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I’m a writer, photographer and curator based in Thailand and Bali.
My bestseller ‘Very Thai’ has influenced contemporary Thai culture, and featured in artworks, documentaries and exhibitions.
It follow-up, ‘Very Bangkok’ featured in Ubud Writers & Readers Festival and the Bangkok Pavilion at the ‘Countless Cities’ Biennale in Italy.
Writing
Books
Books written or edited by me, including guides (Time Out, Eyewitness, Thailand Travellers Companion), Very Bangkok and my influential bestseller, Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture, the go-to text and style reference that defined the category of informal urban Thainess. Very Bangkok, vividly photographed by the author, gives the world’s most visited city the vivid, in-depth portrait it deserves, from street to chic, folk to pop, and ancient rites to sci-fi. Click here for its site verybangok.co.
My books have been widely reviewed in Time (Asia), South China Morning Post, The Australian, Japan Times, Asian Wall Street Journal, Mekong Review, Nikkei Asian Review, and leading guidebooks, as well as Thai media.
Journalism
I was the founding editor of Bangkok’s capital’s first listings magazine Metro, and have written for international media, including The Economist, The Guardian, Nikkei, Mekong Review, Daily Telegraph, Attitude and Art Asia Pacific. I write a periodic column in Bangkok 101.
Brainstorming & Copywriting
I can write various kinds of text, from speeches to artist’s statements, promotional copy to research reports. Clients include: the semiotics agency Space Doctors (London, Singapore), and Thai design agencies 1000 Ponies and Mute, for companies like P&G, Reckitt Colman, Johnnie Walker; the artists Dow Wasiksiri, Symon and Justin Mills; and several Thai organisations (Thailand Foundation.
In the Media
“Cornwel-Smith’s much-adored Very Thai captured the essence of contemporary ‘Thainess’ with a profound depth and uncanny authenticity few could match, whether by a Thai or a foreigner.”
— Prabda Yoon, SEA Write-winning author & director
“Since publishing Very Thai, Cornwel-Smith has become the city’s preeminent mythographer in the English language.”
— Lawrence Osborne, author of The Forgiven & Bangkok Days
“His book took the country by storm. Here was this Englishman showing us Thais an embarrassment of cultural riches that had previously gone unappreciated.”
— Pim Kemasingki,
Chiang Mai City Life
Profiles
Long profiles in the Thai youth mag a day (12 pages), indy mag Way (10 pages), lifestyle mag Oom (6 pages) and a 16-page supplement Inside Very Thai, in Thailand’s top design monthly, At4D. Also interviewed in Bangkok Post, The Nation, Time Out Bangkok, Le Cool Bangkok, Thailand Tatler, Bangkok 101 and Jakarta Post. I was painted in Navin Rawanchaikul’s triptych of Bangkok art scene figures (above), and featured in Time Out Bangkok magazine’s ‘Expats We Love,’ Thailand Tatler’s Expat 300, Sheffield University’s Alumni Profile and Koktail magazine’s The Future List 100.
Podcast Interviews
Recent audio and video interviews include the podcasts by Talk Travel Asia, India art pundit Evil O, the Anglo-Thai Society, and Rob Goldstone’s Apple podcast chart-topping series ‘An Englishman in…’
Documentaries & TV
Drawing on my knowledge of Thailand, I consult for documentaries, in which I also get interviewed. These include Waterfront Cities of the World (aka Ports d’attache, Discovery Channel), Bangkok: Between Chaos & Order (NZZ), World in Motion: Bangkok (Fovea Films), David Thompson’s Thai Streetfood, and the Grammy-winning 1GiantLeap. TV interviews include CNN, AFP, Voice TV and ABC Australia.
In the Culture
Talks & Panels
As a specialist on Thai culture, I have been invited to speak at over 50 talks and panel discussions, at festivals, conferences, universities, clubs, firms and institutes, as well as platforms like PechaKucha.
Photography
My photography has been published in magazine portfolios and shown in exhibitions in Thailand, Belgium, Spain and Italy. It was showcased on 72 giant panels in Bangkok’s busiest plaza. A gallery of images in the Countless Cities biennale can be seen at verybangkok.co.
Exhibitions
I have co-curated exhibitions for Goethe-Institut, TCDC and Countless Cities Biennale. My photography has featured in exhibitions in various countries, while my books Very Thai and Very Bangkok have been displayed as artefacts in several art installations.
Consulting
I advise and brainstorm on cultural projects. Clients include Thailand Foundation, BangkokEdge ideas festival, the book project ‘9 Days in the Kingdom’ (with 55 top world photographers) and Lord Cultural Resources for Thai design institute TCDC. For documentaries I consult on locations and interviewees (TV5, NZZ, 1GiantLeap). I also speak to touring groups for agencies like Globetrotting Gourmet and Smiling Albino (VIPs, art collectors, Van Cleef & Arpels).
Archives
Bangkok Metro Magazine
Download issues from the complete archive of Bangkok’s first city listings monthly, of which I was founding editor.
Property of the Artist: Symon
Signed and hand-illustrated copies available of my biography of the Bali-based American artist.
Contact
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