The ripple effect of MVMNT
Behind the scenes of the [UN]REAL ESTATE exhibition at MAB25, Bangkok

MVMNT (“movement”) is a speculative design unit by Loftwork that explores potential future scenarios extending from contemporary society. The team aims to trigger unknown movements by visualizing “what-if” worlds.

In October 2025, the spatial installation TOKYO [UN]REAL ESTATE showcased this approach at the MEET YOUR ART FESTIVAL 2025.

[UN]REAL ESTATE uses 3D scanning to record the everyday lives of city dwellers and turns the resulting spatial data into a new kind of digital asset called “[UN]REAL ESTATE.” By making the idea of a fictional real estate agency in the digital age feel tangible, the work moved beyond a one-time exhibition and began generating ongoing opportunities.

The project later expanded internationally to Media Architecture Biennale 2025 (MAB25) in Bangkok in November 2025, where the team presented an exhibition, hosted workshops, and spoke at the main conference.

The initiative in Thailand began with a serendipitous encounter. Kalaya Kovidvisith, co-founder of FabCafe Bangkok and a member of the MAB25 executive committee, visited the exhibition at Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT] in Shibuya, Tokyo, in February 2025.

Through FabCafe’s global network, the team connected with Bangkok’s local creative community, including creators and universities, and the initiative grew beyond expectations.

In this report, we reflect on the behind-the-scenes process of the Bangkok exhibition and explore the three forces that were needed to turn a single idea into a wider unknown movement.

The 2025 event took place in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Under the theme “Urban Dialogue,” the program explored the evolving relationship between cultural communities, cities, and media technology. During the period, more than 15,000 people participated in various programs, including exhibitions, conferences, and workshops.

As part of the main program, MVMNT presented the [UN]REAL ESTATE installation at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), a hub for contemporary art in Thailand. The team also spoke at a conference held in the BACC auditorium, providing an opportunity to share the cultural and economic significance and philosophy behind the project with a global audience.

The first force behind spreading a movement is turning ideas and visions into something tangible, situated, and contextual so they become a platform for diverse creators to join in. Even the most brilliant idea cannot move society if it remains only in your head.

This approach of sharing the process is the driving force that powerfully spreads an idea to a broader community and ignites a movement.

In Bangkok, rather than simply importing a pre-packaged exhibition from Tokyo, we hosted a two-day URBAN Dialogue Workshop for local participants on Nov. 8 and 15, 2025, prior to the main exhibition.

Based at FabCafe Bangkok, this workshop saw participants take their smartphones and tablets into the historic Talat Noi district. They used 3D scanning to record street corner objects, everyday scenes, and cultural traces embedded in the city’s life. On the second day, participants imported their data into the VIVERSE platform to co-create a shared metaverse space.

Rather than simply showcasing the latest technology, we made it tangible through a hands-on experience of documenting our own streets and imagining new spaces. This approach drew out each participant’s creative energy and transformed them from passive spectators into engaged collaborators who co-create the project.

Sharing the process is what allows an idea to travel through a wider community, build momentum, and grow into a movement.

The second force behind spreading a movement across regions and cultures is FabCafe’s global network with deep local roots. FabCafe is a worldwide community with 13 locations in cities around the globe. With digital fabrication at its core, it also brings together a range of technologies to build communities of innovators and creators in each city.

Each location functions as a space for exchanging new ideas and technologies based on the shared spirits of sharing and openness, even as they are embedded in different cultures and environments. This network acts as a hub to spread movements across borders.

In Bangkok, our ideas connected with the local community by using FabCafe Bangkok as a hub. For instance, FAB MEETUP, a public talk which is part of the FAB MEETUP series hosted by FabCafe, was held before the exhibition, bringing together players from diverse backgrounds.

The collision of cutting-edge industrial technology, academic approaches, and future visions in a single space nurtured a level of complex and rich creativity that could never have been achieved in isolation.

Through the open space of FabCafe, isolated ideas link with local culture and resources, expanding into a broader community. This robust network and collaboration serve as the ultimate engine for exploring unknown territories and scaling movements globally.

The third force that helps a movement spread across borders is a medium that people can grasp intuitively even when they do not share a language.

During the six-day exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, we welcomed visitors from many countries. What stood out was the power of personal living space as a universal medium that everyone in the world shares.

The concept of a fictional real estate service that 3D scans living environments and leases them to creators as digital assets was accepted immediately without complicated explanations. At the venue, we also presented creative works derived from the scan data, including games, comics, and XR pieces. Regardless of language, many visitors immersed themselves in the world and engaged deeply with it.

Each room recorded in [UN]REAL ESTATE carries the imprint of a city’s culture and history, along with the lived evidence of the people who inhabit it. By treating everyday life as it is as a medium, we start from the room as the smallest unit of space and read the diversity and ongoing transformation of culture and life across the city as a whole.

3D scanning becomes a contemporary form of modernology that archives present-day cultural life as well as historical heritage. By documenting, comparing, and reinterpreting how people live in Tokyo and Bangkok, we drew out countless conversations between the city and the individual and began to shape a new Urban Dialogue that explores how media technology relates to urban life.

What we all share, and the cultural diversity spoken by the objects people live with, are held together in this approach. That combination became the key to resonating with people across cultural boundaries.

In his well-known TED talk “How to start a movement,” Derek Sivers explains why the first follower matters. A bold act only becomes a movement when someone else steps in, connects with it, and joins in.

That is exactly what happened in Bangkok. When we introduced the slightly quirky idea of a fictional real estate agency, local creators and communities we met through the FabCafe network became our first followers. Their energy helped the project grow from a small experiment into a wave that crossed borders.

At MVMNT and Loftwork, the principle we value most is openness. We don’t hold ideas back — we bring them into the world and connect global networks with local energy. This is how new possibilities come to life in ways no single organization could achieve alone.

We are looking for partners who want to cross the boundary between art and technology and create something new together. If this resonates with you, let’s build the next movement through our global network.

We invite the next collaborators to join this chain reaction. Let’s shape the future together.

Written by: Miku Sega（MVMNT）
Translated by: Pinhua Chen