THAI-MUNG | MOMA PS1 INSTALLATION DESIGN

Project Description:

This Architectural Design Studio implemented the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program (YAP), an annual series of competitions that gives emerging architects the opportunity to build projects conceived for MoMA PS1's facility.

In bringing together artists and their audience, MoMA PS1 functions as a living and active meeting place for the general public. 

Project Objective

The objective of the project is to provide visitors with an outdoor recreational area for the summer-a much-needed refuge in an urban environment making the best use of the pre-existing space and available materials. The architects follow a program with a tight budget, and are involved in every aspect of the design, development, and construction of the project.

The site, MoMA PS1's large triangular entrance courtyard and outdoor sculpture area, is an integral part of the museum's popular music concert series, Warm Up, which features experimental music, live bands, and DJs. The site is open to visitors throughout the summer.

I initiated my design concept with a keyword ‘Thai-mung’, a popular Thai saying that means being horded at or being stared by onlookers. I translated ‘Thai – mung’ to ‘Spectacle’

            01. Light and shadow: A large number of eyeballs best epitomize the notion of being surrounded by strangers but at the same time the person who was actually being surrounded is staring out looking at everyone in the surrounding.

            02. Object with sound: My personal interpretation of the interaction between sound and the object is like being at the center of the attention, for instance, the noise of whispering and gossiping around you influenced the shape of nuclear explosion.

            03. Object and water: The object hits the water; water keeps striking at the eyeballs intensively, so strong that the eyeballs start to transform its original roundness to a spinning figure. The balls are being eaten away bits by bits, eroding. 

Whirlwind movement dictates the form and shape of the third object. Consequently, the final canopy design is of a faint contour form that swift through the entire site fluidly.

The initial keyword concept of ‘spectacle’, or ‘THAIMUNG’ is evidently illustrated, at the bottom of the canopy people would be curious of how the contours are being installed and enjoying different layers of the canopy design since it plays with light by allowing portion of sunlight while reflecting certain unwanted direct sunlight.