Atty Tantivit is one of the 18 international delegates joining us in London this month for this year's Design Connections programme. Find out more about her and her thoughts on design in Thailand.

Please tell us about yourself and your work...

I run a commercial gallery, ATTA Gallery, which specialises in art and design objects for the body. It’s the only one of its kind in Thailand and South East Asia. I am also a designer/maker of wearable objects, a collector of art and design objects and a promoter of creative urban lifestyle.

I am also a founding member of the Creative District Foundation that initiated the Creative District in Bangkok’s Bangrak/Klongsarn area along the Chaopraya River. Our foundation acts as a connector and manager of projects and aims to revitalize this once lively area by encouraging creative businesses to come into the area, while trying to minimize the effect of gentrification, as well as bringing in projects that will help redesign urban planning and livelihood of the people in the district.

What are you working on at the moment?

The foundation is still in it’s beginning stage. We are working closely with Thailand Creative and Design Center (TCDC) in revitalizing the district. At the moment we are working on getting a baseline study of the area done so that we can do comparative work to evaluate our efforts in the future. This also includes finding unused spaces in the area and so that we can try to get the owners to work with us on bringing it back to life again.

We are also collaborating with various parties in hosting art and design events in Bangkok. TCDC is planning a Design Week early next year and there will be the first Bangkok Art Biennale later on in 2018.

What are the hot topics in design in your country at the moment? What are the challenges that design or designers are facing in your country at the moment?

Eco/Sustainable design is still a topic that many designers are working on. Though it’s a challenge with higher costs.

Cultural design is something that has not been explored much but I think it’s needed. Culture is changing and it’s important to not just conserve and preserve, but moving culture forward with contemporary values.

One challenge in the field of design in Thailand is that there are many players that promote design but they rarely work together. Promotional efforts are split up and designers are being split up into different camps.

Another challenge is that of perception. Many people still think of design as a luxurious decoration…rather than a means to solve problems. It’s been a long running problem that has not been talked about enough. Design is then perceived by the majority of people as something reserved only for hipsters, etc. Governmental funding has not been given to the field partly because of this. Also, urban design and experience design do not get enough attention here just yet.

Tell us about a designer to watch from your country at the moment and why we should know about their work?

Sanitas Padittasnee of Sanitas Studio, a landscape designer who blurs the lines of art and design with natural and cultural inspirations.

What excites you about UK design? What are you looking forward to seeing at the London Design Festival?

Landmark projects, as I am interested in bringing art and design to the streets…for the general public.

Each year during London Design Festival (LDF) we invite key design industry figures from around the world to join us for our Design Connections programme. The delegation will take a unique curated tour of the festival, meeting leading UK designers, curators, design organisations as well as discovering new work and gaining new relationships. Find out more about Design Connections here.