May
May Waikittipong
Graphic Designer & Letter Press Printer
Bangkok, Thailand
Nestled in the alleys of Thong Lor, is a cosy little paper goods and letterpress shop called Pianissimo Press. I was introduced to May by Ply during my session with her. She spoke about May with such reverence and respect, often referring to her as Sister May. May was a really nice person to speak to and we managed to arrange a date for the studio visit quickly.
Prior to meeting May, I have never heard the term letterpress printing before. However I’m very drawn to analogue processes and was very pleased to find out that letterpress printing has been around since the 15th century and was the main form of printing up to the 19th century. It is a mechanical process where ink is applied onto the type and is pressed against paper. The ink is then transferred from the type which creates an impression on the paper. It sounds really easy but takes a long time to master.
While photographing the exterior of the studio/shop, I noticed that instead of a Pianissimo store sign, the shop was plastered with Pedal Lane, memories of its former tenants. When I asked May why she left the decals on, she said she liked the design of the decals and that it was a reminder of the physical space’s history. What a romantic idea.
Pianissimo Press shop front.
Look out for this sign when looking for Pianissimo Press.
May works as a graphic designer and has designed many quirky characters, one of which is a humanlike eggplant called Little Joy that goes on crazy adventures. “YOU ARE MY DANCING QUEEN” is another creation of May’s depicting girls doing the dance moves of famous songs such as “Sorry, Sorry” by Korean boyband, Super Junior and “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” by Silentó.
While looking at her wall of artwork, she told me a little anecdote about a her life. When she was younger, May’s grandmother used to call her 甜甜. There was also a manga around that time called 小甜甜 and that really resonated with her, seeing her name appear on a popular manga.
May does her designs on her iPad.
Can you identify the dance moves?
May’s wall of art.
When I enquired about Pianissimo’s start into the letterpress business, May told me that it started off as an accident. Vardhana, the other half of Pianissimo Press successfully bid for a letterpress machine on eBay. However, they did not have any knowledge on how to operate the machinery. Luckily for them, an older generation of printers in Bangkok were still alive and were willing to lend a helping hand to these younger printers start out their printing journey. Through hard work and experimenting with the device, May and Vardhana mastered the process in about a month.
Vardhana working the letterpress machine.
May “甜甜” Waikittipong.
As daylight was burning out, I had to bid my goodbyes to lovely little shop, May and Vardhana. It was an eyeopening experience for me, to see analogue processes gaining a second wind as an artisanal process and gaining popularity as such. Before I left, May introduced me to more artists in Bangkok, as well as a letterpress studio in Kuala Lumpur (Post coming soon). Everyone is so helpful in Bangkok and I’m so thankful for that.
Thank you May and Vardhana for having me and allowing me to photograph your space and art. Check out their studio’s Instagram for upcoming works and exhibits.