AkzoNobel creates colourful murals for the Sound of Sisaket

 AkzoNobel, a leading global paints and coatings company and maker of Dulux paints, brought artists and local people together to create works of art on the streets of the north-eastern Thai province as part of the “Sound of Sisaket” project. This initiative is a collaboration with Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency (CEA) to showcase the unique ethnic diversity of Sisaket as part of the government’s efforts to develop the Mae Si Circle in the city centre into a culturally creative district, hence contributing towards the sustainable economic growth of the area.

Khun Sirilux Hemphan, Commercial Head of Akzo Nobel Paints Thailand Ltd., said, “We are very pleased to collaborate with the government, our partners, and local people in the Sisaket City Accent Project (Sound of Sisaket: Sao Si Ket) to use Dulux premium quality paints to express the unique culture of the people of Sisaket. Being an active partner in improving community connections is part of AkzoNobel’s Let’s Colour initiative, our community program that uses the power of paint to transform lives by uplifting communities and making living spaces more livable and enjoyable.”

Using street art, local communities can communicate the variety of ethnicities found in the province. The Sound of Sisaket demonstrates the variety of accents found in the area, and the province’s distinctive identity can also be communicated through its diverse range of fabrics used to make silk garments and Benjasiri woven fabrics. Symbols of the province are also expressed as part of the Sound of Sisaket project, such as Prasat Prang Ku Prasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai, Lamduan flowers, Kupri, shallots, garlic, Mae Sri shampoo, and Volcano durian. The richness of the province’s products is due to the ethnic diversity of the four Tai tribes: Khmer, Suay (Kui), Lao, Ye.

As part of the Sound of Sisaket initiative, a group of more than 20 artists in the area collectively called ‘Neighborhood’ joined local volunteers made up of government agencies, residents, and local paint dealers to create works of art in four areas around the city: the community fresh market, Santisuk Hotel, the walls of old commercial buildings such as the railway station, and the Satri Sisaket school.

Mr. Chutayaves Sinthuphan, Director of the Creative Economy Promotion Agency, Khon Kaen office, said, “Sisaket is a city with a distinctive identity and culture due to its variety of ethnicities, their stories, and their way of life.  The Sound of Sisaket project was organised to connect people and brings those from different backgrounds together to develop their neighbourhood and improve the environment of the city, thus making a positive impact on society and culture. In turn this can help create jobs and boost the local economy. It is an important step in the development of the area and part of a long-term provincial development plan to make Sisaket a creative city and link it with other creative city networks.”

AkzoNobel is supporting the street art project as part of its Let’s Colour transformation program. Its community projects aim to provide opportunities and environments for children, families and communities to learn, grow and flourish and is a key component of the People pillar of AkzoNobel’s People. Planet. Paint. purpose. More than 100 of AkzoNobel employees, paint dealers, artists and local residents joined together to add colour to the walls of Sisaket using Dulux Inspire Exterior Paint, Dulux Brilliant Gold and Dulux Maseal Primer amounting to about 300,000 baht worth of paint.

So far, 2,566 Let’s Colour projects have transformed lives, uplifted communities, changed behaviours and made living spaces more fun, liveable and enjoyable for nearly 88 million people in 52 countries. They have been participated by about 14,000 AkzoNobel volunteers and donated 1.8 million litres of paint.