Tamarind Village celebrates the traditional cultures of the Golden Triangle with unique photographic exhibition Tamarind Village, a boutique hotel gem in the heart of Chiang Mai, plays centre stage to a new photographic exhibition by Victoria Vorreiter, �Patterns, Passages & Prayers: Traditional Cultures of the Golden Triangle� until April 30, 2010. Set against the backdrop of Tamarind Village�s elegant garden courtyards, the exhibition comprises over 50 images and tribal artifacts. Guests have the opportunity to explore and engage with the rich diversity of tribal peoples in the surrounding region through their costumes, textiles, rituals and spiritual beliefs.

The exhibition is part of Tamarind Village�s ongoing efforts to foster knowledge and awareness of northern Thai culture and bring its appeal to a wider audience. Claudine Triolo, the hotel�s Director of Marketing and Communications sees the hotel as perfectly positioned to do so stating, �Tamarind Village�s ambience was inspired by traditional northern Thai architecture and design. Set at the heart of Chiang Mai�s historic old town, the property exudes a sense of place that is firmly rooted in the area�s distinct cultural heritage. As such, it offers the ideal setting for �Patterns, Passages & Prayers�, a tribute to a way of life that merits study and further reflection.�

Originally a university lecturer at the at DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, Illinois, the exhibition�s producer, Victoria Vorreiter, turned her attention to the primal role played by music in traditional cultures. This saw her trek across remote parts of Thailand, Laos, China and Myanmar to study and document the little known music of the regions� tribal peoples. The striking images of quiet dignity, joyful exuberance and grace bear witness to the value of these fast disappearing cultures and the importance of preserving their time-honoured traditions. When asked about the importance of her research across Thailand, Laos, China and Myanmar, in the face of rapidly changing technology and global communications advances, Vorreiter replies, �Indigenous peoples in the inaccessible hills of the Golden Triangle have depended for millennia on oral tradition to transmit knowledge, history, and beliefs. How long these customs can continue is in doubt. The aim of my work is to help preserve the majesty of these tribal rituals before they disappear.� A series of in-depth documentary films created by Vorreiter, set for release in 2011 and 2012, will serve to further this goal.

The exhibition focuses on the beauty of simple, daily life activities such as weaving, harvesting crops and tending livestock and on rites of passage such as birth, courtship, marriage and death. Colourful descriptions and insights drawn from Vorreiter�s meticulously kept journal entries accompany the images, bringing the subjects to life. In addition, rare objects such as Mien sacred texts, Karen ceremonial dress and a dazzling collection of children�s caps highlight a number of themes such as identity, Shaman rituals and the role of festivals in courtship. Thomas Cook Signature (0844 879 8015; www.thomascooksignature.com) offers seven nights at Tamarind Village in Chiang Mai from �897 per person, based on two sharing a Lanna room on bed and breakfast basis. Price includes international flights from London Heathrow with Thai Airways via Bangkok and return airport transfers. Subject to availability.

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Notes to editors Tamarind Village Chiang Mai is a unique and charming Lanna-style boutique property that nestles in the heart of historic Chiang Mai making it the ideal base for exploring the city�s ancient temples and quaint shopping streets. 42 guest rooms and three suites, set around a series of courtyards, reflect the rich ethnic diversity of northern Thailand by using fabrics and patterns drawn from the region�s various hill tribes. An oasis of calm and tranquility, the hotel takes its name from a 200 year old Tamarind tree that shelters it in a shady embrace. www.tamarindvillage.com

Vorreiter�s traveling exhibition Songs of Memory will open at the Chiang Mai Cultural Center from February 12-April 30, 2010. A dynamic conference on tribal culture, history, and beliefs will bring the exhibit to life through a series of concerts, presentations, demonstrations of traditional practices and a food festival. As a major sponsor of the exhibition, Tamarind Village is honored to support this worthy vision to document tribal culture. In 2009, a beautifully illustrated archival book �Songs of Memory� was released along with a music CD of ancestral songs. An interactive exhibition by the same name opened at the Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok earlier this year to great success. For more information on Vorreiter�s archival research, The Resonance Project, visit www.tribalmusicasia.com

For further press information and photography please contact: Alex Everall, Flora Gandolfo, or Jodie Fenn Bacall Associates, 63 Catherine Place, SW1E 6DY Tel: +44 (0) 8704 288 401 Fax: +44 (0) 8704 288 402 Email: firstname@bacall.net