Background

The Ban Ten Rum, or Dancing House, is located in Nang Lerng, in the old part of Bangkok. Built approximately 80 years ago, it was turned into a dancing school from the 1950’s to 1979 when it closed down and the house fell into disrepair.

In 2012, Openspace partnered with Kratingdaeng Spirit, the CSR program of Kratingdaeng, formely known as Red Bull Thailand, E-Lerng, a community-based art collective from Nang Lerng, and Khun Tarinee Tamornsuwan, the current house owner, to renovate the Dancing House using community participation. As of now, four phases of this project have been completed, over the span of four years. The project is not finished and more renovations will be undertaken in the future.

Phase Two: 2013

The second step of the renovation of the Dancing House required the renovation of the roof and bathroom. Uncle Nui, a relative of the house owner resided in the house, which lacked basic facilities.

At the end of Phase Two, we organised a photo exhibition and followed by a talk. We invited the house owner, representatives from the District Office and the Crown Property Bureau, the owners of the land the house is on.

We also organised a workshop with children from the area using recycled materials from a kid’s clothing fair to make accessories and plant boxes. We used the wood from the fair’s booth to make plant boxes, and fabric cut offs to make accessories such as bags, masks, and necklaces.

These activities helped maintain and renew people’s interest in the project, especially for those who have involved since the beginning of construction. It allowed members of the Nang Lerng community to build a relationship with the space, and really consider the changes they would like to see.