Awaken the Positive Energy Through Bangkok Design Week 2022 Visual Theme Designs
Key Visual is an important part of creating an impression and communicating the idea behind Bangkok Design Week each year. This year people have been through a lot and the city has been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis. Another important mission, in addition, is the Key Visual needs to ‘awaken the positive energy from the past year of hopeless atmosphere and replenish it back to life. Ped-Pakpoom Lamoonpan, a Thai graphic designer who had lived and worked 12 years at a graphic design company in Japan before he decided to fly back to Thailand. He then establishes his own graphic design studio Routine Studio, which worked on a variety of projects like a book cover for ‘Architec-ture’ (อาคิเต็ก-เจอ), Untitled Case and many more from Salmon Books Publishing, ‘Snap’ movie poster, and Visual Identity designs for many festivals like Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in Bangkok 2018 that many probably recognise his graphics by the lively colourful and fun graphic beats in addition to cute and cuddly characters. That is the reason why the festival has chosen him to design the Key Visual to replenish people this year. Although he has been in the field for a long time, getting to work with Bangkok Design Week 2022 still stirred up excitement. Because communicating the “Co With Creation” idea through visuals for designers, creators and the masses to understand the message is pretty challenging. Awakening the Lively Energy For the past 2 years, Covid-19 has been with people around the world causing creators to lose their creative steams. The BKKDW team and Ped both know that the first thing we have to do is create hope and boost the atmosphere suitable for creativity back again. “When I first received the brief and found out the theme was ‘Co With Creation’. And the festival’s goal this year is to become a platform that creates an atmosphere for creativity. I went and researched what I could do. When thinking about the name, I want the participants to think of the ideas of ‘connection’ and ‘helping each other in creating things to tackle the issue of economy and quality of life, from both the creators, the communities, or even the entrepreneurs. So I want to create work that people can see and see the diversity in the main visual. “Many components in the work like the letters C O W I T H that were made into images, having a diverse style then we do something with the space to blend it. The minute components that show connecting the dots in different places. It’s like positive charge energy that supporting the Bangkok Design Week as a platform this year “So when we started talking about the tone and direction, I thought it should be something refreshing with more positive energy than other years. Making the atmosphere more cheerful for the audience. I thought creating this atmosphere would be good for creativity after the long gloomy Covid period. So it’s where the overall design in the poster comes from, I want the audience to feel the freshness, bring in the fun and openness if there’s talk on adding or work on other serious issues.” The Colours and Age Challenge Sketches of graphic element components and colour combinations prior to the final Visual Identity version used in Bangkok Design Week 2022 ‘Yellow’ is the colour that people recognise from Bangkok Design Week every year. The next challenge is creating freshness and liveliness but keeping the recognisable image of the festival. “In the part of colours and colour selections, I received the brief to keep the yellow for the on-site works because it is efficient in telling directions. So I started with yellow as the main colour with the frame that used to form a letter D from Design, creating the main logo for the theme and slowly tuning the colours to find the complementary pair. The colours cannot clash and be easy on the eye, I think the black-grey colour pair compliments yellow well and other colours can be added easily. The main point in colourwork is that people should be able to understand that they are part of the same work at a glance. This is a detail-oriented and time-consuming task but when it’s put into use, especially landscape works, the colours pairs that are selected will help make the works standout” Ped told us that “one of the important challenges is the issue of making a fun and fresh work without making it look too childish because this visual is going to be used as components in the exhibitions for several designers. Like the objects in the work even though they look independent from each other and have their own character and look alive but I did not make it obvious by putting eyes or framing the face. I tried to design it in geometrics forms so it looks more about the design week.” Every Detail is a Tale The key of graphic design is communication through visuals for people to understand. Both what is on the page and the subtle hidden message. Every detail in the work has its own content and communicates on its own. “Details are added to make the work have more texture, more than just a form of letters. Like letter C, I made it to have dots that look connected to play on the concept of ‘connection’ and ‘helping each other out. If that detail is taken out, the work would be a bit bland. But the audience does not necessarily have to do the job of deciphering the code. I’m just trying to add something to the still image, creating movement in the imagination for the audience. And creating work that can be taken to create motion graphics on other media like digital as well. Like the dot on the I, the idea was having it come out of the box or the H that has grids looking like a design draft plan and most importantly the secondary components that float around helps create movement and emotion in the work.” Co With Hope Atmosphere inside Routine Studio. The space where Ped works with his partner Yoon-Payoon Worachananan The most important part for working designers is that the work is successful as hoped. But success is different from person to person and from one work to another. In Ped’s view the success of this work is the ‘positive energy’ he wants to pass along to friends in the fields and anyone who sees it. Because in the end, the important thing people cannot live without is hope for a better future awaiting us. “Normally, when I work, I will have set a goal in emotional aspects as well. I want people to see our work to feel certain emotions, what emotions do I want readers to remember the books by. For this work I want people who participate and visitors to feel positive energy, giving strength to look forward to the future. After the struggles, everyone faced with Covid-19 which is a factor that is out of our control. With this work I want to invite people to start seeing the future, seeing ways to continue growing and have hope from the design work.” Other works by Ped include book and print covers, CD covers, and visual identity #BKKDW2022 #BangkokDesignWeek #CoWithCreation
2 Years with Covid
2 Years With COVID: How it altered our lives Looking back on the past 2 years, we all were faced with life-restricting conditions. That we find ourselves adjusting to many aspects of life, looking for ways to survive the Covid-19 pandemic. As the pandemic unfolds and the numbers of the population are fully vaccinated, the sneaky virus then manages to mutate once again and present us with the newest Omicron variant. Just to put us, earthlings, back on our toes with another wave of panic. In the bigger picture though, there are no clear answers when this whole pandemic thing will end. All we can do for now is to learn to become resilient and overcome the challenge of this new way of life ahead of us. Today, we will hop on a time machine through the world’s 2-year ongoing battle with Covid from 2020 until now, nearing the end of 2021. Let’s see what interesting trends and new ways of life are up and coming. A Home-centred Life One huge change that happened is the unavoidable amount of time we have to spend at home. Many of us started to pay more attention to the environment at home. Looking to create a more fitting atmosphere for our new ways of life. The household products that serve this need like indoor plants, scented candles, or decorative furniture have hit record high sales. According to bangkokbiznews.com, during the 2-month strict Covid lockdown in 2020 the sales of the product of IKEA Thailand has grown 320%. It also gave birth to interesting online communities about home decorating and home caring. Facebook pages like ‘Organise the Desktops’ (‘จัดโต๊ะคอม’) and ‘Beloved Housework’ (‘งานบ้านที่รัก’) reflects this change. As many started to re-organise and design their use of space at home and utilise the ‘home’ that meets their needs and is suitable in the Covid situation. Mental Health is as Important as Physical Health At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in August 2021, where the number of infections reached 10,000 per day, the Department of Mental Health’s survey showed signs of increasing suicidal risks 10 times more in comparison to the earlier survey during the start of the pandemic. DMH’s shared survey showed that 45.5% of Thailand’s population are stressed, 51.5% risk being in a depression, 30.6% have suicidal risks, and 17.6% are in a burnout state which indicates serious mental health issues in all ages that cannot be overlooked. Moreover, surveys conducted in many countries find that office workers have accumulated stress resulting from Work From Home workstyle-setting and jam-packed online meeting schedules. The office workers have to find suitable solutions and joy to tackle their new ways of online working. An interesting campaign created by TBWA London, a fun and brilliantly coloured website called ‘soundtheexcuse.com’. Where it provides various sound disruptions such as fire alarm, crying baby, bursting water pipe etc. for those who are stressing out in the meeting, to sound the excuse to temporarily flake away from the meeting. But this campaign was not just for humour’s sake, in all seriousness this campaign is a collaboration between TBWA and The Book of Man, a men’s media brand that wants you to express your stress and that when work stresses you out, it is necessary to take a break. It should not be left until the negative impact becomes apparent and affects you and your company. Just “take a breather and carry on whenever you are ready”. New Ways of Life, More of Waste Food delivery services have grown tremendously during Covid-19, due to its convenience the amount of plastic waste has also grown. The stats collected by the Institute of Environmental Research, Chulalongkorn University found that from January to April 2020 the amount of Thailand’s plastic waste has increased 60%. There are efforts in tackling this issue by turning to use the more earth-friendly packaging alternative, we probably came across. Looking over to another big industry like the world’s fashion has been raising the Fast Fashion issue. As a majority of the world’s waste is from the Fast Fashion production industry. Reducing fashion produced waste by avoiding the unnecessarily fast turnover of fashion trends and turning to second-hand clothing creates a more sustainable clothing cycle. For a while, people in Thailand have been aware of this issue, entities like moreloop, a social enterprise that aims to create a sustainable circular economy through adding value to deadstock fabric or Fashion Revolution Thailand, a Facebook page where people are invited to ‘Swap!’ their clothes with others, discovering their new fashion favourites without producing more waste in the world. Culture is the New Export When we talk about the most popular streaming platform, Netflix would be right up there. The ‘Squid Game’ global phenomenon during Covid-19 has re-ignited another wave of the K-fever, underlining Soft Power’s huge ability in generating enormous economic value to the country. Captured by the global interest in Korean culture, an old traditional Korean dish became well-known around the world, fashion items in a Korean movie became the IT item everyone searched for and children’s play songs became the song that everyone knows about. With the re-ignited display of culture through popular media and the fast growth of streaming platforms, accelerated by the Covid lockdown (newbies platforms like Disney+ Hotstar’s growth was 210% in only 2 years!) We can foresee that in the near future there will definitely be a fierce and competitive production of this so-called ‘cultural export’ from many more countries. Virtuality vs Reality Physical distancing causes many new forms of technology. Virtual worlds creation now plays more parts in people’s life. For example, the most used application during Covid, Zoom’s sales value has grown 326% in 2020 alone and Gather Town, an online meeting application where the office meeting environment is recreated online with our Avatars performing activities together. Also, many schools have adopted the use of Gather Town for online virtual classes. These can be seen as innovative designs that adapted to the changes of the ages which also supported people’s digital lives. If you still remember, Animal Crossing, a social simulation video game, became very popular earlier in the pandemic. The game allows us to interact with other players online, relieving some of our loneliness, because at the very least we still get to meet our friends online. For more fun, how about meeting at a concert like a Virtual Concert that a hip hop artist, Travis Scott, had in an online game Fortnite during a lockdown. Such interesting things we should keep our eyes on. Wait and see where else we can go in the world without even leaving our house at all. From these trends above, you can see the difficult situations we faced and how we all tried to adjust and learned about these new ways of life that have brought about new visions and useful designs and innovations. In the coming year 2022, Covid-19 will probably stay a while longer, it sure will bring about more challenges that dare us to creatively find more ways and innovations and trends that are waiting to be discovered. For anyone, who is interested in the exploration of these interesting trends and the never before seen new designs. Get ready for Bangkok Design Week 2022 where we collated all designs under the theme “Co With Creation” only during 5-13 February 2022. Don’t miss it! #BKKDW2022 #BangkokDesignWeek #CoWithCreation Reference https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/business/949194 https://www.dmh.go.th/news-dmh/view.asp?id=31154 https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/1-in-4-workers-is-considering-quitting-their-job-after-the-pandemic.html https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56247489 https://www.soundtheexcuse.com
BKKDW2022 Open Call
Open Call for Applications Now – 20 Oct 2021 Bangkok Design Week 2022 (BKKDW2022), which will be held between February 5 to 13, 2022, under the theme “Co With Creation,” with a focus on three aspects: 1) encouraging creators’ creativity and experimentation to create new normal lifestyles, 2) supporting creative businesses and communities to generate income, and 3) revitalizing the vigor of Charoenkrung-Talad Noi, Samyan, Ari-Pradipat, Thonglor-Ekkamai, Pra Nakhon, and other districts, as well as the people in the districts, through online and offline activities. BKKDW2022 would like to invite designers, creators, entrepreneurs, producers, artists, public agencies, and individuals involved in the creative industries to participate in the city’s new potential, which will create and try ideas of coexistence with COVID-19 as a prelude to the possibility of the new way of life that enables us to move forward and prepare for the future, through the activities in the festival including showcase, talk, workshop, event, market, and promotion. Interested participants can refer to further details here. https://bit.ly/BKKDW2022_ParticipationHandbook_EN Apply here https://apply.bangkokdesignweek.com/apply/ From now – 20 October 2021 For more information on participation of BKKDW2021, please contact: program.bkkdw@cea.or.th (66) 2 105 7400 #126, 136 (Monday – Friday / 9.30 – 17.30 hrs.) #BKKDW2022 #BangkokDesignWeek
Nang Talung inspired Fantasy Circus by Jaime Hayon and The Standard
The red installation hanging in the middle of the room inside the historical building of Chai Phatthanasilp, consists of animals and fantasy characters playing with the light and casting moving shadows on the walls. You may have come across the images and videos of the piece shared by many visitors throughout the past 9 days of Bangkok Design Week 2022. See how this world-class exhibition of the amazing piece by world-class artist and interior designer Jaime Hayon in the middle of Charoenkrung came to be here. The behind-the- scene is as interesting as the piece! Eastern-inspired Western artJaime Hayon is an artist and interior designer from Madrid, Spain whose works often “blurred the boundaries” between art, design, and decoration. His unique works present local culture with lively and fun characteristics. Hayon, therefore, was chosen as the interior designer for The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, first Asia’s flagship hotel. On this occasion The Standard wanted Thai people to see Hayon’s ‘Shadow Theatre’ created for BKKDW under the concept ‘Circus Fantasy’ showcasingHayon’s specialty in surrealist inspiration combined with southern Thai local play ‘Nang Ta Lung’ in a nice blend of east meet west. Another special element in the work besides being the ‘Nang Ta Lung’ inspired light and shadow play, also creates an immersive experience where visitors feel like they become part of the Hayon piece. The Standard also curated impressive playlists to go with the lively immersive environment as well. Passing on Art & Culture DNA to Thai people from The Standard ‘Art’ is a core of The Standard’s DNA. Supporting art experience for Thai people is, therefore, the brand’s mission which includes supporting Bangkok Design Week, and the creation of the ‘Shadow Theatre’ exhibition. The exhibition not only allows Thai and foreigners in Bangkok to experience art from a world-class artist who inspired many creators but it also an opportunity for the visitor to connect with the old historical building in Bangkok of Chai Phatthanasilp, 111-year old building rich with stories, artistic value, and is the gateway to Talad Noi district. Check out and share photos of The Standard Presents Jaime Hayon ‘Shadow Theatre’ in the album.
Love Letter to Bangkok From Sundae Kids and centralwOrld
The past lockdowns have strained not only the people’s relationship with distance, but they also put a distance on people’s relationship with the city. The latest piece of art from Sundae Kids — Poysian – Pratchaya Mahapauraya and Kavin Thienvutichai, have picked up inspiration from Bangkok to create ‘Love Letter to Bangkok’ illustrations, to send the ‘love letter’ to support the people of Bangkok and transform the sombre atmosphere from the lockdowns back to life again during this year’s Bangkok Design Week. Many people are familiar with the Comic Essay-style illustrations that talk about the cute relationship between the young Sundae Kids couple as they have showcased their works in various forms such as online illustration, comics, or merchandise. This is the first time these lovely illustrations are displayed on the 3rd Floor, Groove Gallery Walk exclusive space and Zone I inside centralwOrld department store, which has exhibited many international artists’ works. The Story of an Inseparable Couple in the Beloved City Scene Sundae Kids have started working in 2014 by taking inspiration from the surroundings such as books, movies, and music. ‘Love Letter to Bangkok’ is also inspired by such things as well as Bangkok city where the artists live, resulting in the illustration of the relationship of a young couple who fell in love in this city and have gone through several ups and downs, just like the relationship of people and the city. Besides the main storyline, you will get to see the city environment from an acute angle with details of happiness that many may have forgotten in the hardship of the pandemic. The artists intended to express these feelings to the people of Bangkok who came to visit and give healing and support as well. Visitors can see these stories in the Vertical Art Exhibition on full display on Floor 1-5 of centralwOrld department store.Send Positive Energy From the Heart of the City Behind the lively artworks is Central Pattana’s intention as the supporter and venue provider, because sending out positive energy and support for Thai people to get through every situation has been Central Pattana’s mission in running the business for over 40 years. Lately, the young generations in Bangkok may feel less happy due to many situations. As the heart of happiness and lifestyle destination, centralwOrld have collaborated with new generation artists to ‘Co With Mental Health’ through artworks that invite us to see happiness in little things around us. Additionally, the exhibition in the heart of the city, the global destination like centralwOrld, made art more accessible and became the Instagrammable Photo Landmark. Come and see the cute stories from Sundae Kids at Groove Gallery Walk, Floor 3 and Zone I, centralwOrld department store, today until 30 April 2022, 10.00 – 22.00
Bangkok NFT Art Festival 2022 The caravan of digital arts showing near you
The hottest trend in art and technology right now is ‘NFT art’ which is another income channel for both professional and amateur artists. For those who are still confused about these digital arts, we invited Job – Nittha Pruksacholavit, advertising director and Bangkok NFT Art Festival 2022 organiser team, to talk about NFT more before you go on to see the works from various artists in the festival.Entering NFT circle due to COVID Initially, Job only draws as a hobby, she has never thought of generating income from it. Until the pandemic halted the crew production so she turned her attention to NFT art, “While I cannot do much, I wanted to learn something new. So, I started to look into digital assets like NFT art which is the easiest to understand out of all the NFT. Each piece is unique and Blockchain technology allows us to have the right to possess these digital assets with tangible evidence which is different from the old system that can be copied and pasted. Initially, the pieces has value of its own but when the owner is traceable then its value also increases.” “In the past, an artist had to go through numerous processes to display their works for people to see. They used to have to exhibit at galleries or the works had to be screened by others before exhibiting, but with NFT art the artist can create their own identity and enter the art world without being screened by others. This has widened the art world boundaries a lot which is very good.”The start of the festival gathering The majority of NFT artists in Thailand and around the world gather on Twitter as a platform for the exchange of information and promotions. This inspired the idea for Bangkok NFT Art Festival 2022, “The initial idea started from Note Dudesweet (Pongsuang Kunprasop). He wanted to hold this festival and as we further discussed the scale of the festival has gotten larger. Many people are interested in participating. So, we gathered volunteers to help hold the showcase scattered in numerous spots for those who are in different areas want to hold the exhibition in their own spaces. The team agreed that it is fun for people to go around each spot to visit the showcase, so we chose to join Bangkok Design Week to expand NFT art awareness to the general public. We have cooperated with 5 cafés, as well as Khaosan alleyway, Ari, Tha Din Daeng, and even Ubon Ratchathani. We tried to make the festival with a similar concept to Metaverse where people do not necessarily gather at the centre, you can hold the festival anywhere you wantVarious Forms, Scattered around Bangkok In the exhibition, there will be various forms of works from artists as well as activities such as talk sessions from the NFT artists, sharing their perspectives. These Q&A sessions will be very useful for those who are interested in making NFT. Most importantly, the art in which many artists have participated in the AR (Augmented Reality) form, the artworks are accessible through devices from anywhere, the parody idea on the virtual vs the reality. The AR portion of the festival has acquired technological support from Keen Collective, a digital agency specialising in creative advertising tech. As this is the first time for the Bangkok NFT Art Festival intended for the information about NFT to become widespread, the organiser team has opened up for all the artists to exhibit their works with no limitation to their occupations and experience. “As you can see, there are many new artists whose occupation is not full-time artists, like engineers, accountants, teachers, and air hostesses sent in their works. This festival has collected all NFT arts of people from all walks of life so there will also connect the exhibiting works into a marketplace. ” An Open Chance to Learn About New Challenges in the New World “The hardest part in entering NFT art is the sign-up. For amateurs, it feels complicated but there are many tutorial videos on YouTube, once you get it done, it’s a piece of cake. The next hard part is the marketing or PR to promote the works which the festival has invited the artists to share their experience to assist. The platforms that are popular among Thai artists are OpenSea, Hic et Nunc (HEN), and Foundation, which should be chosen according to their individual preferences. Foundation is known for one-piece-only works, the Thai artist will create extravagant works worth the purchase, to put up the work there is a gas fee per piece. For OpenSea, this gas fee is one-off so it is perfect for putting up a collection of works.”“For those who are tired of hearing about these new things, I wanted to say I was the same as well but I tried to open up and gradually learn about it. This new world is coming, it is good for us to know because it will not stop at the art world. Technology is expanding and NFT art is just a start, there are going to be new possibilities that can be developed with our creativity.” Let’s update the NFT art trend in Thailand and explore the fun new technology that creates endless possibilities at Bangkok NFT Art Festival, this 5-13 February at various spots in Bangkok with the main exhibition area in Charoenkrung – Talad Noi with Bangkok Design Week 2022. Bangkok NFT Art FestivalFacebook : facebook.com/TheNFTBKK
CEA x TAT : Invites You to Listen to the Sound of "Charoenkrung."
Looking back over the last two years since the COVID-19 outbreak began, it is obvious that ‘musicians’ have been one of the most affected professions due to the cancellation of all social events and live performances, their main source of income like restaurants and bars have to close down. This led to the Creative Economy Agency (CEA) initiating the “CEA VACCINE” project to help these creative professions as well as others who were affected by the pandemic. “Sound of Charoenkrung” is an extension project that aims to help drive the music industry by providing a platform for musicians to present their work both online and onsite.City Inspired Music This fun project started by recruiting singers, songwriters, and musicians to brainstorm ideas under the theme that reflects the inspiration from the city, architecture, culture, or anything, with no limitations. The first district chosen is “Charoenkrung”, Bangkok’s original creative district, surrounded by historical landmarks that are rich with histories and stories such as 22 July Roundabout, Grand Postal Building, Prince Theatre, Sampheng, Sieng Kong environment in Talad Noi, Chinatown, Song Wat road, Nana alleyway, and many more. The project’s 25 artists have expressed the stories of these places through a variety of songs; songs that will make you smile with nostalgia, songs that help you learn about the city on a deeper level, and songs that open up the imagination that makes you want to visit the lively district.From Sound to Light, the New Sightseeing Route After the music about the district has been completed, the next step in the project is to connect the people to the district through music. The sound of music alone may only attract a handful of people, so the 25 pieces of music are interpreted to create lighting installation as well, by the team of experiential and lighting professional designers Live4Viva. The installations are exhibited in the area of Charoenkrung district, becoming a new sightseeing route that stimulates liveliness and revives the district economy as well. Those who are interested to hear ‘The Sound of Charoenkrung’ and seeing the interactive lighting installation can visit these 4 spots. 1. The Pulse: on the wall of the Holy Rosary ChurchThe light and sound represent the lively pulses of life in the Holy Rosary Church community and at the same time the calm and collectedness. As the Holy Rosary Church is the pillar of the community, the incorporation of the sound of church bells, singing, motorcycles, and people commute reflected its role within the community very well. 2. The Bulletin: front of Xīn Zhōng Yuán Printing House The combination of traditional and digital media in the design represents today’s social environment. There is the Old in the New, similarly this piece at the Printing House, behind the display of tradition there is technology underneath the pile of newspapers. The keeping up to the news nature is presented by the display of digital news hot into print to the Chinese speaking community. 3. Floating Lanterns : Talad Noi Community Museum at Bhanurangsri PierThe floating up and down lanterns are inspired by the red Chinese lanterns decorated at homes and businesses, taking its moving rhythm to give out blessings and wishes. 4. The Gateway: Si Phraya Express Boat PierThe light design through the use of reflecting lights used on water commute for boats around Chao Praya river, the convenient connections that led to a successful and bustling place of business exchanges and culture. By exhibiting the modern movement of light and colours to celebrate the area’s history and open up doors to exchanges with the outside since pre-modern time. ——Listen to all the songs of the Sound of Charoenkrung playlist at shorturl.at/luDIKCreative Sightseeing Connects the CommunityFrom CEA initiation to the development by musicians and into a new sightseeing route through light art installation from Live4Viva, another resource that cannot be forgotten is the support of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). To create “Creative Sightseeing” that other than impressive experience, connections and knowledge about the local area has been established through local art, cultural heritage, and each area’s uniqueness as well as its people, who are the host and part of the creative and bustling area. Enjoy the music that expresses stories of the district while appreciating the interactive lighting installation with the songs from the Sound of Charoenkrung on 5-13 February 2022 at 18.00-22.00
Create a Strong Society in an AP Style From Little Things Like “sit together”
When was the last time you felt relaxed and safe sitting in public? It has been more than two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, which has changed us in many ways, one of which is our social lifestyle. — We’ve grown accustomed to seeing plastic dividers in restaurants, instructions on the floor to keep people distant, and no-sitting signs on benches. On the surface, the distant physical engagement may not be a big deal but when we look closer, the two-metres social distance has created a “mental distance” in us, affecting us both mentally and physically. The limited social interactions are the beginning of feeling isolated, followed by numerous mental issues. This issue has become the starting point for AP Thailand to find a way to rebuild human relationships, resulting in the “SIT/VID/ME” showcase. The spatial design creates a modern form of interactions in the current pandemic environment and as one of the festival highlights this year.Society Starts With InteractionsThe idea behind SIT/VID/ME is an expansion from AP Thailand “EMPOWER LIVING” project that aims to create innovative living and fulfil everyone’s living goals. For AP, people’s relationship in a small social group called ‘Home’ is not at all less important than the house construction quality. This year, AP is driven to create a meaningful society to happily live together or “COMMUNITY OF THE FUTURE”.Come “SIT/VID/ME” The red canopy structures standing on the Grand Postal Building square, catching the eye of the passerby on Charoenkrung road. When you have a closer look at the canopy, you will find intriguing structures and materials that have been carefully thought out by the globally known-design studio who has been creating AP pavilions in Bangkok Design Week for 3 years, Supermachine Studio. The uniqueness of SIT/VID/ME is not just its outer appearance, but also the experience inside as well. The interior of the pavilion is designed to be a community space where people can relax, take photos, and check in with the ability to choose to keep their distance and interact with others. AP’s “COMMUNITY OF THE FUTURE” concept is presented through these experiences. Additionally, throughout the festival period, numerous special activities will be held and creative souvenirs will be handed out to those who came to visit as well.Good Life Due to Good DesignAP Thailand has consecutively been the main supporter of Bangkok Design Week (BKKDW). The shared value of “Community” AP and BKKDW have brought everyone together and become a space for a new generation of people to exchange and co-operate the variety of creativity together.BKKDW’s mission to support and drive creative design activities aligns with AP’s home design’s key concept of ‘Design Thinking”. The idea is not only to design for beauty but also to empathise with the inhabitants to create a more desirable living just the way they wanted.Experience the new way of interactions and a unique presentation of AP’s concept at SIT/VID/ME at Grand Postal Building square, Charoenkrung road, 5-13 February 2022 at 11.00-22.00