In one way "Thân" means closeness, and attachment to certain people or objects. “Thân” can also be understood as the body, the main organism that connects and allows other organisms to function. Our “Thân” is an experimental project that aims at documenting the intimacy of Vietnamese families living in close-knit communities through the art of photography.
Over the course of 2 weeks, "Thân" distributed 3 disposable cameras to 3 different families living in a residential area in Gò Vấp District, HCMC. Along with weekly workshops and daily catchups, "Thân" received ~60 film photos of what had made up their daily lives. At the risk of being “cultural washouts”, cultural reservationists such as ourselves must not leave these neighbourhoods undocumented. They might be mundane now, but imagine HCMC in 30 years later, would these communities still exist? We must document now; before it’s too late.
- Nguyễn Thái Hoàng
ABOUT THE COLLABORATION
“In what ways can this museum develop new forms of cooperation and exchange with the different communities that, together today, form the evolving face of Ho Chi Minh City?”
The work exhibited at the museum responds, creatively and speculatively, to that question. 26 students at RMIT University developed their answers in the fall and winter of 2020, during a three-month “Capstone Studio”, part of the final year of the Design Studies program.
A TRUSTED COLLABORATION
The current show is the continuation of a collaboration that began in 2019 with a student proposal for the modernization of an important museum exhibition space. The museum offers our students exceptional and meaningful design opportunities. Our collaboration is an important part of the continuing commitment, in Design Studies, to engage in rich conversations about design in Vietnam with leading local, regional and national partners.
- Andrew Stiff / Kenneth Rabin
Lecturers in Design
