In 2020, Napin Mandhachitara was at the Pathumwan intersection to observe and photograph the pro-democracy rally against former prime minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government. After the police dispersed the protest using chemical-laced water cannons and physical force, the young protesters decided to leave.
"It was raining and I walked past some schoolgirls who were waiting for their parents to pick them up. One of the girls handed me a grey polka-dot umbrella and said, 'Please fight for us'," explained Napin, a lecturer at the Department of Experience Design for Integrated Media at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL).
"The grey polka-dot umbrella became a significant object because it started the project called 'The Persistence'. We were total strangers, but she spoke those words to me with hope. As an adult, I put hope in the younger generation and they put their hope in me. That's how the project began."
