Pranee Prayotamorakul is frustrated, to say the least, at what she sees as the lack of governmental support in helping her ultimately help Phuket.

The Thai government, the Thai banks and even Thai society are all, according to Khun Pranee, failing to sufficiently support her plan to promote Thai cultural heritage.
?It?s a shame that the Thai government won?t support projects that show our history in a positive light, yet they are more than happy to support the opening of more massage parlors and go-go bars.?

The project with which she refers to is ?Phuket Katara Centre?; a traditional ?knock-down house? in the centre of Kata, which will be the home to 22 small villas complete with one bedroom, bathroom and Jacuzzi. She also wants to host wedding ceremonies, open a cooking school, put on a traditional Thai dancing show and open a museum containing many Asian artifacts, all on just 2,200sqm (1.5 rai) of land.

The sheer volume of ideas may by some be seen as indicative of a lack of focus, yet for K Pranee it is only natural to have such uninhibited, grand and creative ideas considering her long history and affinity with arts and crafts.

K Pranee attended the same Arts and Crafts course that acclaimed Thai artist Chalearmchai Kositpipat did and it was this love of art and design that led to her travelling to Paris in 1977 to decorate a friend?s restaurant. It was there that she met an Air France pilot with whom she spent more than thirty years of marriage.

?La vie est belle. I had a wonderful life with him and some great experiences. I learned a lot in France, it?s a great place to learn about life.?

Before K Pranee moved to France, she was commissioned to create many pieces and statues made from copper, bronze and brass in her native Bangkok as well as around Thailand.
When she arrived in France though, her life changed quite dramatically, ?I began flying first class and have been lucky enough to have been on Concorde. We flew from Paris to New York and although it didn?t feel fast, it took just three and a half hours. Most of the time I was in France I spent being a good housewife. I either cooked or watched cooking programmes on TV, therefore I know good food, not only Thai but French and Italian too.?

K Pranee came back to Thailand around 13 years ago and it was only natural that she came back to Phuket, ?We actually came to Phuket for our honeymoon which is when we first fell in love with Patong. It was much different then. It was for the wealthy and had many high-class cocktail bars and things.?

Unfortunately, at least in societal convention?s eyes, their 30+ year marriage came to an end after a few years back on the island. ?We just went our separate ways with no animosity. Now I have my life back and can concentrate on what is important to me: design and art. He said I could do whatever I wanted to do, so that is what I am doing.?

The first stage of what K Pranee really wants is completed; the transportation of the knock-down property, ?Fortunately, there was a man who wanted to sell it in Ayuthaya so I bought it and it was transported here. I also took a three month long course in Ayuthaya on how to use the wood and material needed to renovate the property.?

Knock-down properties are built with light, prefabricated sections with each section forming a wall. Each wall is then fitted together and hung on the superstructure - a frame of wooden pillars - without nails.

This enables them to be taken down and reassembled with ease. Traditionally, the houses would be taken down, stacked on a raft and floated down the nearest river to a new location.

The main building, where K Pranee lives, is around 150 years old, while the five other smaller properties, K Pranee estimates, are even older still.

The main property, like other teak knock-down houses, has a steep roof that arches and inclines towards the centre that creates an illusion of height. This is typically done not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for ventilation, as hot air rises; the height of the roof keeps the house cool. All around the property are Asian artistic artifacts and antiques.

Another thing K Pranee really wants is investment, whether private or state subsidized, so that Phuket Katara Centre? can be everything she hopes it can be.

?The problem is that I?m having difficulty getting a loan because the house is a ?knockdown house? and they don?t see it as valuable.?

K Pranee believes this is largely indicative of a predominantly Phuketian reluctance to promote Thai culture and to look into ways of boosting the ?creative economy?.

She says that she - along with many creative others - is not rewarded for her inventiveness in Thailand and if she was, then perhaps she could create more opportunities for the younger generations of Thai people.

K Pranee sees creativity as very much the key to Phuket?s future as a tourism destination. ?Phuket is supposed to be a tourism destination ? tourism for what?? ponders K Pranee. ?Prostitutes and Kathoey, that?s what. Is this what we want Phuket?s legacy to be??

Proponents of the creative economy theory believe that within the modern day age where businesses and products are largely generic and similar, the industries of the twenty-first century will depend increasingly on the generation of knowledge through creativity and innovation.

?Some people can?t go to Bangkok to see houses like this, and we should be able to show them here. Thailand was given a head start on many of our neighbouring countries as they weren?t open to tourism until recently. We need to find ways of attracting them. We can do that through art and culture.?

K Pranee believes that Thai society does not place enough importance on Thai history or Thai culture. Instead of promoting and encouraging traditionally Thai pursuits as touristic activities, people are opening yet more massage parlors and bars.

K Pranee likens the opening of 7/11 stores (Thailand has the third largest number of stores in the world) as further symbols of this situation and that soon, much like Thai cultural activities, there will be very few ?old? Thai markets and stores. ?Creative economy to the majority of Thai?s means frozen food,? laughed K Pranee.

?One of the main draws to European cities is the old buildings. The government recognises this and maintains and restores them. Similarly in Europe a pretty girl can make a living from being a dancer {of the traditional style of dance} but in Thailand for example, we don?t place the same value on these things.?

K Pranee concedes that although Phuket does have historic buildings in Phuket town, said buildings are a mixture between Chinese and Portugese architecture.

?In the future, I think there is a real chance that foreigners will be growing and exporting our rice,? K Pranee continues, ?The younger generations of Thai people don?t appreciate the beauty of Thailand and they don?t place value on their heritage or trade. I foresee a future where a foreigner who marries an Issan girl will return to her farm to continue the farming tradition.? Perhaps because everyone else will be working in massage parlors and bars.

K Pranee wants to provide work for the local Phuket people, to not only show tourists but the world the true value of Thailand.

?The only thing we currently export are sex workers, we can do better than that. We have so much to offer in Thailand.?

K Pranee merely wants the rest of us to see things as she does, that Life, especially Thai life is beautiful.