BANGKOK — A dome of anti-pollution plants downtown is part of an annual showcase of Thailand’s creative minds.
The third edition of Bangkok Design Week, which began Saturday and runs till Feb. 9, is an amalgam of dozens of exhibitions across the city, including in the Charoen Krung, Ari, and Thonglor areas.
The organizer’s headquarters at Grand Postal Building has several large-scale exhibitions in the front square, such as a dome filled with air-cleansing plants as well as a PM2.5 monitor to show that the air is cleaner inside. Jot down the names of houseplants you might be interested in buying later at a plant market.
Other highlight exhibitions in the square include a structure of reinforced fiberglass, made of environmentally-friendly materials, with a mini-jungle and a mock supermarket where you can pick up a reusable paper bag for free for your next grocery shopping trip.
At Talat Noi, the “Bangkok Sealandia” exhibition (inside Realrare Taladnoi) shows the artist’s conception of Bangkok in 2050, where nearly “40 million” Bangkokians are predicted to live in water [sic]. One of the innovations include a bug house, which crickets, roaches, and flies are farmed for household consumption in event of being stranded in flood waters.
The “Portrait of Charoenkrung” photo exhibition (down the road in Soi Phanu Rangsi) encourages visitors to check family-run establishments in the area, such as Wuatong Pochana shop which serves Qingdao food. Different facets of the neighborhood, from run-down historic buildings to futuristic skyscrapers, are also shown in portraits lining along the soi.
At Warehouse 30 down the street, shop for crafts by Asian artists at Pinkoi Market until Tuesday. Not all the listed vendors have set up shop, however – all four of the Chinese vendors pulled out at the last minute due to coronavirus travel concerns. One Japanese shop only sells patterned face masks. The market also has several hands-on workshops for the craft-thumbs.
Other exhibitions at the warehouse include the Design Plant exhibition which shows prototypes of new product designs by Thai artists and a light-and-silhouette display of a the sun setting and rising on a wolf-filled savannah.
Bangkok Design Week runs until Feb. 9 at venues across the city. Visit their official website for more information.
Additional reporting Tappanai Boonbandit
