I will be one of the invited speakers in the upcoming China symposium on Global Practices-Architecture and Urbanism in China, organized by the Department of Architecture at Judson University. The title of my presentation is:

10 Strategies for a Post-Bubble Age

Drawing from the rich and diverse forms of spatial appropriation, urban encounters and material improvisation in Hong Kong and other Asian cities, the presentation offers alternative strategies for a more socially attentive, broader and contingent practice of architecture in a Post Bubble age. The traveling research was made possible by a one-year fellowship from the Netherlands Institute of Architecture.

Website:http://arch.judsonu.edu/symposium/

Thai stall vendors selling miniature versions of Tuk-tuks, a fast and nimble motorized form of public transport in a Bangkok market. They are made from recycled beer and soda cans that are discarded everyday and cost nothing except resourcefulness and creativity on the part of the creator.

Nestled amidst the chaotic and bustling city of Bangkok are semi-built casualties of the 1997 Asia financial crisis. These 'Ghost Buildings', as they are called in the city are now surrounded by high-rise developments. Walking through the abandoned spaces overgrown with plants, one cannot help reflect on the collective misplaced ambitions and plans during the economic boom era, not unlike what the world went through prior to the Great Recession experienced now in the United States and Europe. These 'Ghost Buildings' serve as an enduring reminder of the perils of unsustainable and uncontrolled growth.

The seemingly incongruous gathering of objects on the wall may be bewildering at first but after I was told the purpose behind each of them, it made a lot of sense.The blue PVC pipe was for the water bill. The orange container received the mail. The gourd shape urn housed the incense while the electrical outlet was most probably tapped from somewhere. Within the small area on the wall, both the bodily and spiritual needs in the city were taken care of.