BANGKOK, 5 November 2013 The Prime Minister is keen on enhancing OTOP products through architecture after a meeting with Canadian-American Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry.
During the meeting, PM Yingluck Shinawatra expressed her gratitude to Mr. Frank Gehry who shared his experience and points of view with Thai entrepreneurs, who could adopt his knowledge in architecture to their products. PM Yingluck told him that his creativity in design could make Thailand’s OTOP products more modern while still carrying and reflecting the Thai culture.
Meanwhile, Mr. Frank Gehry said he was impressed with Chiang Mai Province. According to him, Chiang Mai is a beautiful city, adding that if it gets redesigned, the city will become even more attractive to tourists. He cited Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, as an example. One particular museum could turn an unattractive city into a must-visit place, the renowned architect said.
Both parties agreed that good architectural designs should reflect culture, not to imitate one.
Frank Gehry is a Canadian-American who won the Pritzker Prize. His works are cited as being among the most important works of contemporary architecture in the 2010 World Architecture Survey, which led Vanity Fair to label him as “the most important architect of our time.”
