Design Plant: Better City, 2023

24 Ideas for Better Bangkok
 
The sidewalk is riddled with holes...water splashes when foot passengers walk by.... droplets of water from nowhere, was it the sky?...planters along the footpath almost tripping you over when you try to dodge a motorcycle speeding behind you... these are everyday things we all experience as Bangkokian. Like playing a game of Mario, collecting mushrooms while focusing at all times, without knowing when to jump or when you'd miss and fall into the hole.
 
These 'normalities' turned into jokes that can be enjoyed in conversations. Often, it ends with either resentment for the conditions or acceptance of this dark comedy that repeats to no end for all that live in this capital. Often these stories are seen as a peculiar charm for outsiders, something which makes the city-thus, becoming the identity of the capital by default. But for Bangkokians like us, these stories raise doubts and questions about good urban management at the macro level, Probably...because we all have a sense of belonging to the space and want to see some change without just telling ourselves that "It's just like that."
 
This exhibition of the Design Plant group started with a simple question, "As a designer, how can you help make this city better?". We invited all designers to look around our home, neighborhood, and city once again to raise issues that they, themselves, face daily. The exhibition is a space to express their opinions on tackling these everyday problems and creating a better Bangkok, not only as a designer but as a Bangkokian through design solutions.