At the initiative of the French Embassy in Bangkok and TCDC-Thailand Creative & Design Center, Chloé Braunstein-Kriegel and Sam Baron organized TRANSFER[S], a workshop that took place between France and Thailand, Chiang Mai and Paris, between Thai and French designers. This workshop, which occurred in May 2016, was conceived as a workspace and as a unique opportunity to have multi-layered exchanges: Studio Nocc (Juan Pablo Naranjo and Jean-Christophe Orthlieb) and Charlotte Juillard for France, Thinkk Studio (Decha Archjananun and Ploypan Theerachai) and Rush Pleansuk for Thailand. These designers were selected and agreed to participate in this unique experience, working together on a common cultural basis, away from the stereotypes, and shaping a common language based on their expertise in the field of design.

The result of this workshop is reflected in the development of a design-led collection of objects produced in collaboration with local artisans based in the northern region of Thailand with their own specific skills. The TRANSFER[S] collection combines traditional high quality know-how with a contemporary approach, where ceramic mixes with lacquer and woven bamboo fiber, where traditional weaving enriches the structural capabilities of bamboo, creating hybrid typologies with clear functions easy to appropriate according to one’s cultural background. The underlying idea is that this collection, signed collectively by the six designers and Sam Baron, can be identified not as Thai or French, but simply as a set of designed objects, providing a common language invented for the occasion, where pieces interact with each other and build up a unique story.

Workshop creative direction / Curators
Sam Baron, Chloé Braunstein-Kriegel
Designers
Sam Baron, Charlotte Juillard, Studio Nocc (Juan Pablo Naranjo & Jean-Christophe Orthlieb),
Rush Pleansuk, Thinkk Studio (Decha Archjananun & Ploypan Theerachai)
Artisans
Clay Studio / Ceramic
Nussara / Textile weaving
Phabong Village artisans / Bamboo & Bamboo fiber
Vichaikul / Laquer
Coproduction
French Embassy in Thailand
TCDC-Thailand Creative & Design Center
Labels
DDAY’S Paris Design Festival
SENTOU – Pierre Romanet
Partners
French Institute
Jet Airways
Alliance Française