The First Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival

Over the weekend, me and and a bunch of friends traveled to Puerto Galera to take part of the Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival. It was spectacular see this unique concert venue situated on top of mountain.  Here I am hitching a ride with wooden lizard which by the way is a work of art. We're riding down to the grassy amphitheater below.

There were a lot of interesting art pieces to be found at the festival. They even constructed a Mangyan Village where artists could sleepover for the night. Billy Bonnevie, a friendly resident artist, would sit down and give you lessons on village life and music. I dig his threads.

I wish I could look as funky wearing something like that. But I do love this sarong dress that I picked up from the market beside our resort. It's a steal of P180 plus it matches my necklace perfectly.

 

 

I was there to support one of the organizers, Olivia d'Aboville, who also happens to be an artist. She works with discarded plastics and dramatic lighting to create stunning visual statements. You can tell what these are made off. It was wrapped around a tree and lit in blue. 

Olivia's family set this up to support the Mangyans, comprised of the eight indigenous groups found in Mindoro. They used to inhabit the shores of the island but were driven higher and higher up the mountains to preserve their way of life. Now that development is so widespread, it may just encroach upon them again. So where are they to go? I think some of the art tried to communicate those issues.  

Serious concerns aside, the event was so much fun to be a part of. The nights were breezy, the people were warm, and the vibe was chill.  On the first night, the full moon shone bright like nature's big nighlight. I loved the organic feel of it all. How I could just head over to the Tree Bar and get some drinks, lay there and take in the music, or  jump to my feet and start dancing. 

The only thing that I would suggest they improve on would be the music selection which had too many genres. You'd be feeling the groove of world music but then it'd be followed up by some abstract techno. It kind of killed the buzz for some music lovers. However, I discovered a new band that I liked. Kadangyan. Their sound is has that Filipino island beat but mixed in with modern music. They used indigenous instruments and wore traditional garments. Alavet.

The best trip of the year so far. It really reminded of why I loved going out of town. This is me with my half frown and the "Tibetan" bag from I got from Beijing (A reminder of the need to help our disenfranchised cultures. How apt.) How I wish I could have stayed in that hut for a little while longer.

The Story of My Tamburin

On my previous entry, I proudly showed off my tamburin necklace and it made think about when my fascination with it began.  I got this photo from an encyclopedia. I almost bought a cross with this "tinik" design. Instead, I ended up buying a more traditional "pineapple" tamburin.

The first time I saw a tamburin up close was when I was a Mabuhay guide. The owner of Tesoro's Handicrafts was telling us about the beauty of pinya cloth and other special finds in the Philippines. There she was standing regally, in a simple starched barong blouse accessorized with a beautiful gold tamburin necklace and matching pearl earrings. She looked so chic that the image of her and her necklace stayed with me. It looked kind of like this...

 

I got this off someone's Flickr. So pretty!

Upon researching, I found out that the gold necklace was no ordinary piece of jewelery. It was an antique that could cost up to P250,000. The way of making it involved techniques that are no longer used because goldsmiths don't know how to replicate it. Thus, I was ecstatic to have found my tamburin at a reasonable price. Though if you look at the photos on my previous entry, it’s quite simple compared to the ones featured here. Also, mine is gold-plated. The best tamburins are made from 100% gold. The more intricate the design, the wealthier the owner.

I’m not sure if I want to believe the saleslady who sold me mine but she said that all tamburins are atleast 100 years old. I wonder who mine belonged to. I love a good story to go with my jewelery and how I wish mine was passed down to me by my grandma. Then she would tell me of how it was passed on to her by a devout mestiza woman who wore it everyday after she was gifted it by a Spanish merchant.

I can dream right?

But I’m just happy I can pass something on to my future grandchildren. With my tamburin, I will tell them the story of how our great ancestors were gold fiends. They used to make everything out of gold: from their pots to their bangles to their chastity protectors.

Back for Love. Back to Blog.

I haven’t updated my blog in forever. The culprit - a little friendly criticism. A good friend gave an honest assessment of my blog and it opened up a deep cavern of doubt on the direction the blog was taking. So I took time to try and answer questions like, “why do I blog?”,  “what do I want to achieve with this? “, and “what’s my theme?”.  To be honest, I’m not sure. But I realized that I’m content trying to figuring it out. I just love sharing what I find interesting about Filipino culture. This year, I resume blogging on Valentine’s. Because I'm corny and symbolic like that. And I'd like to believe that when you love something, you step up to the plate even if you’re uncertain, because you have faith that you’re leading up to something great.

(That being said, I somehow made it to finalist at the Philippine Blog Awards. Check out the snazzy banner on the right. Despite my blog lacking a recurrent theme, I think that some people enjoyed it. Thanks so much guys. Your encouraging comments mean a lot.)

I’m leaving you all with some photos that I was supposed to post last year. One of my favorite pieces of jewelery is this tambourine necklace which I bought at a shop in Megamall. It’s gold-plated silver and was all the rage for pious women during the Spanish times. I whipped up a matching outfit for it- something to carry it out from antiquity.

Tambourine necklace. A blue reworked vintage dress. Melissa Vivienne Westwood pumps. A woven beret I got from Kultura. Thank you to the uber talented Kaity Chua for the photos.

Happy Valentines everyone!

Gigzilla Posters from JP Cuison

   

JP Cuison, advertising wonder kid, rock star, and and artist extraordinaire has released his gig posters to the wild. So now you can have a piece of his zaniness for you very own. Get it at Secret Fresh at the Ronac Art Center.

I got this Rizal Cyborg silk screen and I consider it one my best art purchases. I'm not going to say for how much but these posters are retailing for P2,500. Not too bad if you've scanned how much some art pieces are going for nowadays. 

What I really like about JP (aside from his killer Robin Padilla impersonations) is that he's managed to make our Filipino jeepney aesthetic cool. The jeepney aesthetic is a fantastically confused artform that's a hodgepodge of anything and everything we like. Look at the side of any jeepney and you'll see what I'm talking about. Filipinos just have this need to put their faith, their love for anime, a portrait of their first born, and anything they fancy in one canvas for all to see. JP's work is about turning over popular symbols by infusing it with unrelated imagery. Sometimes, it turns out ironic. Sometimes, it's just plain strange. Either way, it's electric. 

Oh, they're also selling toys from JP Cuison and other artists.

Mich Dulce Design Talk at Ayala Museum

I'm a huge fan of Mich Dulce. She's always had a quirky distinctive style that's reminiscent of the good old days when women were proper, men smoked cigars, and tailored clothing was the norm. Not to say that her work is vintage because the structure and the cuts are very modern.

Stylish, demure, with a little wacky sewn in. That's Mich Dulce for me. One of my favorite Mich Dulce designs had this detailed print on it. (Btw, that's Bryanboy modeling it.)

Upon closer inspection, you'll see that the women are being very naughty indeed. Lately, Mich Dulce has been experimenting with hats and corsets. Her invite for Ayala defines her as designer, milliner, and corsetiere. (They forgot to put in vocalist and one time reality TV star.)

Award-winning fashion designer, milliner and corsetiere Mich Dulce invites you to her talk at the Ayala Museum this November 6, 2010.Trained at Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion, and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Mich Dulce will take you through her design process that has produced critically acclaimed pieces that push the boundaries of creativity.
Admission to the talk is PHP 125 for students, PHP 200 for teachers, senior citizens and Ayala Museum members, and PHP 300 for other adults.

To reserve call 757-7117 local 29 or email education@ayalamuseum.org.

Ingenious Advertising Activation by St. Peter Memorial Chapel

Brave Use of Coffin as Advertisement by St Peter Memorial Chapel

I work in an ad agency where we often pass around ads we think are particularly clever or insightful. Today, our big boss emailed this to us hailing it the "Ad of the Month". He was kidding. I think. Well, it made me laugh because despite its somewhat crude and morbid nature, it encapsulates how Filipinos view death. It's certainly not the end so why be so mopey about it? Most of the wakes I've been too had riotous moments of uncontrollable laughter. Even the most tragic ones had a point when we were all chugging down alcohol and recalling the funny situations we had shared. Filipino wakes are notorious occasions for gambling and karaoke singing. Weddings and deaths are really the big events that bring families together so why not make the most of it?

Our Creative Director for Digital says that St. Peter really does go out of their way to be innovative. They're the first ones to come out with the e-burol (translated to e-wake) so that loved ones from abroad don't have to miss out. Here's their website: St. Peter Memorial Chapel

Tabi Tabi Po: A List of Unusual Filipino Monsters

I'm a collector of Filipino illustrated childrens' books and I was so happy to have stumbled upon this little gem entitled, "Mga Tambay sa Tabi-Tabi: Creature of Philippine Folklore". It's basically a compilation of Philippine mythical creatures and monsters. Each creature is re-imagined by an artist and is brought to life by a poem and a description. On the cover, you can see the more popular creatures like a manananggal, a tiyanak, a vampire, and a white lady to name a few. But just flip through its pages, and you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn that there are more. So much more. 

Take the Alan, which I've never heard of before. It's a winged elf or a disfigured spirit. It can make babies from a drop of menstrual blood. Eeeww! But it can also bring miscarried fetuses back to life.  Another version of the Alan is a winged ogre that feeds on people.

The Bakunawa is a huge sea monster that is somewhat like a fish meshed with a shark. For our Filipino ancestors, it epitomized evil with it's lake-sized mouth, gills,  and coarse whiskers. It is said to be the culprit of eclipses because it sometimes swallows the sun or the moon. 

An Agta is similar to a kapre. It is a giant hairy creature that likes smoking cigars on top of a tree. But the main difference is that he likes to lure beautiful maidens into the woods. The only way to be free is to poke and burn his privates. Teehee.

The Tahamaling is a spirit dweller that protects the forest. Upon entering her domain, you have to say "Makikiraan po" (excuse me) in order not to disturb her. She has reddish skin with long flowing hair and a very moody disposition making her both an ally and an enemy.

I've always been confused by the siyokoy. As a child, I believed that it was the opposite of the sirena.
Instead of having the legs of a fish, the siyokoy has the head of the fish (and the legs of a man). That seems not to be the case in this book where it is described as having a scaly torso. It surfaces during floods so beware this rainy season.

 

The Wakwak is like a manananggal because she can half herself. But she has a preference for eating fetuses and thus drools at the sight of pregnant woman. Her name is derived from the "wakwak" sound her wings make when she flies up to the roof of your house. 

I love this book. I think some children would not dare pick up a real encyclopedia of Filipino monsters because it simply is too frightening. This book elicits more chuckles than screams.  As a child, I was always more afraid of the monsters I saw in, "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" rather than from movies like "the Exorcist" or "Poltergeist". Maybe something in our psyche makes homegrown monsters more sinister. As of writing this, I just saw a friend's FB page saying that she saw something jump from one side of the road to another. It was leathery with flowing white hair. Yikes!

Happy Halloween everyone!