Elena Boni

I first met Elena Boni at a friend’s party, where Alexandra Polyakova introduced us. We quickly discovered that we shared two obsessions: photography and Thai spirit shrines. That was enough to keep us talking for quite a while.

Elena is an urban planner whose work has taken her between architecture, international development and the way people experience cities. She currently works with UN-Habitat in Bangkok and has been a guest lecturer at Thammasat University since 2022. Before that, she worked with organisations including UN ESCAP and UNICEF, as well as in urban design and local government.

When I asked if she would take part in the project, Elena suggested an old Brutalist building near Suan Phlu that she had been fascinated with for some time. It made sense that an urban planner would already have a building in mind.

We met nearby for a quick coffee before walking over. Once we got there, any seriousness disappeared quite quickly. Elena started climbing and jumping around the place while I followed her with the camera.