Happyland

HAPPYLAND—risograph photography zine

This (zine) artwork was made possible by Grrrl Zine Fair Zine Residency 2024 and funded by Arts Council England.

Like a movie set staged at a theme park with its dazzling urban palettes and cartoonish architecture, the legendary neighborhood of Happyland is vividly sprinkled with hints from the past that are reminded of its rich history. Happyland (1976-80) was the name given to Thailand’s first and possibly most horrific outdoor amusement park, situated in Bangkok’s eastern county of Bangkapi. Shortly after its permanent closure due to safety concerns, Happyland gradually became a residential and commercial district that is now home to one of Bangkok’s most renowned fresh markets, Happyland Market—the name Happyland lives on today.

The popsicle-shaped zine Happyland offers a dystopic and yet unique perspective of this legendary place. It documents a saturated aesthetic of the unfamiliar retro-futurism architecture that is evidently scattered around the neighborhood. Observing from its complexity of geometrical patterns, shapes and colors, Happyland peculiarly resembles a bygone town from the mid-century; where my visual interpretation expands beyond reality through ‘risography’—a printing technique known for its vivid palettes. The outcome is so awesomely ridiculous, it fashions a metaphorical illusion of an urban popsicle paradise.

Size: 9 x 5 cm
Paper: Venus Wove, 120 gsm

Published in 2024
Bangkok, Thailand

Wuthipol Ujathammarat
Author, Photographer and Curator

Printed by Haptic Editions