The Making of CREATIVE VIRUS EXHIBITION
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The Making of Design PLANT 2021 - DOMESTIC
The Making of Design PLANT 2021 – DOMESTIC By DesignPLANT “Design Plant” is a name that the design circles are well familiar with. Starting from a gathering of Thai furniture designers who have been working together continuously since 2013, Design Plant serves as a central space for collecting and exchanging design experiences for designers, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers in Thailand to connect opportunities and create collaborations both in terms of business and service, as well as to present works developed under challenging themes that vary from year to year. Still lingering in 2021 is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a predicament where global citizens are incarcerated, locked up in one place for years. With this in mind, we, Design Plant, designated the word “DOMESTIC” as the theme for its BKKDW2021 project, inviting designers to engage in speculative questioning about new possibilities in their daily lives. We invited the team from Thinkk Studio, the organizer of BKKDW2021, to tell us about the origin and working process of its exhibition where it attempted to use creativity to turn constraints into designs you might not be able to imagine. “Last year, almost all of us were stuck in our own country. This limitation has affected us all, and designers are no exception. We, therefore, invite everyone to explore new possibilities in the country,” said Jaravee “Looktarn” Thongbunrueang, Thinkk Studio’s Exhibition Content & Project Coordinator, telling us about the interpretation of the internal contexts, such as natural capitals, community lifestyles, interactions between designers and other people, and questioning about beliefs that are intangible yet permeate the entire fabric of lifestyle. Process to New Possibilities Once this year’s theme had been decided, Design Plant posted an announcement for submissions of ideas for design development via its Facebook page. This time, there is “Emerging Plant,” a special experimental project aiming to handpick ten groups of young designers who are students and those who graduated less than two years yet are brimming at the seams with fresh ideas to collaborate with well-versed, professional designers and resourceful veteran entrepreneurs who are loaded with real work experience. 49 selected works will be divided into five categories and exhibited by the exhibition team in a space in ATT 19, Charoenkrung 30, that will be transformed using materials from sponsors, such as curved plywood by Khem Tid brand, and divided into sections to perfectly complement the works put on display in them, making the works more appealing. In addition, the team will also organize a chair-making workshop where visitors will learn how to make chairs from curved plywood before taking the finished products to use at homes because “Domestic” does not only mean “in the country” but also means “in the household.” The bright green poster — this exhibition’s key visual that was conceived from the collaboration with Studio 150 building on the concept of the exhibition — comes with the word “Domestic” that is retractable within the grid range to communicate the possibilities within the limit itself. From Far to Near Highlights from all five categories are put on display in the order of how close they are to us in terms of feeling, starting with the ones that feel farthest away from us before gradually moving into the ones that feel closest to us. “Nation” features works that are not limited to one specific area, but have a broad impact on society as a whole, including Domestic Alternative Materials by Thinkk Studio that experimented with 12 different types of waste materials to find ways to replace traditional materials; and SPIRULINA SOCIETY by sustainability-minded designer ANYA MUANGKOTE who created kits to grow algae for urban residents using materials with the least environmental impact, which not only helps produce food and reduce waste production, but also can replace a lamp, given the fact that the kit is equipped with a lamp for growing algae; “Local” features works that are influenced or inspired by culture, craftsmanship, or raw material in a neighborhood, district, community, and province that designers are well familiar with, including Work From Phrakanong by Work From Phrakanong, twin product designer and graphic designer who joined forces with seamstresses to test the potential of the Phra Khanong district through the creation of bags; and MITI Screen designed by SARNSARD who made handwoven room dividers featuring a wide range of functions using leaves of screw pines, a plant commonly found in the south; “Community” features works that stem from the co-dependency and close acquaintance between designers and other people, including VANZTER by Patthamon “Nam Yen” Sukkasem who was fascinated by “Dek Vanz” (motorpunk) subculture and joined hands with motorpunks in experimenting with motorcycle pipe modification skills, which culminated in eye-catching iridescent vases; and Fat boy and Nigma by kitt.ta.khon who made woven chairs that allow users to create their own patterns and artisans to bring their individuality into their works to the fullest; “Residence” features works for household use that meet modern lifestyle needs, providing convenience and comfort, including Canvas – Fine(art) Dining Table by PDM that further developed Japanese tables incorporating patterns designed by Thai artists and printed in high resolution on waterproof materials so that it can serve as a tangible work of art when folded and hung on the wall; and JOINT (T) by Studio YAK that made ceramic tiles of the same size as that of the tiles in the market, but with hangers molded to the tiles so that there is no need for glues nor nails for installing them; “Feeling” features works developed based mainly on what is inside the minds of the designers, from tastes, passions, and interests to beliefs, emotions, and feelings, including Emotion Collector by CO-DE who created a mood tracker device for daily use that allows for collecting the data on the user’s moods by selecting mood colors and clapping hands to send the data to the device and for showing the collection of each of the emotions each month in the format of color lighting; and P(S)OLUTION by 11:11 which is an incense burner sleekly redesigned in the 2020s style. Takeaways from the Exhibition “What the audiences will be able to take away from the exhibition for sure is an abundance of ideas. Most importantly, the ideas were conceived in Thailand when we had to be incarcerated, locked up in our homes. Besides, we will be able to catch a glimpse of the current design trends where Thai designers attach great importance to more sustainable materials and processes,” said Jaravee “Looktarn” Thongbunrueang, Thinkk Studio’s Exhibition Content & Project Coordinator, confidently reiterating that, despite not attending the chair-making workshop nor buying some works and taking them home, it is guaranteed that everyone who has the opportunity to visit this exhibition will definitely get some ideas back. #THEMAKINGOFBKKDW2021 #DOMESTIC #BKKDW2021 #BANGKOKDESIGNWEEK
The Making of Academic Exhibition and Showcase: Mask Future
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The Making of Hotel in•ter•rim
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The Making of Common Air-rea
Common Air-rea CEA X Cloud Floor “First and foremost, experience. The air inside the space is cleaner than the outside. So, it is confident that as soon as the visitors step their foot into the area, they will breathe better, easier, and deeper, filling their lungs with cleaner air, all the while feasting their senses of sight, taste, smell, and sound with an immersion into the relaxing greenery and witnessing a one-of-the-kind symbiosis between nature and technology, such as the use of solar panels to generate renewable energy for internal use. It’s not only a solution to alleviate the problem, but also a design prototype for the future.” Could you please introduce the idea behind the project for Bangkok Design Week 2021? Originally, a common area for disseminating information for the Bangkok Design Festival 2021 was designated to be located in front of the Grand Postal Building as a small kiosk, and it was until this year when there was no main pavilion that the area has been enlarged to what it is today. The name “Common Air-rea” refers to an enclosed common area and information point incorporating design, nature, and innovation for filtering air pollution from the outside, where visitors can rest breathing in cleaner air, which also serves as a prototype area for public space in the future. The project is subsidized by the Electricity Development Fund as a business under Section 97(5) of the Office Energy Regulatory Commission in 2019. Where did you draw your inspiration from? It is an ongoing project that we have been working on with the Creative Economy Agency (CEA) for a while before the Bangkok Design Week was conceived. Following last year when CEA joined hands with the Shma team to make the “Bangkok #Safezone Shelter,” a simulated bunker for local people to stay safe during the bad air quality days in January and February, a string of experiments has been carried out so that the model can be applied to a wider variety of areas, whether it be bus stops or waiting areas in various locations. And the reason why we chose to build a prototype pavilion at Bangkok Design Week because there will be a whole host of visitors using it throughout the event, which allows us to envisage what the design of the pavilion could look like and what the possible outcomes of the design would be, before further developing it to be used in real life in the future. Could you please explain your workflow, from choosing the location and selecting materials to installing the finished artwork? What is special about the location and materials? What are the challenges in the installation of the work? The knowledge derived from the making of Bangkok #Safezone Shelter last year, along with the advice from the many teachers, is the principles for the design of “Common Air-rea” as an area that can help relieve air pollution so that the visitors stay safer. Firstly, we have to create an enclosed area because, just like an air-conditioned room, it will be not cool if the area is open-aired. Likewise, if we want to incorporate air-purifying technology into the design, we have to have an enclosed area so that the purified air will not be too scattered, which makes it difficult to evaluate the efficiency of the design. Secondly, we have to make adjustments to the design to fit the area and how people use it, which means that, in doing so, we have to take into consideration not only the design principles but also the technologies to be incorporated into the design so that the design will not be contrary to human behavior in using common resting areas; For example, given that there must be an entrance and an exit, air curtains have been incorporated to close the area while allowing people to walk in and out without feeling that they are entering the door. Given that “Common Air-rea” is a common area where visitors can rest breathing in cleaner air, which makes it necessary for it to look relaxing to the eyes, there was a process to select tree species with long, large leaves, which allow for better dust-trapping and air-purifying properties, to help not only in trapping dust and purifying the air but also in giving shade, as well as scenting and edible plants, so that there is a diversity of plants in the area. Besides, there is also an automatic watering system equipped to keep the plants watered throughout the day to help reduce tree damage. As for materials, with “Common Air-rea” being a temporary construction, materials used must be lightweight yet still durable. Nevertheless, there still was a wide range of challenges to be taken into consideration when it comes to choosing materials, whether it be dust, rain, or heat — given that the climate in Thailand is sultry and dusty — all of which are quite difficult in their own ways. After a string of trial-and-error experiments, it was found that the properties of plastic sunscreen sheets met the requirements: filtering light while preventing dust from entering, so we chose it as the main material for the pavilion. Plastic sunscreen sheet could filter a variety of light up to 70-80%, but, given the budget allocated to the construction bearing in mind that it is a temporary pavilion, we chose one that could filter only about 60% as the better the filtering properties, the higher the price. As for the pavilion, as the project is subsidized by the Electricity Development Fund and in collaboration with Solar Cell Synergy company, there will be solar panels installed on the roof, so there will be another additional system — that is, the electric system, so that part of the energy generated by the solar panels will be able to be used in the air purification and — when the sun is down — lighting system. Suffice it to say the pavilion is of a hybrid system. There still were many more challenges the team took into consideration during the design of the pavilion. Some parts of the design might be useless if the weather is not that bad as expected, which might raise a question as to what we did this part for. However, after all, we developed the pavilion as a prototype to see how the quasi-public construction model can be applied to public areas and how it can be better managed, hence its still allowing for adding anything needed, removing anything not needed, and remodeling as appropriate. We can see the direction of the design to meet the most requirements, especially those concerning health safety during the COVID-19 pandemic; the pavilion is designed to be an enclosed yet open-aired space, with furniture pieces set up at corners to allow for more flexible area usage, to reduce the chances of sitting close to one another, not to mention that the visitors will be screened before entering. Could you please summarize the specialty of this project? The project is developed based on a concept that combines design with technology to see how we can alleviate air pollution and improve air quality in public spaces, whether it be flea markets, events, or bus stops, each of which serves as a case study that is meant to be subjected to criticism for us to see their suitability for use, and as the knowledge that will be passed on. What do you expect audiences to take away from experiencing the work? “First and foremost, experience. The air inside the space is cleaner than the outside. So, it is confident that as soon as the visitors step their foot into the area, they will breathe better, easier, and deeper, filling their lungs with cleaner air, all the while feasting their senses of sight, taste, smell, and sound with an immersion into the relaxing greenery and witnessing a one-of-the-kind symbiosis between nature and technology, such as the use of solar panels to generate renewable energy for internal use. It’s not only a solution to alleviate the problem, but also a design prototype for the future.” #THEMAKINGOFBKKDW2021 #CommonAirreaPAVILLION #BKKDW2021 #BANGKOKDESIGNWEEK
Thonglor-Ekkamai — The Ahead-of-its-Time Design District
Thonglor-Ekkamai The Ahead-of-its-Time Design District An area right at the heart of the city with a gathering of a diverse portfolio of designers, creators, and businesses dedicated to bringing colors and movements to the district for you to join and learn about the new roles and next steps of the area together With its location right at the heart of Sukhumvit teeming with leading shopping centers and office buildings of various sizes as well as two main roads, Sukhumvit Road and Petchaburi Road, running through it, Thonglor-Ekkamai is a district that fully caters to lifestyle needs, featuring a portfolio of restaurants — both long-established, renowned international ones and decades-years-old indigenous traditional ones —, cafés of various styles — each designed to cater to the exact needs of its respective consumer group —, [PT1] galleries and common spaces that allow people to do various kinds of creative activities. More importantly, the district serves as a spotlight area for continuous investment in the development of real estate projects, taking into account its infrastructures and facilities, and that its center has always been chosen as the prototype area for the development of those of other areas. Thonglor and Ekkamai are sister districts connected by three small streets that are accessible through a variety of travel options, from BTS skytrain and MRT subway, to bus and boat, to motorcycle taxi scattered throughout. More importantly, every area of Thonglor is easily accessible by foot, making it a quintessentially walkable district. Thonglor-Ekamai has been transforming into an area that will, subsequently, become a design center, with its being home to a multitude of studios, restaurants, and cafes in a wide range of fields scattered throughout the area — from graphic design, fashion design, and product design, to furniture design and architectural design, and to experience and taste design —, which culminates in its being considered a legendary district that first comes into mind when thinking of design. Despite its location right at the heart of the city surrounded by a ring of modern buildings, the district also has an abundance of small hidden green spaces where local people can use and breathe in fresh air. Thanks to the joining forces of creativity and design, Thonglor-Ekamai district, therefore, has the potential of becoming a design center for presenting design works as a full-fledged development tool, for its extensive lineup of studios to present their design works that will take you to explore the district in a completely new way. Both its residents and residents can participate in exploring the district from new perspectives. What’s Worth Visiting in the District? Professional Design Personnel Throughout Production Chain: Thonglor-Ekamai district boasts an extensive lineup of personnel with expertise in various fields, such as furniture design, graphic design, fashion design, product design, and architectural design, which makes it a one-stop design hub. In addition to its being a design center, the district is an area where not only original residents, but also foreigners choose to live; Start Point of International Hub: Thonglor-Ekamai has become a design center thanks to its being home to an extensive portfolio of design studios that chose it as the location for their headquarters for doing business, contemporary cafés conceived by the joining force between older-generation and newer-generation entrepreneurs that cater to the needs of both generations, and new businesses that chose the district as a starting point before expanding to other areas, which culminates in its values being driven higher every year as it is considered the most prominent location on Sukhumvit Road. District Completed with Infrastructures Conducive to Improving Quality of Life: Not only is the district accessible through four travel options, namely BTS skytrain and MRT subway, car, motorcycle, and boat, but it also connects to many different areas, with Ekkamai teeming with alleyways that run through to the main roads, allowing people to conveniently access other areas without compromising on green space, with there being over 14,400 square meters of green space hidden deep across the district to provide a place for urbanites to rest.
Ari-Pradipat — Oh-So-Chic, Never-Out-of-Trend
Ari-Pradipat Oh-So-Chic, Never-Out-of-Trend A district gradually changing in response to today’s challenge of connecting all areas to coexist and driving the district as a whole through resource rotation using design as a tool Some might associate the image of Ari district, with its once being nicknamed “District of Old Noblemen,” with “Soi Ratchakru,” which means Brahmin Official, or be familiar with it as a government city with plenty of office buildings from the past as they might have roamed about the market behind the Ministry of Finance. Having been being constantly developed to keep abreast with the time, Ari-Pradipat has become a highly populated residential area with a concentration of condominiums, detached houses, and small communities, which are components that bring about the appearance of various businesses in the district to accommodate the needs, whether it be restaurants, hotels, creative businesses, or designer communities. With Phaholyothin Road and Rama VI Road being the main roads running parallel to each other and through both areas, Ari-Pradipat is a continuous area, more than 70% of the land of which is used for residences, followed by for offices and government-owned facilities and entities respectively. Besides Phaholyothin Road, which is a road of city-level importance that facilitates easy access to the area, Ari BTS Station and Saphan Kwai BTS Station also help distribute people throughout the district, which culminates in its potential as one of Bangkok’s top walkable district, with one of its areas ranked highest on walk scores at 72 out of 100. And there is not only a designer village located in 33 Space, but also a multitude of creative people and businesses within the district that are joining hands to present their works that collectively communicate and act as a medium for finding common ground. The district’s original residents and new settlers are interconnected through work, food, travel, and energy circulation, which are all present within the district, driving Ari-Pradipat into a district brimming with novel possibilities without losing its identity over time. What’s Worth Visiting in the District? Coexistence of People, Diversity of Opinions: Older generations’ enthusiasm and newer generations’ bravery join forces to make a perfect combination for motivating and initiating new projects within the district through questioning, implementing, and emulating, with an aim of creating a symbiosis between the district and its people, with its environment attaching great importance to people without leaving anyone behind and overlooking any problems; Brainstorm for Ideas for the Majority: Every step taken in the district present a challenge, and many parties have to join hands to deal with it to drive the district forward, whether it be issues regarding footpath conditions or street food, which culminates in a wide range of policies and programs, such as food waste reduction program that monitors dining behavior and food on plates, and the policy that requires popular businesses in the district, like restaurants and cafés, to rotate and offer up services to push forward environmental sustainability in the most concrete manner, just to name a few; Location for Development into the Future: Ari-Pradipat district is heavily laden with transport routes and facilities ready for the development of mega-projects, most notably the Bang Sue Central Station project that will enhance and increase the value of the area and bring about great opportunities for all major industries, such as food, architecture, service, and real estate, to choose the district as a milestone in driving their business.