Tambayan – a re-imagination of public spaces for Ireland’s youth

By Molly McDaid

The disappearance of communal spaces for today’s youth is an ever-growing problem with long lasting effects. This is a key issue that Tambayan: A Bayanihan Project addresses in a workshop that will be going on from 27 September to 7 October.

This event was created by Brian and Eduard to bring architects and creative individuals together to highlight and discuss the problem. This group likes to zone in on particular regions and their architecture with this years focus being on Galway.

Their previous work that focused on Dublin and Meath earned them the Future Generation Award. This year builds off their previous idea in a new and intriguing way with a special inspiration from the Filipino community.

Brian believes the reason for the problems facing Irish youth concerning a lack of communal spaces is due to developments “that aim for quick fixes to housing issues, without considering the public realm or the diverse communities who will live in these places.”

Prior to the event the team joined with two different secondary schools for a workshop and discussed the issue of the public space deficit. They found that children have begun to realise that there are little options for social spaces beyond school.

The key idea the event leaders wanted to instill in the children was that beyond Ireland this is not the norm. They hoped this workshop would instill “the belief that they can and should expect better for themselves and their communities”, Brian claims.

For the workshop they provided the students with reclaimed or donated materials and encouraged the kids to assemble three features. A roof, a table and a place to sit as these are what make up a Tambayan.

A Tambayan is a Filipino word referring to a social area people can gather at and is the inspiration for the name of this workshop. While this event focuses on Ireland it also features the Filipino-Irish and their migration journey.

During the exhibition attendees were free to look around and enquire about the work the team was displaying. There was photography of homes and spaces throughout the west of Ireland, information on the project and the students building excercise.

Free spaces like the Tambayan are becoming significantly harder to find in Ireland and Brian thinks this is because “Public spaces don’t easily translate into profit, and for that reason they’re often undervalued or ignored.”

One of the activities attendees are able to sign up for is a panel that takes place around the Tambayan. The audience sits in a circle surrounding the panelist’s “creating an open space for dialogue and shared perspectives” they state. 

The speakers are a diverse group of people from all different backgrounds. They take it in turns to stand up and tell the audience their experience and expertise with architecture and the lack of public spaces.

Towards the end of the evening participants were encouraged to join a Kamayan which is a Filipino feast. Everyone sat around and indulged in a meal made and served by members of the Filipino community.

The event finished up with the premiere of a short film called ‘Filipino-Irish’ that follows the lives of Filipino people living in Ireland. This piece gives an insight into the migrant experience in Ireland.

The reason this project features the Filipino experience in Ireland is due to Brian and his team’s belief that there are many issues in our society “one of the most pressing being the lack of culture representation in modern-day Ireland”

Brian also claims that one of the solutions to fix our lack of communal spaces is to look to other cultures. This can show us that “spaces full of life that spark dialogue across ethnic socio-economic groups, foster understanding, and address shared challenges,” can still exist.

This event highlights the problems Ireland is facing in terms of free communal spaces and emphasises solutions. The work they are doing is to encourage an Ireland were youth, migrants and minorities feel comfortable sitting together and engaging in healthy, progressive, dialogue.