We decided to make a festival of shadow puppet shows which originated in Thailand and is now leading to extinction. We hoped to attract young people to this art, so we decided to integrate the traditional shadow puppet with contemporary art and digital exhibition methods.
As we need to challenge a design that reflects local identity and cooperation of community around the area, we decided to make a project where one community could help another society and that could respond to future utilization.
• The site is on Sukhumvit Road in Phra Khanong district in South Sukhumvit, Bangkok.
• It is inside the site area of Cloud 11 which is a new project of MQDC and a part of the Bangkok Cybertech Innovation District.
Among the given sites, the site next to Cloud 11 has potential for our targeted project as the site is in a part of Bangkok’s Cybertech Innovation district. Currently, the existing condition of the site is the ongoing construction which is expected to be finished in 2026. Our proposed site has a canal and a 26-story building (ongoing construction) on each side. Moreover, there are two residential high-rise buildings found next to the canal. Thus, after the construction is done, the proposed site area would have a valley-like effect between these massive buildings. .
Overpass Bridge at the front of the site
Direct pedestrian access from the skywalk to the site
If we look at the urban textures, we can mostly see residential and commercial areas around the proposed site. The important thing we consider here is the project next to our proposed site. Cloud 11 is a large mix-use project by MQDC. We have learned that it is likely to be an expansion or the third phase of True Digital Park. We found that they focus on integrating innovative organizations. Therefore, it is expected that new and creative innovations can be found at Cloud 11 after the construction is done. We believe innovative people coming to this would be able to help another community to relive again.
Residential Areas
Commercial Areas
Site Area
As seen in the photo, the site is surrounded by tall buildings, which makes it similar to the valley's nature. Therefore, we decided to name our festival Shadows Valley.
-Contemporary
-Contemporary
Performance Spaces
-Traditional Shadow Puppet Show
Food & Recreation
-Food Stalls
-Resting areas
The purpose of our festival is to show how something from the past can be evolved into something new in the present or future with the use of technology. In this festival, we will be focusing on shadow puppet performances which will be presented in three ways.
In order to introduce our programs effectively to the audience, we arrange our exhibition and performance spaces using the concept of a portal when you walk into the portal, you are transitioned from the present to the past and vice versa.
So, we separate our exhibition spaces into three different themes.
Present Space: the digital performance of a contemporary shadow puppet using a projector and screen
Transition Space: the digital performance of traditional shadow puppet using a projector and screen
*For the digital performances, we use a big screen with a height of 8m in order to give the sense of being in the portal or being together with the shadow.
Past Space: the performance of a traditional shadow puppet show (Nang Talung)
Yellow and Orange areas in the photo is the long horizontal tube representing the Portal. Inside the tube, there are performances that reflect the present and transition. After passing through the portal, you will arrive at the area that represents the past which is the recreation area and the traditional performance theatre.
Since the walkway in the tube is elevated, people can use both the elevated circulation and the ground path. And in that way, we form the Loop circulation in the site. There is more than one way to enter the event area. So, we can’t control where people should enter. That’s why we are using Loop circulation not to disturb the storyline of the program, a portal, from present to past and vice versa.
The problem with our site is that it’s too long to walk till the end. So, we need to make the Magnet that makes people want to walk more. Based on the human scale and perspective, as shown in the photo, even though you are walking on the elevated walkway, you can see both the upcoming show’s screen and the theatre on the ground which is located quite far from there at the same time. It makes people want to reach those areas where they see because of curiosity. That’s why we are providing the focal point to create the magnet effect.
In this area, we are using the opposite wall of the canal to cast the shadow of our event name, Shadows Valley. We place the name block on the canal’s rail. When there is no daylight, we give the spotlight to the block from behind and a shadow appears. This area can be one of the highlights of the event.
After going down the ramp, the audience can experience the shadow of leaf-less trees which are the sculptures in the recreation area. It makes to reflect and reminds people that the shadow puppet is almost leading to extinction just like how the leafless trees are.
The biggest leafless tree sculpture is behind the theatre. The theatre is right in front of the outdoor steps of the existing building. So, some people can enjoy the traditional Shadow Puppet performance in the theatre, and some can use the outdoor steps as a resting place, sitting on them. The interesting thing about this place is people from the outside can see the shadow movements of the people inside since we use fabric as the wall in the theatre. These all are the design and concepts we develop and how the audiences would experience them.
