ASSEMBLE: a recipe for public social engagement

Assemble is inspired by the concept of participatory design and focuses on empowering the asian immigrant community in Chinatown NYC. It is an integration of socially engaged art, industrial design and architecture, reversing the typical designer-client relationship through an adaptable design that provides users agency and empowerment to address their ever-shifting needs. The project proposes a public space design strategy that will allow the Chinese street vendors to adjust the physical design to meet their specific needs and support the vibrant sidewalk social life of the neighborhood.

Originally from Taiwan, Camille Jao is an emerging interior designer who bridges her understanding of Chinese culture with the diverse group of artists and designers in NYC. Her primary design interest is in social impact and community engagement, especially how design can impact people’s behaviors. Her passion and focus as a designer is to encourage social engagement, collaborative problem solving that seeks to create a comfortable and mutually beneficial co-existence in the urban environment: a large population with both common ground and differences.