Chummeng Soun

The Space Between

The Space Between aims to bridge the generational gap through designing a space that orientates Cambodian Town to both locals and visitors, and encourage the act of engagement with public signage to enhance their experience through the city.

Artist/Thesis Statement

The Space Between is a public signage system designed to enrich the environment in urban Cambodian communities like Cambodia Town in Lowell. Due to rapid societal change, post-traumatic stress disorder, and advances in telecommunication, technology, and globalization, young Cambodian Americans are more than ever faced with the pressure to assimilate. Simultaneously, the generational gap existing in the Cambodian diaspora has been largely increased, and the elder generation is faced with economic hardship and the obstacles of social mobility. The Space Between will address these problems, creating a flexible, multi-use space for people living in Cambodian communities.

The Space Between is a proposal that offers an alternative public signage system orchestrated to connect all generations together. The goal is to have flexibility in the range of space in order to accommodate the yet unforeseen needs of the community. For example, the space itself can function as a play area or host social gatherings like Khmer New Year Celebration.

The structure also functions as a physical point of orientation in Cambodian Town through a signage system that helps the community to navigate. The importance of public space is to enrich one’s experience and enhance our urban environment. This space is inclusive of the voices of the immigrant and refugee communities, and is designed to allow the sharing of resources among one another. This public space can also encourage the value of walking and promoting healthy choices.

The structure of The Space Between becomes a part of the contemporary narrative of Cambodian towns. When one interacts with it, they become a part of the larger web of the narrative that reflects upon the social and peripheral landscape merging the past and the present, the young and the old, to coexist.