The Last Dweller

Project Title: The Last Dweller

Condition: Built

Date: 02/2020

The Last Dweller was a multimedia experiential installation put together from corrugated galvanized iron, staged in the back alley of Soi Charoen Krung 22, Talat Noi, as part of Bangkok Design Week 2020.

The truth is that nothing lasts forever.

On a cold, windy night, beneath a pitch-black sky void of stars, villagers walking through the alley found themselves at the edge of a dark, open field at the end of Soi Charoen Krung 22.

One individual caught sight of a silhouette and turned toward the emptiness. Standing alone in the center was a figure from the past, a figure whose presence seemed to call out to anyone striding past its territory.

However, it was not with the intent to evict the visitors, but rather with an enchanting invitation.

This vacant plot of land once held a humble, old-style wooden Thai house; now rendered obsolete and inhospitable by the passage of time. The installation aims to embrace the element of subtlety in architecture, inviting self reflection, to provoke awareness toward our habitable environments and the spaces we construct.

The house is the last member of your family.

What comes after death?

Just as the human body is composed of flesh, organs, and a skeletal framework, architecture too has its own living and structural elements. When a person passes away, the heart ceases to beat, organs wither, and flesh gradually decays. What remains are the skeleton and bones, rigid structures that endure far longer than soft tissues, slowly surrendering to time.

Portrait of Charoenkrung, Bangkok

Photo by Tipaphon Puangmaha

What comes after a demolition?

Metaphorically, when a neglected old Thai house collapses or is demolished, its organic materials: like the wooden beams and planks, break down and wither away, much like decaying flesh. What lingers longer are the synthetic remnants, such as the galvanized iron sheets, which were commonly used in older districts for partitions and roofing, even more prominent among a struggling community.

These materials, unlike the biodegradable timber, resist decay and cling stubbornly to the land, serving as the enduring skeletons of fallen architecture. They are the silent witnesses that neither die nor fade away.

It symbolizes the wandering spirit of a house that still roams and clings to this land.

The installation consisted of partitions shaped into five smaller subspaces, half-circular rooms. During the daytime, each chrome surface reflected fragments of the surrounding environment it engulfed and occupied, embodying the restless spirit of a house senselessly seeking occupants and yearning to perform a function that no longer exists.

All that remains is what nature left us

A piece of land. Grass and dirt.

The lost soul is straying, trying to take shape as a room, striving to become a dwelling by settling in various positions.

At night, each unit loses its reflective power without natural light. However, the space begins to glow, revealing faint reflections of invisible bodies wandering at the center. This symbolizes an uncanny presence, an unnatural phenomenon perceptible only through the nocturnal illumination cast upon the galvanized iron sheets.

Sound reflection angle

As the moon hung motionless, the ambient silence of the unobtrusive environment became increasingly pronounced. The original spatial configuration revealed an intentional use of acoustic reflection properties: a voice emitted within one partition would resonate, allowing a listener positioned across the installation to perceive it as an ethereal whisper originating from behind.

This interplay of drifting illumination and subtle soundscapes evokes a supernatural presence; an invitation for visitors to explore the atmospheric qualities of each chamber. The installation transcends conventional spatial experience, engaging occupants in a phenomenological encounter with architecture as a fourth-dimensional entity, becoming ephemeral guests of the “last dweller.”

Credits:

Lighting support by Yimsamer & photonbkk

Construction support by Permporn Peetapa

Yimsamer is a design team that mainly focuses on producing multimedia and entertainment products. The team has specifically explored and engages technology into each designs creating varieties of work including interactive installation arts, stage design, experiences design, lighting design, and visual effects. Check out their inspiring productions at https://www.yimsamer.com/