Monday, October 5, 2009

Brainstorms for the future

       Fancy footwear, a modern-art gallery fashioned out of old containers and a coffee table made from abandoned wood are just some of the highlights of the Bangkok Design Festival '09 that runs at various venues throughout the city from Thursday to October 21.
       Part of an ambition to turn the Kingdom into Asia's design hub, the third edition of the festival is bigger and better than before, with more than 1,000 Thai designers showcasing their talents alongside 40 foreigns projects.
       "The city will be enhanced by a range of projects that are being exclusively initiated for this event under the concept 'Balancing the Future'," says festival director Prathan Theerathada. "They all convey a sense of innovation, creativity and sustainability."
       Prathan, who's also the editor of art4d magazine, launched the festival three years ago as private initiative. This year the government is providing support.
       "The Bangkok Design Festival will lead Thailand into the new econolmic era throught its creative ideas and innovation, in accordance with government policy," says Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Pollabutr.
       "We need the inventive minds of Thailand's designers to stimulate and develop our economy under the umbrella of the 'Creative Thailand's designers to stimulate and develop our economy under the umbrella of the 'Creative Thailand' project.
       "Our aim is to make Thailand the hub of creative industry in Asean and to enhance the economic value of creative industry from 12 to 20 per cent of Gross National Product by 2012," he adds.
       the festival features everything from outdoor interactive installation art to a poster exhibition, film screenings to DIY workshops, and designers' talks to shopping.
       It kicks off at the Victory Monument, Bangkok's so-called "Kilometre Zero". Passers-by are invited to participate in "Creative City Km.0", created by Briton Maria Stukoff and Thai graphic designers Apostrophy.
       The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre is hosting various exhibitions, among them "Abundant Australia", a display of 160 innovatuve structural models fresh fro the Venice Architecture Bienniale.
       Meanwhile B Muse, a group of young Thai curators and artists, shows how much fun you can have visiting a museum in the exhibition "What is your Dream Museum?"
       "Do It Together by Knotting Else" sees 10 leading interior-design companies use recycle materials in environmentally friendly designs.
       Award-winning designer Anon Pairot blurs the boundaries between his furniture and sculpture in "A Part."
       Last but not least, is Designer's Saturday. Mark Holmes, a founding partner in one of the UK's greatest manufacturing successes of the decade, Established & Sons and Douglas Young, the founder and chief executive of Hong Kong's innovative retailer GOD/Goods of Desire will talk on October 10.
       Over at Siam Paragon'a Pare Paragon, Thai talen is on show in an ultra-modern art gallery made of five containers decorated with a dozen balloon trees.
       Supported by M150, Japanese architect Onishi Takaya - who teaches at King Mongkut University of Technology - designed the gallery to host "Degree Show'09", featuring fashion, jewellery, animation and graphic and interior design by the year's top design students.
       At the Hall of Mirrors, the "DEmark" exhibition shows a selection of design works by Thai entre-preneurs and designers taking part in DEmark (Design Excellence Award) 2009, or ganised by the government's Department of Export Promotion.
       Decor Mart converts its showroom into an art gallery featuring high-end German brand Hangsgrohe, with designs by Philippe Stark, Jaen-Mari Massuad, Antonio Citterio and Patricia Urguiola.
       Thai brand Furniture House by Plato displays its futuristic home decor inspired by origami, and designer Krit Sangvivhien has the "Thainess" exhibition, focusing on traditional local craftsmanship, recycled materias and modern designs.
       Architect firm G49 celebrates its 20th anniversay with "Twenty-Twenty", a showcase of 20 innovative project by both Thai and foreign architects inside 20 boxes.
       Meantime Tiga invites 100 designers to take part in its exhibition, "Kiew-koy 100 Designs."
       At Siam Centre you can see Thai proverbs interpreted as shoes at "Shoes'cream by Gold City", an exhibition by design students from Silpakorn, king Mongkut and Srinakarinwirote universities.
       Siam Discovery hosts "Illustration Poster" by Takashi Akiyama, the econo-peoject "Rebuild/Refresh by SCG featuring DesignLab, and the photo exhibition "I Am a Thai Graphic Designer."
       The shopping centre is also playing host to workshops, the "Young Creative Entrepreneur" exhibition and to a minimart that's selling products priced between Bt9 and Bt999.
       The Thaoland Creative and Design Centre at the Emporium is hosting a series of talks, among them "The Dimension of the Plan - Communication Design Germnay," focusing on corporate design, digital media, typography and signage systems.
       Following the successful screening of Gary Hustwit's "Helvetica" at the first festival, this year Pratha is bringing his new documentary, "Objectitied", which portrays the stories behind the work od elite product designers from around the world. The film screens at SF CentralWorld on October 15.
       Shoppers should not miss the "BIG+BIH" fairs at Challenger Hall in Muang Thong Thani from October 13 to 18, hosted by the Office of Product Value Development.

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