Student Lecture Series | Boonserm Premthada: Non-Human Centered

For centuries, humans have been putting themselves at the center of everything, exploiting natural resources, plants and animals for their own convenience. However, humans do know how to peacefully and harmoniously coexist with other creatures on friendly terms. One of these rare examples is found at the Ta Klang Village, where humans live with elephants. Their way of life and culture, worth studying, allow them to get along with nature and other living beings.
In this lecture series, we will learn about empathy, awareness, attitude, responsibility, common sense, instinct, and intuition. We will learn about humanity from our feelings, senses, atmosphere, subtle emotions of pleasure, joy, and sorrow.
When we face constraints during construction, what we can do is to develop a methodology that heavily relies on what is readily available. We have come up with “the poor people technique,” “the animal technique,” and “the natural technique.” We use bio-material and geo-material and assemble them with other materials.
Architecture serves not only humans, but it is also a medium for coexistence between different kinds of creatures, as well as the environment that makes up architecture and gives it meanings.
We are living in a fast-paced, modern world, rushing forward with our tunnel vision, creating a future that centers around us. As a result, the architecture of today is fragile and ephemeral, nothing more than a token of brand identity and aesthetic appeal.
This lecture series will invite us to reflect, review, dream, and imagine without forgetting the realities that affect the role of architecture and the role of art. We will talk about the role of humanity and our impact on the environment and other living beings, how to strive for balance and aesthetics in our coexistence, interdependence, friendship and respect. We will take a new look at and “make sense” of architecture as a tool for integration, not separation.