Sathu Pradit 27 (the abandoned soi)
This soi (side street) is located in my neighborhood in Yannawa, Bangkok. The 50 or so shop houses have been demolished to make way for a new condo high rise. The residents who lived and worked here had to clear out pretty quickly when the owner pulled the lease, leaving behind a lot of personal items. The most standout feature of each shop house that remains is the red Chinese-style spirit houses (sarn pa-bhum), left behind by the Chinese-Thai households common to this area of Bangkok. We spoke with a few men who were there collecting metal pieces and other remaining items that they could sell and they warned that the street is unsafe at night as thieves and 'crazy people' like to hang around there nowadays. A portrait of one of the men is included in this series. He was walking around with a can of paint thinner, inhaling from it as he went about collecting left behind junk to sell.
Every place of domestic or commercial life hosts a ‘sarn-pa-bhum’, or 'spirit house', located prominently in front of the building. It sits as a separate but essential residence for the spirits who inhabit the buildings alongside the living. These ghosts are, in the mind of Thais, exist just as tangibly as the living beings. Daily offerings of joss sticks, candles, rice, and carbonated beverages can be found placed carefully in spirit houses. The living residents of the premises hope to appease the ghosts so as not to offend them and be subject to their subsequent wrath of bad occurrences. Spirit houses come in a variety of sizes and colors & are made from different materials, with lavish decorations and offerings including flowers, incense, bowls of rice, red Fanta (known to be a ghost favorite), or sometimes even host alcoholic drinks (perhaps if grandpa liked to imbibe).
**UPDATE 2019: This location is now a luxury condominium
Read MoreEvery place of domestic or commercial life hosts a ‘sarn-pa-bhum’, or 'spirit house', located prominently in front of the building. It sits as a separate but essential residence for the spirits who inhabit the buildings alongside the living. These ghosts are, in the mind of Thais, exist just as tangibly as the living beings. Daily offerings of joss sticks, candles, rice, and carbonated beverages can be found placed carefully in spirit houses. The living residents of the premises hope to appease the ghosts so as not to offend them and be subject to their subsequent wrath of bad occurrences. Spirit houses come in a variety of sizes and colors & are made from different materials, with lavish decorations and offerings including flowers, incense, bowls of rice, red Fanta (known to be a ghost favorite), or sometimes even host alcoholic drinks (perhaps if grandpa liked to imbibe).
**UPDATE 2019: This location is now a luxury condominium
