Get to Know the Creative Districts Ahead of BKKDW2024: Bangkok Yai-Wang Doem

Reviving traditional culture to find new meaning, narrating the lifestyle along the Bangkok Yai Canal from dawn to dusk..

Amidst the growing diversity of local soft power, whether it be ice cream inspired by Wat Arun Ratchawararam (the Temple of Dawn) or the booming traditional Thai costume rental businesses, what else defines the identity of the Bangkok Yai-Wang Doem District?  What epitomizes this area beyond being home to the Temple of Dawn, which is already a significant destination for both Thais and foreigners? And how will this be extended into a design showcase at Bangkok Design Week?

Today, we seek answers with Mr. Mek Sayasewi, a board member of CROSSs and Friends and a member of the Young Thon group. As a veteran urban developer on the Thonburi side for over seven years, he has decided to shift gears to serve as co-host of this new district to help spread the youthful ‘Young Thon’ vibe to the Wang Doem neighborhood.

The Old Town of Thonburi and Lifestyles Waiting to be Discovered

The Bangkok Yai-Wang Doem District, a conservation area on the Thonburi side rich in historical tourist attractions, ancient art and culture, and canal-side lifestyles, is one of the new experimental fields for this edition of Bangkok Design Week. The charm that Mr. Mek sees in the Wang Doem neighborhood, which he believes is second to none, is its perfect blend of an old town rich in culture and a lovely, livable residential area.

“The Bangkok Yai District has the image of being an old town with historical sites and tourist attractions, while at the same time inherently charming and livable. The lifestyle there encompasses traditional ways of life, and if you venture a bit further, you can observe the ‘gardeners lifestyle’ along the canal. However, for this project, we’ve chosen to focus only on an area within walking distance, where people can stroll and explore. Thus, we’ve selected a section of the Wang Doem area, which is actually just a part of the Bangkok Yai District, to present as the first area for visitors to experience.”

A New Identity After Sunset

One of the challenges that the Young Thon team discovered while working with the Wang Doem District is the overpowering branding of Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), which so brightly overshadows the community’s stories and residential areas around it, blurring their identity. Building upon existing success, expanding and attracting visitors from the temple to explore the neighboring areas is a key challenge for them.

“To be honest, there are many hidden gems in the Bangkok Yai District that haven’t been fully developed. A common question many people ask is ‘What other identities does this place have besides Wat Arun?’ The challenge for our team then became to explore the character of the charming residential areas surrounding the temple.

“The truth is, after 6:30 pm or 7:00 pm, this area starts to quiet down. For people of our generation who like to go out for food in the evening, we wondered if it would be useful to establish some type of route after 6:30 pm, when Wat Arun closes. This route would guide foreigners or tourists who don’t know where to go next, to head towards the MRT Itsaraphap station. Along the way, they could explore the district through local festivals and keep the area lively for an hour or two after the sun sets. We want to encourage people to remain in this area for a longer period of time to interact more after the sun sets.”

Collaboration from the People of Thonburi

Although Wang Doem is still a relatively new area in the design week festival, the work this time isn’t starting from scratch. With the Young Thon group having operated in the Thonburi area for as long as seven years, many interesting characters and networks they had previously established inspired them to start working with the Wang Doem District.

“Previously, Young Thon had helped organize BKKDW in the Charoen Rat, Khlong San, and Wongwian Yai-Talat Phlu Districts, which are areas we have always worked in. We already had key partners, mainly educational institutions such as Bang Mod, the RESPECT Institute, Sripatum University, Silpakorn University, and Thonburi Vocational School, as well as local police and district office officials, like in the Thonburi and Bangkok Yai Districts. For instance, two years ago, when we undertook a project in the Bangkok Yai District, we became quite familiar with the area, including its community leaders and various institute professors. Everyone involved played a very important part.

“As for the project for this year’s Bangkok Design Week, I admit it emerged when the event was announced and we simply found it interesting and wanted to participate. So, we gathered people we knew who were already working in the area and presented the idea, essentially capitalizing on the networks we’ve already established. We see Bangkok Design Week as an opportunity to host an open house event and display everyone’s work in the district for these nine days. What’s important is how we weave everything together into a single narrative.”

This year marks the Young Thon team’s first time participating in Bangkok Design Week. Mr. Mek explains that they started by setting the most achievable goals, focusing on targeting tourists and those interested in design.

“For our first year, the target group we envisioned includes tourists or designers who have previously experienced Design Week. There might also be people following from pages on the Thonburi side or locals from Thonburi itself. It may not go as far as tackling community problems or having the community as the main storyteller producing works on that scale. Nevertheless, we see it as a good start because, at the very least, it’s a beginning that shows the potential of this area from different angles.”

Exploring the Route of the District From Dawn to Dusk

With Wat Arun at the heart of the district, operating with fixed hours from 8:00 pm to 6:00 pm, the question becomes: “What happens after 6:00 pm? Where do people go?” It’s this question that the Young Thon group has chosen to weave into the story of the Wang Doem neighborhood for this year’s Bangkok Design Week.

“We want to convey the lifestyle of the area from ‘dawn to dusk’ to visitors, to increase their understanding and appreciation of the local cultural heritage. This ‘wordplay’ resonates with the signature of the district, which is Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn, and offers wide-ranging perspectives. For instance, from conversations with tourists or locals here, there seems to be a moment everyone loves experiencing, which is watching the sunset at Wat Arun. Since the temple’s care ends at exactly 6:30 pm, we see this gap as an opportunity to plot the route from the MRT station at Itsaraphap to Wat Arun at around dusk and make it one of the festival’s highlights.

“For this year’s Bangkok Design Week, we have collaborated with business owners to make arrangements like procuring an apartment with a beautiful view of Wat Arun’s pagoda, which will open as a dance floor in one of the planned programs. For those young individuals looking to lead tours of Wat Arun and Bangkok Yai through the eyes of an archaeologist, there have been discussions about Bangkok Yai products with design groups, a Time Machine boat program, a Bangkok Yai sound event that narrates the various sounds of the district from morning until evening, and a ‘Tour of Thon’ activity building on the ‘Game of Thon’ that creates a map for people to explore and complete tasks in the area. CROSSs and Young Thon have been instrumental in orchestrating these programs to create a journey starting from when the sun is still high up in the sky until it sets.

“I feel we’ll be touching a lot on the history behind the scenes during the events and activities taking place, and ultimately asking, ‘What really defines the identity of Wang Doem?’ Because, honestly, the Bangkok Yai District already has its gems, but they have yet to be fully polished or narrated.”

Join us in discovering the new identity of Wang Doem after sunset at Bangkok Design Week 2024 in the Bangkok Yai-Wang Doem District.

Get to know the Bangkok Yai-Wang Doem District better through these recommended programs:

Twilight Tempo

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/70244 

Time Machine Boat

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/70337 

Sound of Bangkok Yai

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/70349 

Thong Thon Guide Map at Wang Doem District

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program/70329 

Click to view all programs of the Bangkok Yai-Wang Doem District here:

www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/program?nbh=84249 

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Bangkok Design Week 2024

Livable Scape

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27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024

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