valuable?

(A text from Shape-Shifting - “Decolonization and film” seminar)

Note to myself on Reflection & Feedback (the point of development) of The Holy Sponge

Any change of feeling when looking back to Thailand?

Dutch King-> Decline of popularity graph after taking the jet during lockdown -> criticism

POV of the film (criticism), POV of the maker.

POWER MANIFESTATION (glamour)

Using 2 Languages

1). Visual Language -> Display in the museum (Universal Audience)

2). Content about Thai Monarchy = Audio narration & subtitle (Prior Audience=Thai)

Take something and refine -> could be a mockumentary style of narration & Museum visual elements.

ADAPTATION OF LANGUAGE

UNRELIABLE NARRATOR

PLAUSIBLE DIRECTION -> Drawing a metaphoric relationship between power in Thai society & filmmaking structure (role of film crews/ filmmaking techniques?)

Dictatorship & Director/Producer of film.

Study Thai propaganda films

Thai Diaspora

HIERARCHY

REPETITION

MANIPULATION

COLLECTIVE MEMORY (~RASHOMON)

REINTERPRETATION & RE-EDIT?

L.B.J. ,Now! - Santiago Alvarez