Less Than a Day Old, Democracy Plaque Lives On In Memes, Fanart

BANGKOK — Thai netizens came out in force Tuesday to make art in honor of the ‘democracy plaque’ that was removed less than a day after it was installed by anti-government activists.

Right after the “People Party’s 2020 Plaque” was removed Monday from Sanam Luang, protest leader Parit Chiwarak published Jpeg, PNG, and Illustrator files of the plaque design for free use online, encouraging people to reuse them. And they sure did. 

“Although the People’s Party 2020 Plaque has been removed, don’t worry,” he wrote. “Our Brahma has already cursed the people who ordered it to lose his luck, status, praise, nobility, and even sexual libido. 

“While waiting for the spell to come into effect, you can download these files to smelt your own plaque,” Parit went on. “The plaque is not embedded into Sanam Luang, but in our hearts.”

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Netizens responded by creating free-use files: FreeArts is giving out 3D files of the plaque, while Twitter users @h7ddnS, @Ten1001_jidrid, and Facebook user Pattama Homrod made some color versions.

“The plaque is not just an item, but symbolizes ideals. I’m embedding the plaque in my notebook and my heart. Even if you tear it out, it’s still here,” reads a watercolor of the plaque by @pairnotebook. 

Ting Chu Studio art page called for people to create art inspired by the plaque in response to its removal.

“I would like to invite friends, artists and the free people of the world to join us, by creating art inspired by the 2020 Thai Democracy Plaque in any means or medium each prefer,” the page said. “Let’s show them that the new citizens of the world will no longer tolerate outdated tyranny.”

@Tomvix made an epic 3D animation of the plaque floating around in space set to a thrilling soundtrack that has been retweeted almost 25,000 times since Monday 11pm. 

Thais aren’t Thais if we aren’t up in some political arms, hungry for some buffet, and using humor as a deflecting mechanism. User Samphan Sittiwanta did all three in a rendering of the plaque as a BBQ grill.

“Sept. 20, at the time of grilled shrimp #LetItEndAtThisGrill,” Samphan wrote. “At the time of grilled shrimp” rhymes with “at dawn,” a phrase found on both the 1932 and 2020 plaques. 

20 กันยา เวลาย่างกุ้ง #ให้มันจบที่เตานี้

โพสต์โดย Samphan Sittiwantana เมื่อ วันจันทร์ที่ 21 กันยายน 2020

E Jeaw Lear Duan page suggested that, to ensure quick City Hall action, people should embed the plaque where they want sidewalks to be fixed.

Bloop! An animated GIF of the plaque posted by @Pangaea_n got more than 53,700 retweets.

Instagram users Thungjl and Ilywindtimer made an Instagram filter of the 2020 plaque (there’s one of the 1932 one, too). 

Some people are also producing products for sale such as Tshirts and phone cases.

#เสื้อหมุด (ไม่) หาย.หมุดสนามหลวงหายเราขอย้ายมาอยู่บนเสื้อสกรีนให้อยู่ตรงกลางใจ.มีให้เลือกถึง 2 สี…

โพสต์โดย Youth & direct democracy TH เมื่อ วันอาทิตย์ที่ 20 กันยายน 2020
https://twitter.com/aunyaxstore/status/1307906110783811584

Naru Ceramic is making made-to-order ceramic plaques. 

https://www.facebook.com/naruceramic/posts/218040473082630

This artist is giving out free cat-themed stickers of the plaque at a booth at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre on Sunday. 

Tokyo Hot kanom tokyo shop made a pancake version of the plaque. 

หมุดหาย – ทำใหม่ – รับประทานเองเลย (แพนเค้กไม่มีขายในร้านนะค้าบกินหมดไปแว้ว)ทำเพื่อเข้าร่วมสร้าง Fan Art…

โพสต์โดย Tokyo Hot – โตเกียวฮอท เมื่อ วันจันทร์ที่ 21 กันยายน 2020

“If we had good politics, a good economy, and an open, accepting society, everyone will be more free to follow their dreams,” wrote @Summernadaart along with her illustration of the plaque. 

https://twitter.com/Summernadaart/status/1308011773862133761
https://twitter.com/iriszky/status/1308126119472762880

Kage Plaque No Jutsu! @Junsui4089 reimagined the plaque as a summoning ninjutsu from the Naruto anime. 

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