Degree Shows 2024: Collection of works by winners of Degree Shows 2024

TAKE A LOOK AT 7 AWARD-WINNING WORKS FROM EACH CATEGORY AT THE DEGREE SHOWS 2024

TEXT: NATHATAI TANGCHADAKORN
PHOTO: KETSIREE WONGWAN

(For English, press here)

March 1, 2025 – The much-awaited return of Degree Shows is finally here, once again providing a platform for emerging design talents from diverse disciplines and institutions who have graduated over the past year. After a brief hiatus, submissions poured in from across the country, spanning seven design fields. Each entry underwent a rigorous selection process, evaluated by seasoned design professionals, culminating in the announcement of the Best of winners in each category: Architecture Design, Interior Design, Product Design, Graphic Design, Animation & Motion Design, Fashion Design, and Jewelry Design. Below are the details of this year’s winning projects:

Architecture Design
The Multiply – Nattapat Tongman
King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang

The Multiply addresses the urgent issue of violence against children—physical, psychological, and systemic—which often leads to the exploitation of migrant children as laborers in Thailand. In response, Nattapat proposes a social empowerment initiative designed to foster meaningful interactions between these children and their families within a structured, supportive framework. At the core of the project is a flexible, mobile architecture, envisioned as both a spatial intervention and a platform for engagement. The project explores how architecture can confront social issues while acknowledging its limitations and potential contributions in addressing such challenges.

Interior Design
Bang Pho Community Learning and Timber Design Center – Jirayu Jantason
Chulalongkorn University

The Bang Pho Community Learning and Timber Design Center is an ambitious adaptive reuse project that reimagines a collection of former storage buildings along Pracha Naruemit Road in Bang Pho, a neighborhood long celebrated for its rich woodworking heritage. The project seeks to revitalize and contemporize traditional woodworking knowledge by repurposing eight former timber warehouses along the historical Wat Sao Hin Canal axis. By integrating traditional wood joinery techniques with locally sourced materials, the design introduces a new program that transforms the site into a dynamic cultural and commercial space home to a learning center, museum, library, and venues such as cafés and specialty shops.

Product Design
Joss 304 – Ploynisa Sabuysuvarn
Kasetsart University

Joss 304 is a spirit house design project centered on the concept of upcycling. Spirit houses, crafted from concrete, wood, or other materials are often discarded rather than repurposed, as their sacred status leads to an unspoken reluctance to reuse them. Ploynisa challenges this perception, arguing that a spirit house itself is not an object of worship but rather a vessel that enshrines one. With this perspective, she reimagines spirit houses in a way that not only makes their reuse possible but also ensures that it feels natural and unburdened by superstition. Joss 304 is constructed using a simple structural system, incorporating materials that retain much of their original form.

Graphic Design
Pause & Play: A Casual Introduction to Uncertainty – Anchisa Asvahem
Chulalongkorn University

Pause & Play is a playful, hands-on project designed to introduce people to the concept of uncertainty in an approachable way. At its core is a play kit, neatly divided into five interactive components, each built upon a simple grid system: Tower: Balance, Dice: Focus on what you can control, Illusion: Seeing things the way they are, Unwritten: Uncertainty can be exciting, and Makesense: Not everything makes sense, and it doesn’t have to. Each component can be explored independently, without a set sequence, reinforcing the fluidity of uncertainty. The fundamental idea behind Pause & Play is to encourage individuals to ‘pause’ their fast-paced lives and ‘play,’ to engage with uncertainty in a way that feels safe and inviting. By shifting the lens through which the unknown is perceived, the project suggests that an uncertain future may not be as daunting as it once seemed.

Animation & Motion Design
Oneself – Adam Wangbenmad
Prince of Songkla University International College, Hatyai Campus

Oneself is a 2D animated film that explores the journey of self-discovery as an artist, following a young boy named Vil, who deeply admires Vincent van Gogh. Narrated from Vil’s perspective, the story gradually unveils his inner struggles—his desire to develop a distinct artistic identity conflicting with the influence of a master he reveres. As his admiration for van Gogh manifests in his own work, he begins to face doubts and criticism from others.

Visually, Oneself is predominantly black and white, with expressive brushstrokes serving as a defining stylistic element—an intentional homage to van Gogh’s signature technique. Through its narrative of artistic growth and self-reflection, the film ultimately offers a sense of understanding to Vil, the narrator, and the audience alike by the time the story reaches its conclusion.

Fashion Design
Trophy (house) wife – Tanatporn Worathongchai
Silpakorn University

Trophy (house) wife is a fashion collection that playfully reinterprets and blends the aesthetics of traditional ‘housewife uniforms’ from the wives’ associations of Thailand’s five military branches. The collection includes elements of the ‘stay at home wife’ profession. The result is a series of designs that are bold, lively, and vibrant, yet still grounded in the weaving, embroidery, and structured tailoring characteristic of formal attire. Drawing inspiration from household cleaning products—essential tools of domestic work—the collection creatively employs different fabrics, patterns, and silhouettes for each piece.

Jewelry Design
A Contemporary Accessories Design Project, Representing the Value of Ikebana Flower Arrangement – Nuttanicha Petchmalaikul
Silpakorn University

This project takes inspiration from Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement, which embodies a profound philosophy—encouraging a deeper understanding of life through art and nature. Recognizing the increasing challenges to mental well-being in contemporary Thai society, Nuttanicha translates Ikebana’s understated elegance into jewelry design, employing fluid forms, delicate curves, and even the organic imperfections of flowers. Beyond its aesthetic influences, the project thoughtfully incorporates structural elements drawn from Ikebana techniques, such as the fastening tools used to secure flowers and the intricate methods of branch binding, weaving these details into the jewelry’s core framework.

As is tradition, beyond selecting the best in each category, one project is honored as the ultimate standout—the Best of the Best. This year, the coveted title goes to Tanatporn Worathongchai, whose work, Trophy (house) wife, also earned her the Best of Fashion Design award. Selected through the unanimous votes of 14 judges across all seven disciplines, her project exemplifies innovation, craftsmanship, and conceptual depth.