LOOKING BACK AT CHIANG MAI DESIGN WEEK 2023, THE END-OF-THE-YEAR FESTIVAL FOR THE CHIANG MAI AND NORTHERN DESIGN COMMUNITY WITH TCDC IN CHANG MOI AS THE MAIN VENUE

TEXT: MONTHON PAOAROON
PHOTO: MONTHON PAOAROON EXCEPT AS NOTED

(For Thai, press here)

December has come, and Chiang Mai has entered its high season. The number of tourists visiting the northern mountainous town this year has visibly increased compared to last year. It’s presumably because it has been a while since the peak of the pandemic, and there seems to be a surge of excitement from event organizers as we enter the post-COVID era. Many private and public organizations have been launching events as we approach the end of the year, taking advantage of Thailand’s rare winter season. The current weather is warmer than before, which may disappoint those who visit the region hoping to enjoy the cold. However, for the design community, the end of the year is a particularly exciting time because of Chiang Mai Design Week (CMDW). This major annual design event has served as a prominent platform and driving force for creative professionals in Thailand’s northern region.

This year, CMDW offered a wide range of exhibitions, open houses, and studio visits, providing people with the opportunity to explore creative spaces that are not typically accessible to the public. There were numerous workshops, performances, and activities available for festival-goers to take part in. There were art and design collectives, groups, and organizations that are CMDW’s allies who set up their own events alongside the festival in various venues located throughout Chiang Mai’s city center and surrounding areas. This year’s CMDW lasted for a period of nine days, from December 2nd to December 10th. Here are some highlights that we have chosen for you.

Chang Moi – Tha Pae

The 2023 Chiang Mai Design Week (CMDW) relocated its main exhibition venue from Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Centre, which has been the primary  location for many years, to Chang Moi neighborhood near Thailand Creative & Design Center (TCDC). This decision meant that the opening ceremony and other activities would instead take place in this particular area. While many people felt that the new space seemed smaller, after an actual walkthrough, I found that the quality of the exhibitions was still top-notch, while the curatorial program made the best use of the buildings, corners, and alleyways within the neighborhood. TCDC’s featured exhibition, ‘Everyday Contem,’ explored the Japanese Mingei philosophy, which celebrates the beauty of craft found in everyday objects. The exhibition consisted of works by Thai designers and senior local artisans that were specifically created for this year’s CMDW in collaboration with the global Japanese brand, MUJI.

A variety of pop-up restaurants were set up in front of the TCDC building, presenting dishes inspired by the theme of ‘Sweet and Sour from the Mountain’. Si-ma, a sour-tasting plant commonly used in the cuisines of the Pakakayor and Akha tribes, along with wild honey, were used as the key components to create the perfect balance of sour and sweet flavors for the dishes. The aim was to encourage local eateries to try using more locally sourced ingredients. The food vendors were not only well-prepared but also eager to share the story behind each dish. As I strolled past the pop-up booths, I came across an area showcasing distinguished  product design projects by students from the Challenge the Talent program.

From the TCDC building, I walked  through the charming Chang Moi neighborhood and came across lighting and projection mapping installations that adorned various structures and alleyways in the area. The walk eventually led me to the Mattana building. As one of the festival’s designated venues, the place was packed with exhibitions and activities. On the second floor, the exhibition ‘Persona of Things’ by Coth Studio focused on the idea of ‘mending.’ It looked into the creative potential that arises through the process where ordinary objects are being ‘mended’  as new meanings and aspects emerge.

On the third story, ‘Upper Floor,’ an exhibition by Cloudfloor invited viewers to engage in curated activities and encouraged them to question and propose their own ideas about the unused spaces in Chang Moi. The ‘Rooftop Public Floor’ served as an experimental space for the project, displaying the transformation of the rooftop of the Mattana building into a public space. Throughout the design week, the highest floor of the Mattana  building hosted a variety of activities, from stargazing to a market and a public theater for live performances.

The Len Yai Performance Arts, which had  Chaiwat Lochotinan and Apichai Tienvilairat as the show’s director and producer, respectively, has to be the year’s greatest project. Throughout the nine days of design week, the exhibition was held in various sites in the Chang Moi district, such as a shophouse, on a sidewalk, on a building’s rooftop, or within the area’s famed craft shop known for its weaving products. One of the performances, titled ‘Introvert,’ portrayed the story of each performer on the terraces on the second and third floors of a shophouse on Ratchawong Road. People stood across the street, watching the one-hour-long performance during nighttime traffic, with daily commuters in their cars or on motorcycles as their companions.

Chiang Mai Old Town

We walked back to the blocks around the city’s famous ancient moats. The spaces in this particular zone mostly housed projects from this year’s CMDW’s allies, with an array of artists that was just as exciting as last year’s. Among them was Suwan Kongkhunthian, master furniture designer of the Yothaka brand. His exhibition, titled ‘Colours Live,’ took place at Kalm Village and included a fascinating dialogue on design surrounding the ‘dressing up of chairs,’ presenting craft products with the distinctive use of colors and fun, challenging, and contemporary design.

Meanwhile, the Young Architect Conference 2023 (YAC) was hosted at Prince Burirat’s residence,  now the Lanna Architecture Center, located at one of the corners of Klang Vieng Intersection. The quadrennial exhibition highlighted works by emerging Thai and Japanese architects. It was previously held in the Kyoto Museum in Kyoto, Japan, before traveling to Thailand during CMDW and making its next visit in Bangkok earlier next year. The exhibition ‘Illumination’ took place at Chiang Mai City Arts and Cultural Center as part of Thailand-Korea Ceramic Friendship 2023, a collaborative project aimed at fostering the making of ceramic arts between the Korea Ceramic Arts Association, Chiang Mai Clayative, and Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna. The exhibition showcased ceramic items that were specifically conceived and created to interact with light. Last but not least was the ‘Lam Chang International Film Festival,’ the outdoor screening that took place on the main activity grounds of Lam Chang Temple.

Suburbs of Chiang Mai: Hang Dong / Sankampang

From the city center, we drove to Hang Dong, a suburb to the south of Chiang Mai, where the Mango Art Festival took place for the second year in a row. Themed ‘Treasure Discovered,’ the festival welcomed an impressive number of artists who showcased their artistic creations where their contemporary perspectives and antiquities collided. The site was a stunning spectacle of a vast field with innumerable rice barns acting as a unique backdrop for the artworks, while the De Siam antique warehouse served as another exhibition venue.

The MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in the Sankampang area put together the exhibition ‘Unveiling Artifacts,’ which revealed artists’ perspectives through privately owned art artifacts in an effort to stimulate spectators to be more curious about other  possible definitions of art and design. Charmlearn, a group of Chiang Mai-based ceramic artisans and friends who gather once a year to launch a pop-up shop and activities in the studio’s garden, organized a studio visit event not far away.

This is only a portion of my coverage of this year’s CMDW. As a Chiang Mai resident who has been a keen follower and goer of the festival over the years, what has impressed me the most is still the sight of people of all ages and genders participating and enjoying the events. It’s also that wonderful feeling of being able to see the locals and their ways of life becoming integral parts of the activities held in different neighborhoods and at various venues throughout the city. This year’s festival also welcomed more foreign viewers and creators, enabling the  learning and sharing of new knowledge and wisdom on a local and international scale. Finally, it is an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with makers and creators, from designers, master artisans, and builders to students and young people after a year of hard work. And Chiang Mai Design Week is still as creative, inspiring, and wonderful as ever.

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