Designboom_ Thai artist Sanitas Pradittasnee of Sanitas Studio brings together a contemplative collection of her large-scale architectural installations for the Liminal Space exhibition at Noble Play in Bangkok. On display from November 3, 2023, to February 4, 2024, each piece encapsulates hidden meanings and messages delving into spirituality and society, and their intricate co-existence. Together, pieces such as Khao Mo which stacks mirrored boxes to echo the towering silhouettes of mountains, and House of Silence which resembles a meditation pavilion, explore how enduring religious philosophies influence their ever-evolving educational, social, and cultural surroundings and vice versa.

In her creations, the self of ‘architecture’ is reduced while the changing ‘nature’ is highlighted from reflection of surrounding nature. The earth serves as a reminder of the origins of all things, the root of existence, inviting us to attune to our physical senses and ultimately return to the feeling of emptiness. Amidst constant changes in our surroundings, her artworks seek to craft an inviting space where people can slow down, reflect, and spend time with themselves.

The Liminal Space exhibitions pose a contrast between architectural mirror installations and the earth — a humble material quite opposite to the shiny mirror facade are juxtaposed to provoke people’s consciousness. Outside the Noble Play creative space, two large works invite visitors inside. A glistening cube, House of Silence towers over people as a tranquil space urging meditation for city dwellers. Liminal Space, shaped like a vast, multi-tiered tree reflects the urban environment. Its inside, in stark contrast, is empty except for a layer of earth. Small cuts in weave in ethereal glimpses of light to create a contemplative space. Within, Khao Mo (2013) draws inspiration from the miniature mountain, a traditional Thai art representing the beliefs of Mount Kailash. From the outside, it appears as a pavilion of towering, mirrored boxes, resembling the silhouette of a mountain, inviting people to explore the sanctuary inside composed of mounds of soil.

Renowned for her thought-provoking, site-specific installations, Sanitas Pradittasnee, founder of Sanitas Studio, merges contemporary architectural design with profound landscape architecture know-how. Themes stemming from the artist’s studies of history and faith are interwoven into her architectural installations, often reflecting upon the relationship between the natural and the manmade. In doing so, her works reveal that a city’s architecture, environment, and culture are intrinsically and infinitely interconnected.