Get to Know the Creative Districts Ahead of BKKDW2024: Nang Loeng

Enhancing a vibrant neighborhood’s local wisdom through collaborations between existing residents and new designers.

When we talk about Nang Loeng District, the first image that comes to mind for many are the ancient pink row houses and the dazzling array of Thai foods and sweets crammed into Nang Loeng Market, Thailand’s first market on land. This is followed by the beauty of Sala Chaloem Thani, a nearly 90-year-old wooden theater that houses the enduring legacy of the legendary actor, Mitr Chaibancha, and is deeply connected to this place.

Nonetheless, it’s undeniable that the once-bustling image of Nang Loeng — teeming with people and stories — is not the current reality of the neighborhood. With demand falling for its traditional kind of tourism and Nang Loeng Market edged out by more convenient food options, the area’s growing dullness poses a significant challenge for its new residents, such as the Urban Studies Lab, whose office is located in the former Satri Julanak School. To introduce changes to the neighborhood, they wish to try new approaches involving creativity and festival work.

What was the inception, concept, and result of their mission to restore Nang Loeng to its former glory as part of Bangkok Design Week 2024? Ahead of the festival, we invite you to search for answers in the words of Wirakan ‘Gave’ Rakamma, Design Manager of Urban Studies Lab, which is serving as Co-Host of the Nang Loeng District for this year’s Bangkok Design Week.

A Historical Neighborhood as Seen by ‘Ordinary People’

Most historical areas around Rattanakosin Island are often significant places enriched with high art, intricate temple architecture, and ancient traditions, marking them as administrative centers. However, just a short distance away, Nang Loeng represents the everyday life of ordinary people. People who live hand-to-mouth, go to temple, cook food, enjoy entertainment, play music — this is what Ms. Gave believes makes Nang Loeng a historical neighborhood unlike any other.

“Nang Loeng is not just a well-preserved or old neighborhood. It’s ancient, indeed, but it represents the lifestyle of ordinary people. There is a strong emphasis on gastronomy, with a multitude of eateries, as well as some cultural aspects that are hidden gems, like the Chatri theater or the making of scented garlands. The community leaders, themselves, constantly bring these elements into our neighborhood’s tourism. Therefore, to say that Nang Loeng is a historical neighborhood is to see history through the eyes of the people living there. After working with the community, we get a sense of their pride in the neighborhood as a unique blend of the old and the new, unlike anywhere else.”

Challenges of the People’s Diverse Identities 

The strength of Nang Loeng lies in the lifestyle of its people, and the neighborhood isn’t just about one group, but a living space shared by all. Embracing and integrating the diverse perspectives of the people in the neighborhood to establish its boundaries and identity is always a challenge when Urban Studies Lab works with the Nang Loeng area.

“The term ‘Nang Loeng District’ has always begged the question: What does ‘Nang Loeng’ mean exactly? Where are the boundaries of Nang Loeng? Some say it’s confined to around the market area, while others extend it to the Phanpha area or even to Padung [Krung Kasem] Canal or Samananam Borihan Temple. Everyone has a different view, which is interesting. It’s like the community doesn’t try to specifically define Nang Loeng as a certain area. And when the area isn’t narrowly defined, what follows is the diversity of identities that come with it. Talking about the uniqueness of Nang Loeng is challenging; it’s hard to pick just one thing and say Nang Loeng equals that thing. It’s not just about food, because we have more than that. The Nang Loeng area has many communities, each with its own unique identity, and we must remain impartial amid the diversity.”

Opening the Door to New Possibilities with ‘Festivals’

To revitalize a neighborhood with diverse identities that are difficult to consolidate into a single entity, Ms. Gave outlined the team’s simple approach: to open doors to new possibilities so local residents can recognize the potential of their own area. Instead of defining the limits of Nang Loeng, they must view the area as a blank space, ready for endless new experiments.

“Given that Nang Loeng is very much in the infancy of integrating festivalization with an area’s cultural development, our team hopes that at the very least, Nang Loeng will have a robust social media presence among younger generations. Of course, in the short term, this is to help stimulate the economy at the micro level, bringing new customers to the shops. But in the long term, we intend to help the community see its own possibilities and potential, including new opportunities to tell the story of their community.

“Right now, many shops are planning to shutter because they feel the neighborhood has become very quiet. They are uncertain if customers will come. Therefore, we want to use this opportunity to communicate to the community itself that we still have potential, there is interest, and there are new ways to tell the neighborhood’s story. This can be achieved through activities that might not necessarily be the traditional approaches, like visiting temples or telling ghost stories, but through various events that’ll attract more diverse groups of people who reflect the diversity of the community itself.”

Reviving the Neighborhood with Entertainment for Both Locals and Outsiders

With rigorous work — from conducting field research, having conversations, and collaborating with the community to brainstorming in the ‘townhall’ of the Urban Studies Lab — the team challenged itself to organize Bangkok Design Week activities that were as broad, varied, and representative of the community as possible. The concept emerged as “Entertainment in Everyday,” with the goal to bring back the lost entertainment of Nang Loeng.

“We asked several communities what they think about being in Nang Loeng, what they felt was missing, and what they wanted to see return. Even though they all view the existing identity differently, everyone felt that Nang Loeng used to be a livelier entertainment district where people came to eat, visit, and play, which is now missing. So, our challenge of “Entertainment in Everyday” is to revive our Nang Loeng, which was once known as the entertainment district of Phra Nakhon, to be entertaining again. The term ‘entertainment’ can be defined in many ways, allowing different community perspectives to work together under this theme.

“The event will feature various activities; about five sub-events, including tours, workshops, and exhibitions related to entertainment. For example, the book tour is inspired by the experience of many locals who grew up hunting for comics at the various book shops. This is the kind of experience they want to bring back.

“One activity that arose from lessons learned in the previous Bangkok Design Week and has received funding from the CEA is the ‘Nang Loeng Menu,’ a deck of cards introducing the area’s many delicacies and restaurants. This arose from the challenge of how to best represent Nang Loeng’s many food options in the most comprehensive way possible. There are many ‘scales’ — there are old established vendors, home-style eateries that just use their houses as restaurants, and new restaurateurs in the neighborhood. This year, we’re building upon Nang Loeng Menu, following feedback from various participating shops. We’ve gathered their opinions on how they want to develop it further. For instance, some want to maintain it in a deck of cards with more restaurants, while others suggest it should be a guidebook, so people can tour the food spots themselves without needing intermediaries or guides.

“Another activity is ‘Graffiti for a Better City,’ where we’ve got graffiti artists who are passionate about enhancing the landscape of Nang Loeng and the surrounding area. They are connected to Nang Loeng Market, having spent their childhood in the area, and feel it has deteriorated. Therefore, they want to come in and do what they are good at — creating graffiti that tells the story of the Nang Loeng neighborhood.”

Will they succeed in their mission to revive entertainment as expressed by their diverse identities? Find out for yourself during Bangkok Design Week in the Nang Loeng District!

Get to know Nang Loeng District through the neighborhood’s recommended programs:

Nang Loeng Menu HUNT!

https://www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/67602 

Untitled Case : Learning from Tragedies 

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/76485

Graffiti for Better City

https://www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/67032 

Toth Kin Kao Nok Bann

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/73128 

Click to see all Nang Loeng programs here:

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program?nbh=50628 

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Bangkok Design Week 2024

Livable Scape

คนยิ่งทำ เมืองยิ่งดี

27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024

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