Architecture of Rumor
Part 1
Fact, Fake, or Rumor
"Architecture of Rumor" is a project that builds upon my previous research work, "The Atlas of Forgotten Places." Drawing inspiration from the abandoned sections explored in my earlier project, I have chosen the Sathorn Unique Tower as a captivating case study. This tower stands as a symbol of abandonment, a consequence of the uncontrollable Asian financial crisis that took place in 1997.
Sathorn Unique Tower has a sister building known as State Tower. Both buildings share a similar age, were designed by the same architect, and were faced with the challenges posed by the 1997 financial crisis. However, their destinies diverged drastically, with one experiencing resounding success while the other succumbed to abandonment and disrepute. Through a collage, I aim to showcase the contrasting fate of these twin buildings. This part of my project focused on the influence of factual news, fake news, and rumors in altering the course of these buildings' histories, leading to one being left abandoned.
The Dream of Sathorn Unique
Currently, the Sathorn Unique structure stands at 80 percent completion. In an overlay drawing, we can see the envisioned dream of Sathorn Unique as a fully finished building, juxtaposed with State Tower. State Tower boasts an expansive dome housing a luxurious restaurant on its top floor, complemented by a semi-circular balcony adorned with Ionic columns.
Facts and Rumors of Sathorn Unique
These two diagrams present the facts and rumors surrounding the Sathorn Unique Tower. It is the combination of both factual information and circulating rumors that ultimately led to the abandonment of this building.
In addition to the impact of the financial crisis, the Sathorn Unique Tower has been surrounded by various mysterious stories, which further contributed to its abandonment for over two decades.
The rumors surrounding the tower include its unfortunate location, as it is believed to have been built on a former graveyard. There are also tales of a worker's body being sealed within the building, which has sparked speculations and even inspired horror film productions. While both the financial crisis and unsettling rumors have played a role in the building's demise, it is intriguing to observe that the rumors persist and outweigh the factual news.
Sathorn Unique Tower
Site Exploration
The Sathorn Unique Tower is situated in Bangkok's Sathorn District, in close proximity to the Yannawa temple. Interestingly, the tower casts a shadow over the temple, giving rise to local beliefs associating the building with a sense of misfortune due to its location.
The Research of
Fact and Fake News
Then I investigate the circulation of fact and fake news and how they travel. From the research, fact news is one or two times maximum heavily spreading from the original source, but not much spreading after. The green networks represent the nature of fact news.
On the other hand, fake news is spread many times by many different sources. The red networks represent the fake news that has many layers and pinpoint, which is why fake news spread a lot faster than fact news.
The diagram on the left depicts that Sathorn Unique provides more fake news, while State Tower provides more fact news. Then I investigate the key players that make strong spread news - source, message, channel, and receiver. The news can stay as fact or distorted to something else are depends on these four factors.
From a research, fake news networks posses a relatively smaller first layer, while other layers are larger comparatively. The success of the propagation depends highly on the branching process creating different layer. Cumulative number of users of fake news is 4 times of real news within 5 hours, and 6 times within 20 hours.
Part 2
News Racing - Game of Chance
In the age of rapid digital communication facilitated by fiber optic cables, messages can spread swiftly across various platforms. Inspired by this concept, I applied the notion of an underground internet cable to the Sathorn district and envisioned Sathorn Unique Tower as a significant source for spreading information.
As part of my design intervention, I created a thought-provoking game called "News Racing." This game serves as a critique of the uncertain fate faced by both Sathorn Unique and State Tower, where chance plays a significant role. To reflect this idea, I carefully selected 28 bustling buildings within the Sathorn district known for their active engagement with news and social media.
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Each of these 28 buildings is represented on a game board, reflecting the number of individuals who constitute their audience. The game involves two players—one representing factual news and the other representing fake news. The objective is to amass a larger audience by the end of the game, determining the winner.
The board game serves as an educational tool, offering insights into the chances of news spreading based on four key elements: source, message, channel, and receiver. By playing the game, participants gain an understanding of how these elements interact and influence the spreading of information.
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When players make strategic moves, they have the opportunity to spread news to their respective audiences. The presence of fiber optic cables is represented by an orange line running underneath the buildings on the game board. As players land on different spaces, the cable connected to their building changes color to match the player's assigned color, symbolizing their influence over the information flow within that building.
The diagram illustrates an example of the cable routes taken by two players over a span of three minutes, progressing from left to right.
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Given the unpredictable destinies of Sathorn Unique and State Tower, the game itself reflects this uncertainty by relying on chance. Just like the fate of these two buildings, everything within the game depends on the roll of chance, adding an element of unpredictability.