MYSTERIOUS PHOTOS TAKEN IN BANGKOK

June 1, 2007 2:54 PM

Mysterious bangkok street photos.
I was recently in Bangkok and took, on my camera phone, two photos (one in focus one not).
Could anyone explain/wildly speculate what occured to create this scene? ie. What the ball is and why was it steaming/smoking? What is the sandy stuff on the floor? How did it come to crush a motorbike?

There was nobody around to ask (in English) what had happened and it was very hot, in fact I didn't notice how strange the scene really was until I looked at the photos on my laptop later.

What I noticed is...
1) The ball was steaming/smoking from the "craters".

2) There was no crane around (when I got there) that could have dropped the ball.

3) A traffic cone is emerging from the sandy substance on the floor.

4) There is some road paint markings on the sandy stuff.

5) There are tree branches, so the ball must have been dropped from something.

6) The sand appeared to me to be hardened in some way, though that was just the impression I got, I didn't touch it.


To anyone that's interested, I can explain where I took the photos. If you exited the Siam Paragon, crossed the street and walked into the backstreets for about 100yards, it was roughly there. I can't be more specific as I was lost at the time.

I have not doctored the photos in any way.

posted by selton to grab bag (10 comments total)

It looks like some sort of art to me - a sculpture. It doesn't look "real".

Unless of course you saw some of it happen then - I don't know :)
posted by puddpunk at 3:02 PM on June 1, 2007

Probably some sort of marketing sculpture. The materials look very fake. Any movies coming out about shit falling from space?

You can also assume it has been there for some time, as there is no crowd.
posted by Loto at 3:07 PM on June 1, 2007

I may be wrong but I agree... things look too placed. The metal barrier thingies (I know, there's a better name for them but I'm tired) are all bent up similarly when if there was actually some kind of accident then most likely there would be PARTS bent up and parts that were undamaged. The bike doesn't look like it was in an accident caused by any kind of trauma, more like it was put there gently between that weird ground and the giant ball of junk. And that wierd ground under the "accident scene" looks more like fake rocks or something they would use on a movie set.

Either that or I lived in L.A. way too long and everything looks like a movie set to me. Which is very possible.
posted by miss lynnster at 3:12 PM on June 1, 2007

Furthermore, that police tape is too generic, and how often would you need poles-with-flashlight-on ?
posted by Harry at 3:21 PM on June 1, 2007

I never considered it could have been "set up", though that may well be the case.

In one of the photos there's a policeman visible and from memory he seemed to be directing the traffic around the ball. I presumed he'd also put around the yellow/black tape.

In the blurred photo the tree (on the right) is bent out of shape as if it's been crashed into by something.

Though now I do wonder if there's a movie coming out soon about an asteroid or something.
posted by selton at 3:29 PM on June 1, 2007

"A mysterious meteorite, about 2 meters in diameter, has crashed into a motorcycle in the middle of a Siam Square street arousing great curiosity among many young passers-by in Bangkok’s premier teen hang-out. Some of the excited teens were seen to be taking photos with the strange rock. The mystery will be solved at Center Point soon!

For more information, please contact:
Satida Sritunyatorn or Nattakarn Chamsuwanwong
Aziam Burson-Marsteller
Tel. [phone]
Email: [e-mail]" (Source)

So yes, obviously a publicity stunt.

It's being discussed here, but actually, they don't add anything worth mentioning.
posted by lioness at 3:50 PM on June 1, 2007

Sorry, posted too soon, the mystery behind the meteor has already been revealed.

Twisties launches "3D-Marketing" campaign with new package and new flavor to promote "Flat Life Has No Taste" theme

After a mysterious meteorite crashed in Siam Square, creating great curiosity among many young passers-by in Bangkok’s premier teen hang-out, Twisties, the teen’s iconic snack by Pepsi-Co, announced the “3D-Maketing” campaign to promote the new “Flat Life Has No Taste” theme. Twisties is the first brand to conduct this type interactive activation among teens in the Thai snack market. (Full article)
posted by lioness at 3:55 PM on June 1, 2007

Thanks to all, but especially lioness - everyone was on the right track except me.

And I never imagined it could have been solved so completely in 61minutes, but I really wish it wasn't a Pepsi marketing thing.
posted by selton at 4:12 PM on June 1, 2007

Pepsi..Brown? ;)
posted by wierdo at 6:26 PM on June 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

I looked at it and immediately thought, "Katamari damacy?'
posted by SpecialK at 10:49 PM on June 1, 2007 [2 favorites]