Bangkok​ Design​ Week​ x​ ผู้ขับเคลื่อน​ย่านทั้ง​ 12​ ย่าน​ x​ กทม.

ทีมจัดงาน Bangkok Design Week 2024 ระดมกำลังจัดเตรียมงานใหญ่อย่างแข็งขัน โดยเมื่อวันศุกร์ที่ 1 ธันวาคม 2566 ที่ผ่านมา สำนักงานส่งเสริมเศรษฐกิจสร้างสรรค์ หรือ CEA – Creative Economy Agency ได้จัดการประชุมครั้งแรกร่วมกับกทม. เพื่อเตรียมความพร้อมในการจัดเทศกาลสุดคึกคักใน 12 ย่านหลัก และย่านอื่นๆ รวม 13 ย่านทั่วกรุงเทพฯในปีนี้เราจะได้เห็นผลงานจากนักออกแบบและคนทำงานสร้างสรรค์หลากหลายสาขาอาชีพ ที่ศึกษาโจทย์ของเมืองและนโยบายกทม. เพื่อนำมาเป็นไอเดียตั้งต้นในการสร้างสรรค์งานออกแบบให้สอดคล้องกับการพัฒนาและแก้ไขปัญหาให้กับเมือง ซึ่งแต่ละโปรแกรมจะได้ทดลองติดตั้งในพื้นที่จริง เปิดโอกาสให้ชุมชนโดยรอบและผู้มาเที่ยวชมงานได้มีส่วนร่วมในการทดลองใช้และให้ฟีดแบคเพื่อการพัฒนา ในปีนี้ เรามั่นใจได้ว่า บรรยากาศสุดคึกคักของเทศกาลฯ โอบล้อมทั่วกรุงเทพฯ อย่างแน่นอน เพราะทางกทม. สนับสนุนโดยการให้สำนักงานเขตในแต่ละย่านช่วยประสานงานกับกลุ่มผู้ขับเคลื่อนย่าน เพื่อให้คำแนะนำการติดตั้งผลงานในพื้นที่สาธารณะ สนับสนุนเรื่องพื้นที่จัดงาน รวมถึงการอำนวยความสะดวกด้านต่างๆ ในการจัดเทศกาลฯ และเพื่อให้ข่าวสารของ Bangkok Design Week แพร่กระจายไปสู่ผู้คนในวงกว้างมากยิ่งขึ้น ทางกทม.ยังพร้อมช่วยประชาสัมพันธ์กิจกรรมต่างๆ ผ่านสื่อของกทม.ตลอดระยะเวลาการจัดเทศกาล นับว่าเป็นความร่วมมือที่จะส่งผลดีทั้งต่อผู้จัดกิจกรรมและผู้ที่สนใจมาเยี่ยมชมงานไม่ใช่แค่นักออกแบบและหน่วยงานต่างๆ เท่านั้นที่สามารถมีส่วนร่วมกับเทศกาลนี้ได้ แต่ทุกคนสามารถร่วมกันค้นหาแรงบันดาลใจ เพื่อลงมือเปลี่ยนแปลงกรุงเทพฯ ให้เป็นเมืองน่าอยู่ น่าลงทุน และน่าเที่ยว ไปพร้อมๆ กับเราได้ รอติดตามกันได้เลยว่าเมืองของเราจะดียิ่งขึ้นได้ด้วยแนวคิดและวิธีการอะไรบ้างBangkok Design Week 2024Livable Scapeคนยิ่งทำ เมืองยิ่งดี27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024#BKKDW2024#BangkokDesignWeek#LivableScape

CHANGE by CEA MARKET Open Call

Cities Shape Us – We Shape Cities

Cities Shape Us – We Shape Cities: When the city makes us sick, stressed, and lonely, what can we do?When traveling abroad or meeting people from other cities around the world, have you ever wondered why people from different cities have such drastically different lifestyles, personalities, or perspectives?Why do people from one city appear effortlessly stronger and physically healthier than us even at the same age and those from another city seem to have better mental health and cheerful attitudes, all while those of us in Bangkok feel both stressed and lonely? Or why do people from some cities care about certain issues that people in our city might never think twice about?As we head into Bangkok Design Week 2024, we invite you to contemplate the relationship between ‘people’ and the ‘city’ through three case studies that reveal how cities shape us more than we think. A city is not just a place to live in; it plays a crucial role in shaping the thoughts, lifestyles, and very existence of its inhabitants in terms of physical and mental health, economics, and society. At the same time, people have a vital role in contributing to the construction and improvement of their city.How can we apply these lessons to transform the cities we live in, such as Bangkok, into a place that is better for the body, better for the mind, and more livable overall?Improving health by changing the cityWhy do we get sick often? Is our health to blame or the city? From the moment we open our eyes, we are breathing the city’s air. We walk to work on city pavement, and on the way home, we might take a break in the municipal parks. In a single day, our bodies have interacted with the city in more ways than we realize, and that’s why the city is a crucial factor in our physical health. Several years ago, Barcelona, Spain faced air pollution issues that negatively impacted the health of its residents. Various local government and private entities in the Eixample district intervened and initiated a project to increase green spaces over the span of a decade. This involved creating 21 public squares, ensuring that every resident lives within 200 meters of a small public park.The city also promotes walking and cycling over motor vehicles. This not only reduces pollution but fosters better physical health through walking and sufficient recreational spaces. The result has been improved physical and mental health, more social interactions, and the subsequent creation of economic value. The project is expected to succeed by 2030. It’ll be interesting to see how the city’s transformation will contribute to improving the physical health of its residents.A lovable city loves its peopleRecently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared ‘loneliness’ to be a global public health threat. Have you ever noticed how our city is related to feelings of isolation, stress, and overall mental well-being?Singapore, which enjoys strong economics and innovation, also boasts an urban layout that is conducive to physical well-being. Nonetheless, its people have lacked a sense of connection with each other and the city. The city’s focus on commercial activities to the exclusion of a shared culture to foster that connection has gradually impacted the people’s mental well-being. The Loveable Singapore Project was initiated to build and strengthen connections between people and the city through the concept, “How can we pass on our love to the city?” This led to providing spaces where people of all ages can share positive experiences and foster an atmosphere of happiness. Activities have included exhibitions in old buildings showcasing memorabilia to foster intergenerational connection, as well as community design workshops to exchange thoughts on “What do we love about Singapore, and can make us love this city even more?”This project inspires residents to see their connections with each other and the city. In the long run, it may contribute to developing a strong culture that positively influences mental wellness.Contributing to city growth via designWhen a city nurtures both body and mind, the next step is to foster the growth of both the people and the city. A crucial element of urban development is ‘design.’Asahikawa, Japan, renowned for its forestry, used design to leverage its strengths through a variety of activities under the concept of “Forest of Design.” They include organizing wood furniture design competitions to showcase the potential of its timber industry and establishing design education hubs in the city center to foster a design mindset and awareness of the value of forestry.These efforts have earned Asahikawa recognition as a UNESCO Creative City of Design in 2019 and turned it into a major destination for design and woodworking enthusiasts.Out of these three case studies of cities that promote physical health, cultivate mental well-being, and drive growth via design, they all have one thing in common: a collective movement across all sectors — the government, private business, and people — to bring about change. If you are committed to transforming Bangkok into an even more ‘livable’ city, be ready with your creative ideas. Bangkok Design Week, as a platform for creative thinking and crafting new city experiences through ‘Festivalization,’ aims to be a medium to connect people and various organizations interested in developing the city into a place we all want to live in. Everyone can take part, starting with small initiatives around them. Just by adjusting your perspective and having the desire to improve your surroundings, you can become part of creating a ‘Livable Scape: The More People Act, the Better the City’–Bangkok Design Week 2024Livable Scapeคนยิ่งทำ เมืองยิ่งดี27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024#BKKDW2024#BangkokDesignWeek#LivableScape

The ‘3 Matters’ that Matter to a ‘Livable City’

With Bangkok Design Week 2024 returning with the theme ‘Livable Scape: The More People Act, the Better the City’, we thought it would be a good opportunity to help everyone to better understand the ‘3 Matters’ that are playing a major part in transforming Bangkok into a lovable city that is livable, attractive to investment and more traveler friendly. These three matters include:HARD MATTERSAmenities and environments that promote health and wellbeing for urbanites. A city shouldn’t make its residents ill, but rather support their quality of life and longevity.Read more at: www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/content/67490HEART MATTERSA city that is good for the heart is one where residents aren’t stressed, lonely or depressed. Residents should have plenty of constructive activities to take part in, support one another and enjoy strong community culture.Read more at: www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/content/67508DESIGN MATTERSBy making creativity a key driver of the first two matters, health and happiness, the city opens its potential for economic, social and cultural development.Read more at: www.bangkokdesignweek.com/bkkdw2024/content/67509Join us in asking “How can we make this city more livable?” at the upcoming BKDW 2024.–Bangkok Design Week 2024Livable Scapeคนยิ่งทำ เมืองยิ่งดี27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024 #BKKDW2024#BangkokDesignWeek#LivableScape

Preparation Conference for Bangkok Design Week 2024

This past 15 December, Creative Economy Agency (CEA) hosted a comprehensive online conference to prepare creators for Bangkok Design Week 2024, set to take place in 12 main neighborhoods and other areas, for a total 13 locations across Bangkok.On top of bringing participants together for discussion and explanations of important event details, the conference also included a Creative Business Charger Session. The special gathering was held to enhance exhibitor know-how on four topics crucial to creative businesses, with talks led by four experts:1. Trend 2024: REMADE ANEW explored trends, challenges and movements in the creative industry as well as went in-depth on up and coming lifestyle trends.2. Up Skill with Canva displayed new features on the popular media creation platform ready for use in content and promotional material production.3. Muketingon how to attract consumers by mixing marketing and belief in the supernatural.4. All About Licensing: Do Creators have Rights? addressed any confusion over laws concerning the licensing of creative works.The time is nearing for exhibitors from all across Bangkok to showcase their true potential in over 500 programs at Bangkok Design Week 2024. Stay tuned to see all their ideas for making a “Lovable City”.–Bangkok Design Week 2024Livable Scapeคนยิ่งทำ เมืองยิ่งดี27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024#BKKDW2024#BangkokDesignWeek#LivableScape

Do ‘Festivals’ Truly Help to Propel a City’s Dynamics for the Better?

For those who have been following Bangkok Design Week over the years, there may have been moments of wondering about the more subtle benefits of holding festivals year after year, on top of helping to liven up the host city and propel the creative economy within communities during the times of the festivals. What other benefits are there?Before arriving at this year’s Bangkok Design Week, we’d like to introduce the word ‘Festivalisation’ – the use of a festival concept and experience-building to drive the dynamics of a city. The goal is to bring about gains that are sustained even after the festival itself ends, without limiting events to one-time occurrences whose influences end when the events themselves conclude. A focus is on inspiring people and the events’ host locales to continue driving activities in the long term. This has been one of Bangkok Design Week’s pursuits all along.‘Festivals’ Revive Neglected Spaces and Give New Chapters to Their StoriesOne of the methods for festivalisation is creation of new experiences in existing spaces. It is a pity that many interesting spots in Bangkok have been neglected over the years. One such spot is Thailand’s first large water tower, situated at Maen Si Intersection. The water tower and its adjacent sibling tower have been neglected for some 20 years despite the location having great historical and architectural value as well as allure.The ‘Prapa Maen Si’ project by the Urban Ally group opens up this space to facilitate interactions between people in the locale and those from outside. The Festivalisation concept is used to create, in this urban public area, a new experience that responds to the requirements of all groups of people. In addition to reviving this previously neglected spot on BKKDW festival days, the project also demonstrated to people the potential of this public space to serve as a destination for diverse activities, such as the Krungthep Klang Plaeng outdoor movie screening activity. Aside from attracting visitors and opening up new opportunities for a locality, these activities generate economic value and promote people’s sense of belonging to their city.‘Festivals’ Help Connect People, Promoting Value for a LocaleAt its heart, a festival serves as a medium connecting diverse groups of people, including but not limited to designers, creators and those who live in the locality. These people then exchange what they know and make use of the shared ideas to create value for the locale. This enables localities to initiate their own long-term revival drives.An example can be seen in the Pak Khlong Talat locale, long known as Bangkok’s largest and oldest flowers-selling area. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Supitcha ‘ Nong’ Tovivich at the Faculty of Architecture, Silpakorn University has been using this locality as a site for examining the conservation of vernacular architecture and community development. As local information and updates were already being provided by The Humans of Flower Market Facebook page, this presented an opportunity to integrate the Pak Khlong Talat project as part of Bangkok Design Week to expand on the joint collaborative efforts between designers, urban developers and the community. This culminated in ‘Pak Khlong Talat Pop-Up’, where many formats of artwork such as installation art, photo exhibits and AR mixed media were showcased. The aim was to attract tourists with the design festival, with the expectation that the visitors will purchase flowers from the shops in Pak Khlong Talat to bring home. This opens up new opportunities and generates new value that helps connect the locality with people through multiple facets, making Pak Khlong Talat more than just an area for trade.‘Festivals’ Help Garner Ideas to Make a City More LivableThe goal of Bangkok Design Week is to be more than a festival that delivers enjoyment and impressive experiences. The festival also serves as a space for promulgating discussions on urban design and planning, enabling the talks to expand beyond the design circle and making the topics of creativity and design more accessible to diverse people.The Re-Vendor Charoen Krung 32 project was a pilot model for the management of street food stalls along the ‘creative economy area’ in Soi Charoen Krung 32. The team here was led by architecture firm Cloud-floor, whose area of focus was urban and public space development. The team took advantage of the BKKDW festival to invite stakeholders involved with managing the street food scene – representatives of the public sector, municipal law enforcement officials, food sellers and street food buyers – to provide their input. The ideas garnered from all parties were used to create an experimental model applied in Soi Charoen Krung 32 during the festival period. People who visit during the festival time had the opportunity to try out prototypes and give their feedback so the project could be improved. In this manner, a festival can promote people’s participation in giving ideas for urban development so this task would not fall on any specific group of people and benefit from everybody’s involvement.‘Festivals’ Restore Dying Wisdoms and Make Them Easily AccessibleOne underlying merit of holding festivals is the fact they can help recover a community’s cultural heritages which have been disappearing as time passed. A communal cultural heritage that is close to being lost can be brought back and given wide recognition once more. An example is the activity of the Sense of Nang Loeng group, which has restored the Chatri play into a contemporary form. Restoring the theater art of the Nang Loeng Market community – touted as Thailand’s first land-based market – involved rekindling the identity of Nang Loeng area as the place of origin for numerous Thai music teachers and performance troupes in the past. This was aimed at garnering the attention of newer generations of people and introducing people to another aspect of the Nang Loeng area.The available public space was renovated into a temporary exhibition, which expanded on the locale’s fame as a food destination. Professional designers and creators were invited to participate and take action alongside the people of the community. This provided local artists and sellers with opportunities to express themselves and earn income, both during the festival and at later times when the endeavor would shift toward a long-term community development project that would concretely drive the local economy.‘Festivals’ Foster Networks Linking Creators and Promoting CollaborationFestivals also serve as important stages for those who work as creators in all fields to meet and have exchanges. These exchanges may involve the creators updating their awareness of trends and new ideas, or knowledge of emerging design directions or noteworthy projects that are being pursued by other designers or studios. This leads to the creation of learning networks and potential future collaborations.Importantly, Bangkok Design Week is not restricted to the designers circle and anyone can participate. This illustrates how the festival can help propagate knowledge and awareness of developments within the design circle, enabling these to ripple out toward society at large. As greater understanding and awareness are increasingly realized, designing and creating are no longer tasks that fall on specific individuals. Everyone in society can help contribute ideas and take action.These are some of the results stemming from the festival-holding concept that has continually been adopted by Bangkok Design Week. For the upcoming BKKDW 2024, we will be returning under the theme ‘Livable Scape: The More People Act, the Better the City’. We’d like to invite everybody to come together to reassemble Bangkok into a more livable city than before. Regardless of who you are, we believe everyone with the will to bring about change to the city can take action, starting from the small matters that are close at hand.–Bangkok Design Week 2024Livable Scapeคนยิ่งทำ เมืองยิ่งดี27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024#BKKDW2024#BangkokDesignWeek#LivableScape

Inspiring urban development through the key visuals of BKKDW2024

Inspiring urban development through the key visuals of Bangkok Design Week 2024 Each year, the ‘Key Visuals’ of Bangkok Design Week act as the first doorway to its concepts, opening to present the event’s core themes to the wider public using graphic designs and imagery. This year, the crucial role of designing the week’s key visuals was given to DUCTSTORE the design guru, a studio that has been driving forward Thailand’s graphic art scene for over 22 years, creating impactful national works like JORAKAY PAVILION ASA 2023, receiving accolades such as Taiwan’s Golden Pin Design Award in the Spatial Design category, being chosen to craft the key visuals of Architect Expo ’22 and Architect Expo ’24, and owner of design, fashion and creative lifestyle content platform IAMEVERYTHING. To find out about how the straightforward yet eye-catching visuals under the theme ‘Livable Scape’ were conceptualized, we hear directly from studio head Nontawat “Moo” Charoenchasri. The mind behind the artwork spoke to us on his perspectives of Bangkok, the role of a creative, and how Graphic and Architecture were combined to become the “Graphitecture” being used to wow attendees of Bangkok Design Week 2024. The creativity of one person can lead to citywide change “‘Livable Scape: The More People Act, the Better the City’ seeks to discuss Bangkok as a whole, its development, its structure, and life in the city. What we want to communicate is that you can be creative wherever you are. You don’t have to be in Bangkok Design Week’s central neighborhood of Charoen Krung, because creativity can take place anywhere. I believe creativity occurs naturally and can’t be forced. Even people who don’t work professionally in a creative field can be creative in their daily lives. The purpose of Bangkok Design Week is to spark ‘Creative Thinking’ beyond just those engaged directly with creativity. Whatever you’re doing, selling, wearing, or wherever you’re going, you can add creativity to it. We are communicating this year’s theme as more of a call for people to step up and act individually because once enough people take action, development of the city on a large scale can take place.”จับแผนที่กรุงเทพฯ มาบอกเล่าความซับซ้อนแต่สนุก!“A Key Visual is an interpretation of an event’s concept through images and graphics, it’s a communication where you can include more subtle messages to make people think.”“We started with the realization that there isn’t any neighborhood in this city with wide open spaces, Bangkok is characterized by its chaos and how massive it is. Viewing this year’s theme through the lens of an architect and the mind of a graphic designer, we originated the concept of ‘Graphitecture,’ melding graphic art and architecture. From there, we reimagined a map of Bangkok as overlaid and overlapping forms, we played with the figures and grounds of the map.The lines represent the streets of each of the event’s neighborhoods. We looked at maps of each area and altered the forms we saw, stacking them onto Bangkok’s plan. We even took elements of the architecture found in each neighborhood to reflect their complex, chaotic nature, as well as their unique identity.”“For the sub-key visuals and templates for other media, we made our designs so they could be easily used by others. We chose solid colors to represent each neighborhood along with elements we knew other designers could build on and have fun with. This is not a rigid corporate identity framework.”เพราะเมืองยังไม่ดี ดีไซน์จึงยิ่งสำคัญ“Personally, I think a livable city is one where everyone can live with ease, where you don’t have to stress over your daily life. ‘Livable Scape: The More People Act, the Better the City’ comes from the fact that our city is still lacking but we can all contribute to making it better in the future. Public utilities, lifestyle, careers, all of these elements are related to one another, so you can’t just design a city that is aesthetic and expect it to be livable. If it lacks revenue sources, public transport, or facilities, it won’t work. We want to live in a city where people can access income, convenient transport, and live well.”“Bangkok can be disorganized and even messy, but there is a charm to this chaos. Life in Bangkok is a struggle, it can be exhausting. You need to think before you do anything here, you have to plan around traffic, you can’t just stroll around. However, if it was a perfect place, no one would ever be moved to act. Tackling the problems of this city requires design, we need Creative Thinking to survive. These are the raw materials for the creativity that will better this city.”“Bangkok Design Week is here to be a catalyst for movement, to invigorate people. I think it’s good that this event is happening. Many cities around the world have design festivals that provide opportunities to new creators to showcase their potential, promote the forming of communities, and inspire people to build networks for the development of their city.”–Bangkok Design Week 2024Livable Scapeคนยิ่งทำ เมืองยิ่งดี27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024#BKKDW2024#BangkokDesignWeek#LivableScape

4 reasons why you won’t want to miss Bangkok Design Week 2024

4 reasons why you won’t want to miss Bangkok Design Week this year!Being such a “happening” city, Bangkok already has so many concerts and events lined up for the start of this year ahead of Bangkok Design Week 2024, taking place 27 January – 4 February 2024. That’s why we’ve decided to spoil some of the highlights of the week and let people in on why they should clear their schedules and take part in a festival that is all about making Bangkok better.1. “The Most and Most Diverse Range of Programs EVER”500+ programs spanning showcases, music and performances, workshops, tours, talks, special events and markets will take place during and beyond the 9-day festival, providing endless new experiences and inspirations.2. “Happenings across 15+ Bangkok Neighborhoods”Bangkok Design Week 2024 is happening in every direction this year as more than 15 neighborhoods host programs. Led by locals showcasing the best of their areas, the creative exhibitions will extend from stories told through completely new platforms and edible history to unseen locations sparking new perspectives on the city of Bangkok.3. “Tackle REAL Bangkok Issues Together”Partnered with Bangkok this year, BKKDW2024 asks creators how they would solve the capital city’s real issues. With their answers expressed through a variety of design disciplines, the week is set to be a showcase of fresh ideas for making Bangkok a more “livable” city. Join in the many experiments and give feedback that could lead to a better, more sustainable Bangkok in the future.4. “Everyone ACTING to Create a more Livable City”This year’s festival is the result of collaboration between a variety of entities, from Bangkok’s administration and government offices to educational institutions, creators, neighborhood residents and the wider public. Everyone came together to “act” and pool their creativity to drive the city forward, because Bangkok’s betterment isn’t any one person’s responsibility.All of this is still only a fraction of the reasons you won’t want to miss Bangkok Design Week 2024, taking place under the theme ‘Livable Scape: The More People Act, the Better the City.’ Follow us to find out about all the surprises in store 😉–Bangkok Design Week 2024Livable Scapeคนยิ่งทำ เมืองยิ่งดี27 Jan – 4 Feb 2024#BKKDW2024#BangkokDesignWeek#LivableScape