Pumpuang Press is a series of broadsheet publication, filled with stories of Pumpuang mobile car and their people. Every issue is curated and aims to broadcast diverse voices in different contents.
Senior project, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Design, Chulalongkorn University, 2021
How to provide an insightful perspective and a new communication for younger generations and people living in an urban society who want to observe the phenomenon and appreciate Pumpuang cars as it is one of Bangkok urban culture.
CONTEXT/ STATE OF ART
The name Pumpuang, means fitting, since both “pum” and “puang” translate as “bunch”, and these vehicles carry bunches of food and products in small and affordable quantities. Pumpuang car is a mobile market. Normally carry products straight from the fresh market. These modified pickup trucks will drive to those who live in a low income area that have low access to a grocery store, also to construction sites, helping to resolve the migrant workers’ lack of transportation.
This is Pumpuang car a.k.a. grocery truck in Thailand.
ANALYSIS
After a certain amount of research and interviews, to conclude, mobile grocery acts more than just a platform that transfers goods or selling products, but it is also a community that connects people to people such as elders and laborers. With its essences of Thainess, they are a significant part of the identity of Thailand. They are a result of an adaptation of people in society made for serving citizen’s basic needs that the government failed to serve. It embodies many social issues for instance, law enforcement, profession, democracy, government and social class. The capture of life on the street in a small mobile unit of vendors and the unique essences of it. The insight which means to get people to look at the reality in a new way and critique the way things are. The value of this type of business and how it embodies social issues in our urban life. Pumpuang reflects the bonding of people and food. The relationship that they rely on.
SYNTHESIS
Pumpuang is
A selling channel.
An independent job.
A community.
A connection to people. A life on wheels.
An innovation.
A culture.
From an online survey I created on what is the opinion toward Pumpuang car and its service, collected from 90 participants, I found that 97.6% of people which mostly are people the age around 18 to 30 years old do know what Pumpuang is, in the other hand they don't really care and furthermore, they have bad perception of using it. They are concerned about hygiene. They don’t know who the sellers are, where the food came from. Meanwhile what sellers are concerned about is that the younger generation will not buy from them and when the ageing society ends, there will be no one else to buy. Throughout my on-site research, there're many more stories I discovered personally by interviews, conversations and observations that I believe those stories can convince and allow me to create a platform for Pumpuang that combines young generations together with Pumpuang.
To celebrate Pumpuang as one of Bangkok urban culture,
raise value by providing a side of stories that will hopefully
be another point of view about the importance of Pumpuang.
PROJECT
In response to the condition, the aim of this project is to use design which consists of mixed media for younger generation from age from 15 to 38 years old for instance, publication, video, sound as part of an installation. The project will tell an insightful story about the Pumpuang car, the community and its people. The role of the project will act as someone that wants to connect people to this type of business in a variety of different media. The audience will be a member of this pavilion as they will be provided a side of stories that will hopefully be another point of view about the importance of Pumpuang.
Pumpuang Press will be 6 folds, talking about 6 issues narrated by 6 Pumpuang cars.
Together with Pumpuang Press mobile display will be cased at public events, festivals and presentations provide an authentic physical experience for Pumpuang Press. It is an effort to preserve access to the valuable cultural and historical collections that would otherwise disappear.
I hope these stories can convince and allow me to create a platform for Pumpuang that combines people in the society together with Pumpuang to celebrate Pumpuang as one of our urban culture, to understand the unspoken issues, and raise value by provided insightful stories, hopefully will be another point of view about the importance of Pumpuang.
PROCESS