| THE AYALA WAY

Vol 6 No 19

Renowned architect Kulapat Yantrasast shared his design philosophy for the contemporary art center that will solidify Circuit Makati's reputation as a center for the arts.

IMAGINE IT BETTER

'A Creative Chat With Kulapat'

A good museum is a space that champions artists to express their vision. This was highlighted by Thailand-born and US-based architect Kulapat Yantrasast in a creative chat held at the Ayala headquarters on February 14.

Yantrasast worked as an associate of Pritzker Prize winner Tadao Ando before founding wHY, the interdisciplinary design studio that is behind the contemporary art center that will be built in Circuit Makati. Influenced by Thai and Japanese cultures, Yantrasast elaborated on the importance of design transition from the conservative style of the Japanese to the more inclusive style of Thai culture, infused with learning from its neighbors.

He talked about his work on historical museums, such as the Louvre, in which necessary interventions were made to be more inclusive "to allow these types of conversations; that it’s not just about the Mona Lisa, it’s not just about Da Vinci, it’s about the world." Yantrasast also spoke of how art can be used to talk about empathy and to help people gain a wider perspective of history, for example.

As for Ayala's contemporary art center, or "Tempo" as he fondly calls it, Yantrasast imagines it as “rising from the river,” as though it grew from the ground, air, and water, nurtured locally as it will nurture the local art scene. Yantrasast hopes that aside from being a landmark, it will also serve as a laboratory for artists, and even non-artists, to explore, to play, and to express their full vision in whatever form. “We want to understand how a culture place can be as impactful as possible,” he said.

Further, Yantrasast hopes that "Tempo" will become a catalyst for reviving the nearby Pasig River, similar to what is happening around the world, particularly in Thailand, Japan, and the United States. As he stated, nothing is more contemporary than relating culture with nature, and bringing new life to the city's major waterway is an apt allusion to the metaphorical flow of culture—through the contemporary art center—to people and communities.