The Black House isn’t just one structure, but a collection of around 40 buildings of varying shapes and sizes dotted around a peaceful garden. The largest structure is located by the main and outside the combination of honey-coloured teak timbers and imposing doors are a work of art in their own right, The cavernous interior of the hall is interspersed with animal skulls and buffalo horns and this theme is continued elsewhere at the Black House. This is Thawan Duchanee’s interpretation of Buddhist philosophy and his style has caused plenty of controversy over the years. I’m no art aficionado, but the art and themes on display seem to represent the suffering that Buddha saw with Thawan using animal skins and bones to indicate the sickness, old age and death that the Buddha witnessed on his travels. Other artwork on show appears to reflect human desire and cravings and some of the darker imagery and phallic statues might not be something you want the children to see. There’s certainly plenty of food for thought and different people will have their own interpretation of Thawan’s work.