Time Owes Us Remembrance
A monument to making home, enduring community ties and matrilineal inheritance
"Time Owes Us Remembrance" by Thai-American artist Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, unfurls like the soaring canopy of an ancient forest, a three story monument of fiber and fabric commemorating generations of Thai and American textile communities whose hands sustain our heritage.
Time Owes Us Remembrance (2023) by Amanda PhingbodhipakkiyaU.S. Embassy Bangkok
Intricately woven swaths of cotton and silk hang heavy with memory, their hues whispered from vibrant fruits and flora born of native soils, punctuated by bursts of color from recycled and reclaimed materials.
In their grain, we feel the imprint of calloused palms, the passage of shuttles smoothed by repetition. We hear childhood lessons at the feet of elders, witness strained eyes and stooped backs, and remember the sisters and daughters who joined limbs and lives to bolster one another.
Like a forest canopy, a community is sustained by the ever-evolving branches of life weaving in and out of each other’s existence. The forms and hues are at turns beautiful, mournful, and resilient—hinting of hope, echoing of grief.
Without growth from young seedings, a forest will die, much like the textile traditions of the Maemae are fading away without new heirs.
Time Owes Us Remembrance (2023) by Amanda PhingbodhipakkiyaU.S. Embassy Bangkok
Soaring 100 feet at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, these undulating landscapes breathe life into often overlooked spaces and narratives. Parts of the installation mirror wispy vines, hanging branches, and floral bouquets, honoring the land that nourishes our communities.
By capturing the traditional processes of textile communities, “Time Owes Us Remembrance” is a safekeeper of history. As a monument, it insists we honor those on whose shoulders we stand.
In uplifting unrecognized beauty and struggle, it defiantly proclaims that the stories and legacies of the invisible—and all who nurture community—deserve to be forever woven into the fabric of our collective memory.
Continue your journey of weaving and read more From the Artist
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