ECOMUSEUM : THE STUDIES OF BANG PLI WATER MARKET, SAMUTPRAKARN PROVINCE

Abstract

This dissertation is an attempt to analyse the problems of preservation and regeneration of a place that catches popular interests in terms of spirit worships, cultural histories and tourist attractions. Bang Pli Water Market is one hundred and forty years old, located next to Bang Pli Yai Nai Temple and Samlong Canal in Samut Prakan Province. The original wooden structures, built on piles, are still in use. The place is both sacred and profane. Bang Pli Water Market and Bang Pli Yai Nai Temple hold a series of annual festivals and events such as the “Lotus Throwing Festival,” which can only be observed at Bang Pli Community. On the daily bases, there are the arrangements of votive offerings around certain objects that are regarded as holy. The Market is also famous for those who wish to consult fortune tellers about the remedies for bad life and those who wish to buy votive offerings, such as Thai traditional costumes and colorful plastic garlands, at the nearby stalls. The recent development initiated by Bang Pli District Municipality does not coincide with these charming environs. There is a provision to build Bang Pli Water Market Museum, right across the Samlong Canal, opposite the actual Market. The new concrete bridge is more generic than the old mode of crossing the canal via the moored wooden boats.The Municipality’s Tourist Center is left abandoned. The tent structures, built on the Temple’s car parking area, block the view of the waterfronts. These existing conditions are problematic especially for those wish to experience an atmosphere of quietness within the Temple’s ground. The characteristic of the place might be lost without a revised planning for the future developments that include both tangible and intangible atmospheres of Bang Pli Water Market and Bang Pli Yai Nai Temple. The objective of this dissertation is to propose a design solution that will enhance the characteristics of Bang Pli Water Market together with the touristic development. Culture mapping and the studies on “Ecomuseum” initiated by George Genri Rivière and Hugue de Varine in 1971 will be the support studies of the proposal on “Bang Pli Water Market Ecomuseum”. This Ecomusuem is a proposed route based on the existing passageways more than a building. My hypothesis is that architectural designs can enrich the intangible knowledge of the Bang Pli Community, its historical values, the increased atmosphere of quietness along the path towards Bang Pli Yai Nai Temple. It is hope that this dissertation will benefit the Bang Pli Community and safeguard the spirit of the place for the future generation.