"It's best to just do your best to please yourself and your local community and solve problems in the present," said Chatpong Chuenrudeemol, a Thai architect, who was participating in the first Guangzhou Design Triennial in Guangzhou. "I think for me, that's the definition of 'The Warm-beings.'"
The opening ceremony of the Guangzhou Design Triennial 2024 with the theme "The Warm-beings" was held at the Guangdong Museum of Art (GDMoA) in Guangzhou on January 17. Nearly 100 designers and artists from 27 countries and regions participated in the theme exhibition, showcasing their design works with "warmth" from different cultural backgrounds.
Chatpong and his studio CHAT Architects participated in the theme exhibition of the Triennial with his project "Bangkok Bastard (曼谷杂筑)", displaying homegrown architectural concoctions created by everyday people to solve problems in daily life, such as a local street vendor cart, shophouses, and a makeshift sidewalk bench. Through the research, Chatpong and his team drew inspiration to create new and authentic designs based on those local buildings.
"I want people to understand that when I study 'bastard architecture', they are buildings or architecture that people overlook," he explained. "but they also contain really interesting and unique design qualities."
During this journey in Guangzhou, Chatpong also discovered and photographed some interesting local buildings in this city while taking a walk around the hotel.
"You can find a corner that has real, truthful architecture anywhere you go," he said, "So students, young people can actually do it themselves. I think that's the most important lesson for me. I didn't come here to show my work. I want to come here and show an alternative to young designers in Guangzhou that there is a new source of inspiration that's outside their door."
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Reporter | Holly
Video | Qing Shaolong
Editor | Olivia, Nan, Monica, James
