In conversation with Naraphat Sakarthornsap on Garden of Voices, orchids, and the space to be seen in one’s own time
For Pride Month 2026, PAÑPURI presents Garden of Voices, a floral installation created in collaboration with artist Naraphat Sakarthornsap at PAÑPURI Central Chidlom.
At the heart of the work is the orchid: a flower admired for its beauty, yet shaped by a longer story of variation, resilience, adaptation, and quiet presence. Through orchids of varied forms and characteristics, Garden of Voices reflects on society as a garden, a place where difference can coexist without being made smaller.
In conversation, Naraphat shares the thinking behind the work, the voices held within flowers, and the small gestures through which identity may take form.
How would you describe Garden of Voices?
Garden of Voices sees the garden as a microcosm of society, a place where diversity can coexist without compromising individuality. Like flowers of different shapes, colors, and characteristics, the beauty of a garden does not come from uniformity. It comes from the way each difference is accepted, valued, and allowed to exist. That is what makes a garden, or a society, distinct and unlike any other.
Orchids come in many forms and colors. In creating Garden of Voices, what did this variety allow you to express beyond beauty?
I chose orchids to represent people because, beyond their beauty, they carry a long history of strength, resilience, and adaptation. Though they may appear small and delicate, orchids have played a meaningful role in the history of exploration, trade, and cultural exchange.
Their diversity allowed me to speak about the value of small lives that may often be overlooked, and to invite viewers to notice the stories and voices hidden behind their beauty.
A garden makes room for difference without asking it to become less itself. What does this idea mean to you?
For me, a garden shows that differences can coexist without having to change itself in order to be accepted. It is a gathering place where many forms of life can grow and bloom together, each in its own season and time. Every orchid species has its own identity and value precisely because of its differences.
This idea made me reflect on people in society. Everyone should have space to be themselves, to be seen, heard, and accepted for who they are, whenever they are ready.
The workshop invites guests to create their own floral sculptures. What do you hope this act of choosing and arranging flowers allows them to discover?
I see the workshop as a space for people to express themselves through the selection and arrangement of flowers, free from social expectations or fixed frameworks. I hope participants discover that their own voice has value, and that it does not always have to be expressed through words.
Sometimes, choosing a single flower or creating a small arrangement can become the beginning of telling one’s story, expressing one’s feelings, and revealing one’s identity.
Garden of Voices invites visitors to consider the many ways a voice may appear. Within the garden, differences are gathered without being made the same.
1 – 31 June 2026
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