Unexpected Growth: A Collaborative Exploration with Apisara Hophaisarn

At Kozo Studio, we believe in the power of materials to tell stories—and sometimes, those stories begin in the most unexpected places.

In our latest collaboration, we had the pleasure of working with Apisara Hophaisarn, a Bangkok-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice merges object creation, illustration, and design with thoughtful exploration of context and emotion. Together, we contributed to her project "Unexpected Growth", part of Early Years Project 8, exhibited at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC).

Apisara Hophaisarn (Photography: BACC ,Patcharapa P.)

Finding Emotion in the Everyday

Apisara’s project began with a question: How does our environment reflect our inner emotional landscapes? What started as a solitary exploration of Bangkok’s seemingly unyielding urban terrain transformed into a deeper encounter with overlooked lifeforms—tiny liverworts, the sounds of hidden animals, and weeds defiantly growing in cracks and corners.

Weeds sprouting through patterned concrete blocks along a city sidewalk. This quiet moment of growth in an otherwise rigid urban surface reflects the themes explored in Unexpected Growth—how resilience and beauty can emerge in overlooked spaces.

Her process was grounded in walking, observing, collecting, and reflecting. These findings—fleeting as they might seem—sparked a connection between the emotional act of noticing and the material potential of the plants themselves. What if these weeds, so often dismissed, could become something more?

A tabletop filled with experimental handmade paper samples created from natural fibers and urban weeds. 

Weeds into Paper, and Paper into Narrative

This curiosity led Apisara to experiment with papermaking, using weeds gathered across the city. Leaves, stems, and roots were pulped into sheets that varied in texture, strength, and flexibility—each holding a tangible memory of the plant’s origin.

However, transforming weeds into durable, workable material came with challenges. That’s when she reached out to us at Kozo Studio.

A hands-on moment from the experimental papermaking process in Unexpected Growth.

A Meeting of Practices

We welcomed Apisara to our studio in Sukhothai, where we guided her through the process of strengthening her weed-based papers by blending them with mulberry fibers—our signature material. Through hands-on sessions with our handmade paper expert, Jirath Luamarin, we co-developed a hybrid paper that was both firm and flexible, textured yet refined.

Jirath shares insights during the papermaking process for Unexpected Growth.

This collaboration not only pushed the boundaries of papermaking techniques, but also highlighted the role of observation, care, and regenerative design.

Seeing the Unseen

Apisara’s final installation, presented at the BACC, reimagines the city through the lens of new growth. Weeds, once invisible, now take center stage. By drawing attention to what we usually overlook, her work challenges viewers to reframe their relationship with their environment—and with the materials that surround them.

Just as mulberry trees quietly regenerate in the wild, her art reminds us that growth often happens in the margins. It only takes a moment of attention—a walk, a conversation, a shared process—for something overlooked to become meaningful.

Collaborating with Apisara was a meaningful experience for our team. It gave us the chance to share our expertise in papermaking while learning from her thoughtful approach to materials and storytelling. We're proud to have supported her in bringing this project to life and look forward to more opportunities to work with artists who value creativity, sustainability, and collaboration.

Checkout her website: https://365un.work/

And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unapsr/