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Songs of Memory Exhibition
Selection of Guestbook Comments
Jim Thompson Art Center
23 April – 23 July 2009

July 10, 2009
Dear Victoria,
'Your 'Songs of Memory' exhibition at the Jim Thompson Art Center has been a resounding success and a tribute to your hard work and dedication to preserve for posterity the sacred songs and music of the mountain peoples".
With my grateful thanks and admiration,

Bill Booth
(Director of the Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company) - 10 July 2009

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Victoria,
Thank you for your chat and a glimpse into the vanishing world of human integrity. I was touched, even shaken with the sense of integrity and timelessness.
Naturally, you are doing work of the very highest quality, work that is so rare. The fact that you are a musician, not an academic, allows you to look at the world without the baggage of years of academic training. Your work deserves to be widely distributed. It is on par with the work done by the best field anthropologists like Jane Goodall. Peter Peters

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One blacksmith alone cannot forge ten irons.
One speaker himself cannot recite ten lines at the same time.
Ten blacksmiths forging one iron.
Ten Pima reciting together at one time.
Working to keep the people culture not to be lost,
Even the Dragon died, the footprint never lost,
Even The king die the Government still take power,
The work you have done, even you pass away your name will be in this earth and
value til the planet broken down.
Gaeq lang heeq ma, Thank you
Aju Jupoh, Akha Ullo leader

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26 avril 2009
Magnifique exposition. J’ai adore! La museographie est superbe, intelligente et esthetique. Mille fois merci.
Albert Dang
Musee du Louvre
Paris, France
22 May 2009

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Beautiful, thought-provoking and absorbing. What an incredible body of work you have amassed and presented. Two hours was not enough time to take it all in, but now I can enjoy the book and the photos at my leisure.
Thank you, Victoria, I am proud to call you my friend.
Joanna MacLean

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Wonderful to see an exhibition showcase the music in video clips of these hill tribes. Excellent.
Paul Michael Ammana

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Thank you for putting this together. You have sparked an interest in me, which I am sure I will take further. Good luck with taking this to the world. Maybe then these customs and cultures can be preserved and understood and appreciated by more of us.
Denni
Scotland

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Victoria –
I am so impressed and envious of your vast storehouse of knowledge and experience which you lived, absorbed and adopted to your persona – Thank you for sharing so much with so many. You are so talented and generous –
David Lyman
Tilleke & Gibbins

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Un success fou
Bill Klausner
President Emeritus
Jim Thompson Art Centre

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Beautiful and authentic Thai heritage. If we don’t protect this, what would be left for the children to see. Thank you. (In Thai) Thai Signature

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Unprecedented. Inspiring. Irreplaceable. Memories for a lifetime.
GT

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Second visit – still wonderful!! Thank you
Jack R

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Dear Victoria,
It is an honour to have you on our show – “Morning World Weekend,” TV3. Thank you for a great interview and for bringing too rarely seen music and traditions closer to us. I’m sure our audience would have a wonderful time watching this feature. Best wishes,
Clare Patchimanon and Staff
(Morning World Weekend, TV3)

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Very nice and educational museum. Glad there are people who make a research on tribal people. Thank you from the heart. (In Thai)
Dr. O-sot La-kagul

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The history is disappearing so fast. The collection here is important to give to us all. Thank you for letting us into your homes and lives.
Vivienne Munro

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AMAZING videos!
Marie Bee, Travel Writer
Bali and France
27/06/09

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If there’s ever a most beautiful exhibition – anywhere. This is it!
Nakorn Rongnoi
Rai Mae Fah Luang
Chiangrai

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What a touching and moving evocation of Northern tribal culture. A sensitive aural display of meaning and depth. Assunte Hunter
Amsterdam

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It was so amazing!!! I love the movies!!! My mum stayed 2 hrs watching them. We couldn’t go eat.
Jasmine

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Fantastic – so needed. You did a fabulous, lifetime revelation.
Kanchana Srifuengfung

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Thank you very much for your industriousness to make me understand the culture of the hilltribes. I also found that you really made it from your soul!
Winya Molkul. Bangkok

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It was the most worthwhile morning I’ve spent in a long time. Wonderful!
Janice

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My third enjoyable visit, but not my last!
D. Easton
Ottawa, Canada

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Fascinating; bewitching – and totally unexpected!
Alice Little
Oxford, UK
(formerly of Pitt Rivers and Horniman Museums of ethnomusicology depts.)

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Words cannot express what I feel – I think that your exhibit is fantastic! Better and more spiritual than anything.
Pat Riblet

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It was very impressive that a foreigner like Khun Victoria is interested in studying these cultural activities which are quite remote from “city people” interests. It reflects the story just from another part of the country but seems too far to get to know! Thank you for letting us know the story of our own people through your exhibition. Superb music!!
(In Thai) Dew

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23/7/09
What a wonderful exhibit. Thank you for capturing the history of story, songs, art and culture. A rare treat. I’m so glad I didn’t miss it. Best of success as it travels the world to share this wealth, knowledge and beauty. Congratulations on many years of collecting and compiling the diversity in such a cohesive presentation. Please add me to your mailing list.
Donna Durbin

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I enjoyed being here, seeing, feeling and listening, slow down and just to be timeless.
Petra, Caroline, Sabrina
Austria

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Incredibly moving!
Sal

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A true passion, from the heart! An amazing piece of work!!
Mary Mendeakall

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Fabulous work – what a great gift to showcase – thank you and congratulations for mounting this exhibition.
All the best, J. Aquint
Phillipines
PS May you have more exhibitions to come

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I am so very impressed and grateful that you put your talents together to share with us! Thank you too for your talk and exhibition. Wonderful!
Suwaree Virawadye

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Una visita encantada! E maravilleso poder assitir a influencia dos costumes deste pais mas pesseas de autros continents! Gritonue et excelente trabalho e simpatica! Tudo de bon Visanee
Portugal
18/5/09

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Fabulicious!
Roy

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Great exhibit, great videos! I spent all day watching every video! That Karen man was outstanding! What was so cool was that I could see the same type of instrument in several cultures and compare the words they use in the various languages.
Cliff Sloane
Korat, Thailand

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What a beautiful exhibition. I am music teacher from Switzerland and found here a jewel. Thank you.
B Richli

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Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Dear Victoria,
Listening to you speak, hearing the Hill Tribe music, and seeing your beautiful films was such a joy - a joy I still have as I listen to Songs of Memory on my way to and from work. I hope I have the pleasure of being with you before much time elapses.
Best regards, Rose Marie Wanchupela

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29 June 2009
Chao Victoria--
Just returned from Bangkok where, among other things, I went to see your exhibition at the Jim Thompson House. Congratulations on a job well done. Fascinating collection. I was especially attracted to the little brass mouth harps of the Hmong, with their nicely carved cases. And I got a little rush of nostalgia watching your filming of the Akha men putting up the swing. First witnessed that myself twenty years ago. You can be proud of your work. Thanks for doing it.
Cheers, Jim (Goodman)
Author, The Akha: Guardians of the Forest

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Comments for Songs of Memory Films and Presentations

Brava! Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Victoria!
That was a very lovely lecture! Your work is gorgeous and your enthusiasm radiates and fills the room. You are a shaman.
The Lahu singing is amazing!
Bennett Lerner
Classical Pianist, CMU Professor

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Saturday, August 22, 2009
Dear Victoria,
I wanted to thank you again for your passion, work and vision to preserve the music and traditions of the Hill Tribes. Your presentation was inspirational. The words you use to describe their music of life is the same vocabulary and meaning that textiles speak to me. I believe it is a spiritual medium. One that is dying out quickly. I related very strongly to your presentation. You have done an incredible job with all the photography, book, cards, CD's, on top of the producing the exhibition. The work of 3-4 people for sure. There is no question in my mind that you will succeed. It's already a success. Congratulations.
The work you did to discover villages that retain their traditions is amazing. Gratefully,
Donna Durbin

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October 2007
Your material: if that's just a sampling of what you have, you're assembling an archive of inestimable value. Its genuineness and its authenticity are something I haven't seen before. There's no self-consciousness, it's as if you were invisible to them. And the camera work is brilliant. What an accomplishment.
Dr. Brian Doberstyn
Former WHO Director in Thailand

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