Paper Title
ERAWAN-SINGHA: THE CREATION OF CONTEMPORARY THAI MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES

Abstract
Abstract - The creation of visual cultural representation has recently become a phenomenon in digital media. In Thailand, cultural identity is insufficiently represented in the digital media of the creative industry. There are two major focuses of this study. The first one is to explore howthe image of Thai mythological creatures, is visually characterized in Thai traditional artworks. This mythical Hindu hybrid animal appears as a Singha or Rajasiha (mythical lion) with the head or trunk of an elephant. It is used as a heraldic symbol in some Southeast Asian countries. In Siam (pre-modern Thailand), the Gajasimha served as the symbol of the Kalahom, (the Ministry of Defense). The second focus is to explore mythological winged creatures of the ancient western worldto create a contemporary visual image of Erawan-simha: a mythological creature.The researcher created three-headed elephant and has figure of a lion. The conceptual framework employed in the creation of the majestic creature is visualization, representation, contemporary culture, and communication. In conclusion, the image is anatomically reconstructed and geographically placed, and the visualization of the mythical creatures are interpreted in contemporary contexts. Keywords - Erawan, Representation, Visualization, Mystical Creatures.