Interview with Jai Arun Ravine

Jai Arun Ravine talks to me about their newest book, The Romance of Siam, just released from Timeless, Infinite Light. We talk about their use of humor in critiquing orientalism, the tourist industry in Thailand, and their process as an interdisciplinary artist.  The sound of waves breaking is "Once in a Lifetime," the theme song for Thailand's tourism campaign.  Jai's website: http://jaiarunravine.com/ The Romance of Siam: http://timelessinfinitelight.com/collections/frontpage/products/romance-of-siam Jai's performance piece from 2010, "TOMBOIGATOEYMANGO": https://vimeo.com/15429089 Once in a Lifetime Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5_zFBH4wqU Ambient Asian Space: noodlecroons.tumblr.com Jo Ann Wasserman's book of sestinas, "The Escape": http://www.futurepoem.com/books/the-escape Gabriel Ojeda-Sague & Jai Arun Ravine in conversation about adjacency: https://medium.com/drunken-boat/a-conversation-between-gabriel-ojeda-sague-and-jai-arun-ravine-fea4b9c44842#.cgsw305tg Gabriel's book: http://timelessinfinitelight.com/products/oil-and-candle Jim Thompson, the Unsolved Mystery: https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Thompson-Unsolved-William-Warren/dp/9813018828 Information about W. Somerset Maugham in Thailand: http://padraigrooney.com/journalism/a_literary_journey_through_thailand.html