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Wonderfruit

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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; the second iteration expanded from three to four days and took place a year later. Wonderfruit 2016 was originally scheduled for 15–18 December 2016. Due to a period of mourning in Thailand following the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, however, it was postponed to 16–19 February 2017.

Contents

Notable musical acts have included Lianne La Havas, Rudimental, Young Fathers, 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).

History

Wonderfruit was created by founder Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha with Thai musician and co-founder Montonn “Jay” Jira in an effort to bring the festival experience to Thailand, with an emphasis on arts and awareness. 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. He aimed to combine quality curation and social responsibility in a platform that would engage audiences.

Line-up 2016

Note: Wonderfruit 2016 was postponed and actually took place in February 2017.

Music

Lianne La Havas, Rudimental, Young Fathers, Buke and Gase, Kate Simko and London Electronic Orchestra, Simian Mobile Disco, Nicole Moudaber, Headless Horesman, Yaya, Eric Volta, Sabo, YokoO, Wolf + Lamb, Norman Jay, KMLN, Marc Antona, Akimbo, Superglasses Ska Ensemble, Yena, Sahai Hang Sailom, Srirajah Rockers, At Adau, Luna City Express, Noxro and Uone.

Art

Arts included Solar Stage, created by geometric architect Gregg Fleishman, and Farm Stage, which was designed by Thor. Kaichon and PO-D Architect and inspired by traditional rice farming ceremonies and decorated with harvested rice; it stood in the middle of the Wonderfruit farm. Theatrical performances included a puppet show, pyrotechnics and circus acts, and Friday night saw the event's first LGBT-friendly party, hosted by eminent Thai drag queen, Pangina Heals. Installations included "Dancing Muntjacs" by Joel Stockdill and "CYM Temple" by Basurama, both of which were made from recycled materials. Wonderfruit's creative designer, Adam Pollina, built the event's first moving art installation - Wonder Kar, which traveled around the site.

Family

Family-friendly offerings in the dedicated kids' zone included games and crafts.

Talks & Workshops

Interactive activities included martial arts and parkour with local experts and there were talks on subjects including sustainability, Bitcoin and blockchain technology. Wonderfruit's series of seminars, Scratch Talks, took place in new venue, Rainforest Pavilion and speakers included Trash Hero Thailand and Michaelangelo Moran - co-founder of Indonesian app, GO-JEK.

Wellness & Adventures

Wellness sessions included yoga workshops, gong meditation and power naps. The program for more active participants included Muay Thai and capoeira, as well as a range of fitness sessions with instructors from Guava Pass.

Farm to Feasts

Food offerings included raw vegan dishes by Chef Daphne Cheng, cheesesteaks by Full Moon Food Truck, lobster rolls, sashimi and organic Thai omelets. The Wonder Feasts banquet series featured lunch by Cocotte, a reggae brunch by Jarrett Wrisley of Soul Food Mahanakorn and Paolo Vitaletti of Appia, dinner by former Thai Iron Chef contestant Chef Panupon "Black" Bulsuwan - part of F.A.C.T. Collective, and a return from Chef Gaggan Anand, who was joined by chef Daniel Chavez of Singapore's Ola Cocina del Mar.

Music

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

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. Gregg Fleishman, the designer behind the Temple of Whollyness At Burning Man 2013, 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. Thai installation artist, “O” Witaya Junma created an interactive bubble blower, and Blossom Poetica by French-Laotian artist Aligna featured flowers sculpted from aluminium cans and other discarded materials.

Design

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

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), and Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones of Bo.lan. Cocktails designed by mixologist Shingo Gokan were served in hidden bar, The Shingo Shack.

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, as well as meditation, self-defense, breathing exercises and foundational yoga at the Goddess Camp.

Activities and Experiences

Circus skills including hoop and poi were taught by Samui Circus Camp, and guests had the opportunity to be ordained as a Latter-Day Dude Priest by the Church of Dudeism. 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.

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, Craig Richards, Subb-An, Soul Clap, Citizen, Pillow Talk (Live), Ali Love (Live), Boris Rubin, Sunju Hargun, and local Thai acts Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, Burin Boonvisut, Apartment Khun Pa and Yellow Fang.

Art

Offerings included work by Thai architect, Duangrit Bunnag.

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. 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.

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, and the bars serve drinks in biodegradable cups. 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. The crops on the farm include asparagus, mushrooms, mulberries, salad leaves, herbs, pumpkins and melons. For the February 2017 edition, organizers invested a portion of each ticket sale into the Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve in Borneo, to offset carbon emissions and make Wonderfruit a carbon neutral event and, in a campaign with Johnnie Walker, invested the proceeds from some drink sales into the planting of more than 1,000 mangrove trees in Myanmar.

Pillars

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

Address and Location

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

References

Wonderfruit Wikipedia