Since the first studio in 2017 revealed that “temple climbing” was just one of the many issues affecting Bagan, the second studio addressed a wider spatial range of challenges related to tourism.

Inspired by Lucius Burckhardt’s strollology and situationist drifting, students explored Bagan on foot documenting the seen with their media of choice. Low-threshold mapping techniques and methods facilitated the uncovering and recording of independent agendas and thus the construction of new narratives.

Through attentive perception of their immediate environment, the students were able to identify problems and issues related to everyday situations at the touristic sites and consequently, to develop individual research topics for the preservation studio. These topics included: technical infrastructure, orientation systems and local transportation networks; community-based tourism development; organization of the local waste management; advocacy for natural heritage protection and biodiversity at a site primarily recognized for its cultural heritage and riches; networks for the production, processing and distribution of traditional products of the regional economy; micro-site-specific problems of access or commercial activities. Students worked in intercultural and interdisciplinary teams to analyze their topics and develop concepts and design ideas for adequate responses that were presented and discussed in public consultations in Bagan.

The 2018 studio started with three days full of exchange and presentations in Yangon. Field work and research took place in Bagan for 10 days, complemented by a boat trip on Irrawaddy River to Salay and a visit to the religious site of Mt. Popa. Intermediate presentations and public consultations on the students’ work were held at the Tourist Information Centre in Old Bagan. The final presentations were held in the auditorium of the Goethe Institute in Yangon.

For more insights into the work of Studio Bagan 2018 you can download our e-publication >>> here (ca. 500MB).