No, this isn’t a KitKat campaign, but rather, a direct initiative of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) under Governor Chadchart Sittipunt for Bangkokians to take a breather and “Take a Break” with the newly installed deck chairs by the water at the centrally located Benjakitti Park. The concept is straightforward: multi-colored deck chairs by the water, with a view of the sprawling cityscape, for busy Bangkokians to just take a breather.
It’s a free and open spot where passersby can sit and soak up the day (or the heat) for 30 minutes. Surprisingly, this is quite a new concept for our capital city, as free and public seating areas are few and far between.
It’s not necessarily a groundbreaking idea, but it gets us thinking about how these public spaces are designed and utilized by the people who inhabit the city. Whilst Bangkok is simply just too hot at the moment to properly lounge with your shoes kicked off and a book in hand, there are moments of refuge you can enjoy after work, before the sun starts to set. We can imagine it’s a contemplative activity to forget all your post-commute woes before heading home. These small initiatives show that pockets of Bangkok are being redesigned with its urban population in mind. Today, it may be a row of colorful lounge chairs, but tomorrow it could be something else that benefits the public. There is something therapeutic about facing the water with your feet in the grass, and it’s these little things amid the hustle and stress that can ground you in a day.
Under the “Chair for Sharing” concept, the idea of a public good comes to mind. A sign on the back of the chairs reminds us to be “mindful” with use and to do our part in keeping it clean. In a free setting such as this, where the 30-minute time limit is merely a formality, we remember to exercise our role as public citizens. Parks and shared green spaces will only work if we all do our part to maintain them, and they remind us how a modern city should function. These days, urbanites are calling for more green spaces and interconnectivity, and we must also take responsibility in how these spaces are enjoyed.
The chairs remind us to take some time for ourselves in whichever capacity we can. It doesn’t even have to be at a public deck chair in the middle of Bangkok’s biggest urban park; it can be a quick lap around the walking track, a 10-minute journaling session before bedtime, or a workout class on Sunday mornings. The importance of carving out some time to tune out the noise cannot be taken for granted.
The lounge chairs are accessible via the Gate 1 entrance of Benjakitti Park, and we should all take accountability for looking after the public green space. So, why not allocate some time to lounge by the chairs when the weather cools down slightly? Or, if you’d like to work on a pre-rainy-season tan, be our guests.
