![Proclaimed as the country’s biggest art show on their event page, BLOOM might truly be one of the most significant markers or contemporary art among today’s younger generation, with some 80-90 artists participating in the multi-media exhibit.
Set on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at Cubao X, this event promises to revive the art scene and youthful and idealistic energy that was alive and kicking in Cubao X years ago, which I dare say was also momentarily revived by Punchdrunk Panda’s Anteroom Sessions 2, an event/project I’m proud to have seen through to fruition earlier this year.
I really love such efforts towards making creativity and community thrive. And while Anteroom may not seem as big an effort at promoting the arts as Bloom, I’d like to think of all such endeavors as a collective movement. :)
Having said that, I also jumped on this chance to finally show some of my paintings to the public. I’ve been dabbling with watercolor painting on and off for some two years now. And I while feel small exhibiting next to some really talented and successful contemporaries, I also feel a triumph at finally just putting it out there.
So here are the pieces I submitted for possible display:
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ADHD, 12x16, Pencil, India Ink, Sharpie; Irreverence, 18x18, Watercolor
Old Nepalese Woman, 12x18, Watercolor; Intergalactic Space Giraffe, 12x18, Watercolor; Jewel, 18x24, Watercolor
View bigger pictures of my stuff here.
Apart from paintings, BLOOM will showcase art in many other forms or media, like photography, film, and music, reminding me again of the inspiring electric vibe of creativity (or in layman’s terms, my “kilig”) during Anteroom Sessions 2.
See the long list of featured artists at the BLOOM events page, and invite more friends to come and join in this effort to promote art and artists, and to further foster the creative spirit in Cubao X. :)
Jen
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Proclaimed as the country’s biggest art show on their event page, BLOOM might truly be one of the most significant markers or contemporary art among today’s younger generation, with some 80-90 artists participating in the multi-media exhibit.
Set on Saturday, September 29, 2012 at Cubao X, this event promises to revive the art scene and youthful and idealistic energy that was alive and kicking in Cubao X years ago, which I dare say was also momentarily revived by Punchdrunk Panda’s Anteroom Sessions 2, an event/project I’m proud to have seen through to fruition earlier this year.
I really love such efforts towards making creativity and community thrive. And while Anteroom may not seem as big an effort at promoting the arts as Bloom, I’d like to think of all such endeavors as a collective movement. :)
Having said that, I also jumped on this chance to finally show some of my paintings to the public. I’ve been dabbling with watercolor painting on and off for some two years now. And I while feel small exhibiting next to some really talented and successful contemporaries, I also feel a triumph at finally just putting it out there.
So here are the pieces I submitted for possible display:
![My Free Silk-Weaving Workshop Tour: Artisans d’Angkor - Take 2July 16 - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Some say the best things in life are free, while cynics say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. As cynical as I am, I am also one of the world’s greatest cheapskates, which is why I try to seize as many free (and interesting) opportunities as I can.
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I found out about this tour when I dropped by Artisans d’Angkor on my first day in Siem Reap, and promised myself that I would schedule a trip as soon as I got back from the Hariharalaya Retreat Centre.
Let me break it down in a simple formula as to why this is so appealing to me:
Weaving / textiles + Free of charge = My kind of thing
Joining the tour
A free shuttle bus takes you at 9:30am (or 1:00pm) from the Artisans d’Angkor main showroom to their silk-weaving workshop maybe 20-30 minutes from the old market (I didn’t keep track of the time).
At the silk-weaving workshop, a friendly tour guide will walk you through their process of silk production to weaving to showcasing.
Learning the process
First, the guide shows us the silk worms (picture not included), and their cocoons, which make up the raw (outer layer) and fine (inner layer) silk threads.
The guide also shared that it takes 3,000 cocoons (or 3,000 silk worms - you need to kill the worm inside the cocoon to use the cocoon) to make 1 silk scarf.
Now, I’m if that new knowledge makes me averse to silk now because of my vegan tendencies (note, not state), or because this makes it so much clearer, so much real-er that that luxurious fabric is, well, worms. I’ve known that silk is derived from worms, but it’s different when you see the process.
Anyway, next, after the cocoons have been harvested and “cooked”, the thread is dyed and wound into spools.
Thread is then taken from the spools and wound around the sticks for the loom “boats” according to a specific order and color (to achieve the fabric patterns).
From there, the sticks of thread are masterfully glided across the loom, to create rolls of beautifully patterned textiles. I forgot how long it takes to do this, but I remember thinking it was a veeeery long time, and realizing why silk can be so expensive.
[With Hanne outside the weaving room, with a big grin for the free tour]
We weren’t allowed to take photos of the real showroom (which showcases a lot classier and more wearable silk garments than the first Lady Gaga-esque photo in this post), so you’ll have to visit it yourself.
I appreciate that they showed us the entire process, which was probably really meant to make us realize the value of the work and the high price it warranted. But again, being a cheapskate (and now a bit grossed out by all the worminess), I didn’t purchase anything, but it did make me think of the process and working conditions in places that produce the significantly cheaper silk scarves available in the old market.
Fair trade is not just for hipsters,Jen
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Artisans d’AngkorChantiers-Ecoles (main branch)Stung Thmey StreetSiem Reap, Cambodiainfos@artisansdangkor.comwww.artisansdangkor.com](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m80s9yJQlr1r0u81eo1_1280.jpg)
My Free Silk-Weaving Workshop Tour: Artisans d’Angkor - Take 2
July 16 - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Some say the best things in life are free, while cynics say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. As cynical as I am, I am also one of the world’s greatest cheapskates, which is why I try to seize as many free (and interesting) opportunities as I can.
Day 1 (Part 3 of 3): A Surprise Cambodian Arts & Crafts Reprise
After my walk to Siem Reap’s Old Market for beautiful textile products galore, I decided to continue walking on to Artisans d’Angkor, which I spotted on my map and was naturally intrigued by. Again, I don’t really remember how long I was walking, but it was probably around 15 minutes away from the Old Market.
I didn’t realize it was one of the very same places I visited some 5 years ago on a very touristy trip to Siem Reap with my parents and their badminton friends. I was still glad to be there to admire yet again and be able to share it with you, my lovely readers.
Day 1 (Part 2 of 3): A Surprise Cambodian Arts & Crafts Walking Tour
I had actually intended to spend day 1 finishing Breaking Bad’s 4th season, but I was itching to walk around and explore aimlessly. So I left the confines of my comfy room in search for nothing in particular (except lunch, maybe).
Little did I know that my purposeless wandering would lead me to a guidebook-less “Nomad Manager Cambodian Arts & Crafts Walking Tour”. Come, let me walk you through it as well. :)
Vincent Moon - On Creating Art
02.25.12 Conversations on the road with Vincent Moon.
Was in the car with Karlo, Bert & Bea on our way to Zambales from Manila. :)
Shot with my LX5 and no extra audio recording equipment (obviously). Haha.
Here, he talks about art consumption and creation in the age of the internet, easy-to-use gadgets and applications.
I’ll be uploading more snippets of our conversations in the coming days/weeks. :D
View my other Vincent Moon videos (or other videos in general) here.
Old Nepalese Woman
2011
Watercolor
12” x 9 1/16”
(Disclaimer: No Disclaimer Girl here :P)
I’ve been painting for some time now but I never really bothered (or wanted) to put my works up before. I usually felt that my previous work was mostly very technique-oriented (though I hardly have to technique down pat — oh shit, I disclaimered!), and thus, subjects are usually pre-determined by what would be good to learn in the application of a certain technique. This would usually mean landscapes, also drawn by fellow classmates.
And while I still make work based on paintings or photos, this is probably the first painting I finished that made me feel I created something I liked, and it’s what got me more interested in portrait painting. This was painted late last year and inspired me to try out different ways of painting a portrait, and really looking for subjects that inspired me. :)
So yeah, I guess this painting started it all, and this is a long overdue post, but I promised myself I’d be posting more artwork here.
10-A Alabama Arts and Crafts Fair
10.23.2011
Too long ago, (wow, I’m now 2 days short of a month of putting this entry off) I visited the 10-A Alabama Arts and Crafts Fair at well, 10-A Alabama street in Quezon City, thanks to my friend Jamie.
I hadn’t actually heard about it before, nor was I able to see any blog posts on it prior to my visit, so I didn’t really know what it would look like or what merchandise would be sold there. All I know is that she wanted to look at “resurrected” furniture c/o Resurrection Furniture and Found Objects Gallery.
When I got there, I found more arts and crafts and a lot of accessories. I particularly loved the above photo of screen-painted portraits, or whatever you might call them. Alas, I couldn’t find a card/artist/owner to attach these art pieces to. If anyone does, send me a message so I can credit him/her properly. :)
A lot of the stuff you’ll find look like they came straight out of Etsy, that website with all the handcrafted stuff. :) I was mildly disappointed by this because I was hoping to see more restored/repurposed furniture, but I was still very happy about going there and meeting some of the artists who participated in the fair, including but not limited to…
This is Femi Cachola with her handsewn critters :D
And this nifty DSLR plushie…
And check it out! You can even change the picture on the back panel/monitor! :D
Haha how cool is that?
And Punchdrunk Panda’s Anteroom Sessions brand partner Junk Studio (Nikki seems to be everywhere, really! :D)
And another upcycled accessory brand Junkshop Abubot…
…whose incidental salesperson Jasmine proved to be very effective. I wound up making an unexpected earring purchase because of her! :))
I was also privileged to meet dolphin-saver Maye Padilla!
Yes, she’s one of those responsible for spreading the message of love for dolphins on our otherwise drab and dreary city walls. So cool to meet the person who has unknowingly seared the familiar image of these adorable sea mammals in my brain. I just love and support all efforts that encourage us menace-to-the-Earth humans to become more conscious about how our actions impact the earth and all the creatures that inhabit it. Yay!
There was also a tiny table selling pretty potted plants, but I just recently killed one, so I thought to spare a life of another and not buy one right now. But I love how the owner adopted a concept similar to Honesty Cafe in Batanes (though I haven’t gone there, I just heard about it). Read!
And more than the sellers, I just loved the look of 10-A Alabama. :D
I just love places that aren’t brand new or too crisp and clean-looking. I just feel that some age and wearing down adds more character to furniture / interiors, so yeah. I think that’s why I was hoping to see more furniture.Check out the below photo! Quite Anteroom Sessions-esque!
There was a bunch of other sellers I wasn’t able to take pictures of, or include in this post, but you can view some other pictures I took here.
Anyway, the next 10-A Alabama Arts and Crafts Fair will be on Dec. 10-11, the same weekend of the Port 88 Christmas Bazaar at Megatent (Punchdrunk Panda will be participating at Port 88!), so make sure to allot time for both events that weekend! :D
Buy your Christmas giiiiiifts!!
HO HO HO-ing,
Jen
