“Melting Reality” Exhibition for the Bangkok Design Week 2023

Thai creators list:

• Rukkit : Beast Crew
• Kaiju Smuggler : Can we be friends?
• 27 June Studio : Floating Green
• TAM:DA : มังกรตลาดน้อย
• Chakrapan Suwanphanich : Tem & Pippo’s TukTuk Ride
• Thaipface : Thai Type in Motion: Get Low, Bedazzled, Hey Taxi!
• Hear & Found : Door to Nature
• Benjarat Aiemrat : The MYST Sweet Bar
• GearWalker : trafficJam

International creators list:

• Sid and Geri : Party without me
• Goodboixian : GAZE
• Chi Po-Hao : Collage of hybridity
• Kidd Tai : Blow Dream
• Wu, Kuan Ying : Clap Clap
• Taipei is a giraffe : Lollisonic AR : Tutu is ver hungry.
• Claire Wang : Inner-verse project
• Sydney Wang & Antony Chiu : Mindfulness -meOWOditation with your cat
• Jasmine Ow & Lisan Hsiao(Waves from island) : Your body is an ocean
• Kyle Li : Sherlock Holmes & The Dimensional Pipe
• JACKSON kaki : Hogushi Water

by Rukkit

Rukkit is a highly creative graphic designer and street art artist renowned for their unique animal-themed structures and characters. In “Beast Crew,” created in partnership with Kaiju Smuggler and FabCafe Bangkok, Rukkit introduces a gang of monsters featuring symbols of fortune. The first member, Bullie, symbolizes prosperity and good fortune in the financial realm, echoing the concept of a bull market. The project succeeded in engaging visitors, encouraging them to participate actively rather than passively observe, offering options for interactive design in a virtual world.

by Kaiju Smuggler

Kaiju Smuggler, a collaborative effort by two 3D designers, is dedicated to modernizing Thai beliefs for the younger generation. “Can we be friends?” brings Tai Nham (Sawreal Rabbit) designed by 3puck (Tripuck Supawattana) into the world of Art Toys in collaboration with the FabCafe Bangkok team. The result is an augmented reality (AR) game where players engage with monsters amid skyscrapers. Their ultimate vision is to expand this concept throughout Bangkok to foster community interaction and boost the local economy.

by 27 JUNE STUDIO

27 JUNE Studio, led by the creative Pawimol Samsen and tech enthusiast Chayanon Tocharoen, is a design studio in Bangkok that seamlessly merges technology and design to craft immersive experiences. Their project, “FLOATING GREEN,” empowers the audience to co-create a verdant space by selecting trees, flowers, and elements, naming their garden, and sharing it. These sky gardens come together in a collaborative cityscape, emphasizing that each individual is a vital part of the collective city.

by TAM:DA

TAM:DA repurposes all sorts of objects into almost anything, from endearing toys to everyday utensils. His project, “Mangkorn (Dragon) Talat Noi” represents the ancient Talat Noi community, primarily inhabited by Thai individuals of Chinese descent. The dragon’s body, constructed from ordinary objects, embodies the community’s vibrant way of life. The dragon highlights that accessible and understandable AR interactions, whether for entertainment or utility, are bound to spread if beneficial for the city.

by Chakrapan Suwanphanich

Chakrapan Suwanphanich is an art director and graphic designer with a rich portfolio of work for prominent brands, both in Thailand and internationally. In his project, “Tem & Pippo’s TukTuk Ride,” he utilizes an array of virtual artwork to address contemporary issues, evoke a sense of self-love, support urban planning, and foster an appreciation for history in the Charoen Krung district. This endeavor is driven by a desire to make technology accessible and human-centered, particularly in educational and exploratory contexts.

by THAIPFACE

THAIPFACE is a digital drawing book celebrating Thai characters through innovative design, featuring experimental Thai fonts, reinterpretations of traditional characters, and animated words. Their “Thai Type in Motion” project merges digital and physical elements for an interactive experience. They aim to expand the concept of “Thainess”, highlighting the “Sai Yor” dance subculture and promoting physical activity, while foreseeing increased use of AR technology in education and beyond.

by Hear & Found

The Hear & Found team serve as sound collectors, storytellers, and designers to convey Thailand’s cultural diversity to a wider audience. Their project, “Door to Nature,” aimed to bring the sounds of remote areas to everyone, specifically the Pow Karen ethnic group, through a digital format, allowing people to immerse themselves in the community’s atmosphere. By utilizing AR technology, they created a bridge between urban and natural areas, fostering an appreciation for nature and remote communities.

by Benjarat Aiemrat

Freelance graphic designer, artist, and special lecturer, Benjarat Aiemrat employs experimental methods to create identity-rich projects. The “MYST Sweet Bar” fuses technology and cuisine to narrate Bangkok’s story using AR, transforming food into a tangible memory of the past and highlighting the role of the river in uniting diverse people and reflecting cultural influences. In this project, AR technology becomes a potential tool to enhance value for local restaurants, including connections to well-being through medically-informed recipes.

by GearWalker

Tanapon Kitmuti, or T.K. GearWalker, an independent creative technologist and visiting professor, imparts knowledge in games development, robots, VR/AR/XR, and AI at various universities. His project, “trafficJam,” allows players to create music with their fingertips with the aim of easing road-related stress. It serves as a musical response to the chaos and unpredictability of city traffic, offering a rhythmic experience with references to our road networks, and transforming transportation constraints into musical freedom.