The Last Dweller
Updated: Apr 22, 2022
Project Title: The Last Dweller
Condition: Built
Date: 02/2020
/ The Last Dweller was a body of corrugated galvanized iron themed multimedia experiential space exhibited at the back alley of Soi Charoen Krung 22, Talat Noi during the event Bangkok Design Week 2020.
The truth is that nothing lasts forever.
On a cold and windy night, the sky was pitch black with an absence of stars, the villagers walking through the alley would come across a dark open field at the end of Soi Charoen Krung 22.
The individual noticed a silhouette, so he turned his head to face the void. Standing in the middle was a figure of the past. It called to whoever strides pass its territory.
However, not with an intention to evict the guest, but with the disenchanting purpose of invitations
This blank area once nestled an ordinary old-style wooden Thai house that became obsolete and inhospitable through the changing of time. The installation aimed to embrace the element of subtlety in architecture to provoke awareness toward our habitable environments and constructed space.
The house is the last member of your family.
What comes after death?
Compare the structure of a human to the body of architecture. When a person passes away, the heart stops beating, organs perish, and flesh decays. What's leftover are skeletons and bones, taking slower to decompose than other organic material and tissue.
Portrait of Charoenkrung, Bangkok
Photo by Tipaphon Puangmaha
What comes after a demolition?
Metaphorically, when a former ill-maintained Thai house collapsed or was demolished, the organic construction material such as the biodegradable wooden tissue got broken down and withered away. What remained were those synthetic constructions such as the galvanized iron steel plates, which were utilized extensively in an old district period used for partition and roofing.
The materials utilized were what remains of fallen architecture. They were scraps that hardly decompose naturally and clinging onto this land for a much longer period.
It symbolizes the wandering spirit of a house that still roams and clings to this land.
The installation consisted of partitions that were formed into five smaller subspaces or half-circular rooms. Each chrome, during daytime, reflected off pieces of the environment that it was engulfing and occupying to represent the spirit of the house that was senselessly trying to find occupants and perform its function that was no longer needed.
All that remain is what nature has left for us
A piece of land. Grass and dirt.
The lost soul is straying. It's trying to form into a room and become a dwelling by establishing itself in various positions.
During the nighttime, each unit lost the ability to reflect due to the absence of natural light. However, space would start to illuminate, and the reflection revealed the invisible bodies wandering in the center. It symbolized an unnatural phenomenon that we couldn't see with bare eyes but only through the nocturnal illumination on the galvanized iron sheets where it could be perceived. /
Sound reflection angle
As the moon became still, the absence of ambient noise from the unobtrusive environment became even more prominent.
The original formation held the secret of sound reflection characteristics. If someone was standing inside one of the units and emitted a voice, the other person who was standing across would perceive the resonance as if someone was whispering from behind.
Combine with the drifting lights, aimlessly searching for a sign of life. The purpose was to invite visitors to inspect the atmosphere in each room to experience architecture from the 4th dimension and become a guest 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/