LIVIN' LA IMELDA GOES TO TORONTO...

KAPISANAN/THE LIVING ROOM UPDATE...

I'm reading the ProjectBalikbayan blog again. A review of Manila Transitio 1945. Thanks guys!

Log onto www.projectbalikbayan.wordpress.com here.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN...

TORONTO CALLING...

Kindly allow me to introduce you all to the current artists-in-residence, KAPISANAN members Alex Felipe (left) and Vince Galvez (right), two photographer/film-makers from Toronto.

Which is in Canada.

We look forward to seeing what they come up with during their four months in the Philippines. Stay tuned to this space for updates.

And log onto their blog for their points of view and what they have been through:

www.balikbayanproject.wordpress.com

MANILA TRANSITIO 1945

MANILA TRANSITIO 1945

FEBRUARY 27, 2010
SATURDAY

TOUR 6:30PM - MEET at the MANILA CATHEDRAL
MANILA TRANSITIO 1945 ART EVENT 8:30PM - FORT SANTIAGO

In February of 1945, the City of Manila was completely destroyed in a battle between the United States Armed Forces and the Japanese Imperial Army. An estimated 120,000 people were lost and our beloved City of Manila was never the same again.

This February 27th, To mark the 65th Anniversary of the Battle of Manila,Intramuros Administration and Carlos Celdran, will present the 2nd TRANSITIO MANILA 1945. This art event hopes to become an annual commemoration/memorial where we as Manilenos may reflect upon the passing of this event in our history. The evening will start with a sunset fundraiser tour of Intramuros at 6:30. Art installations and performances will follow at the Fort Santiago at 8:30pm. The evening will be highlighted by the release of spirit balloons by the gates of Fort Santiago. A reasonably priced buffet and refreshment will be available. Picnic baskets are allowed.

EVENINGS ACTIVITIES AND COSTS:

TOUR
6:30PM
I will be holding a SPECIAL sunset tour of Intramuros. It will be a bigger show than the usual. The tour will be followed by a special party at Fort Santiago. Ticket holders to the tour will enter the party/picnic for free and recieve a free glass of VUQO. Tour starts at 6:30PM - Please arrive earlier than that. Tour ends at 8:30PM
Php1,000.00.

Assembly point is Plaza Roma in front of Manila Cathedral.
Proceeds will go towards the procurement of scooter bikes for the Intramuros Kabayan Security Force (An NGO).

Hope to see you there!


MANILA TRANSITIO 1945 ART EVENT
8:30PM
Gates open by 7:30PM
The evening will start with music by Junjie Lerma, Caliph8, and P.G. in the gardens fronting the moat. It will be followed by Flamenco music and dance by Yerbaguena Centro Flamenco.

The evening will be highlighted by the release of spirit balloons at the gates of Fort Santiago (video above).

The evening will be capped by readings about the Liberation of Manila curated by Mabi David. Works will be read by Oliver Ortega, Erwin Lareza, Lawrence Bernabe, and Mesandel Virtusio Arguelles. There will also be a collaborative performance by Donna Miranda and Angelo Suarez.

Around the Fort Santiago grounds and Intramuros will be an exhibition of art installations by Denis Lagdameo, Reg Yuson, Tad Ermitano & Team Manila. Current artists in residence at the Living Room Vince Galvez and Alex Felipe of Kapisanan Toronto will also present a video work specially made for the evening.

Feel free to pack your own picnic basket and set up a blanket in the grass to watch the performances. A reasonably priced buffet (Php450.00) by Ilustrado Restaurant will be available for those who do not bring their own food.

Vuqo Vodka will be available free of charge and wines from PREMIER wines and spirits will be for sale.

Etrance to this event only is Php250.00 with a free drink.

*Please stay posted for updates on participation of more artists.

Text 920 9092021 to make reservations (Lesley)
or email celdrantours@hotmail.com

Please indicate on text whether you are reserving
for TOUR alone or TOUR/PARTY or PARTY only.

WORK! WORK! WORK!

KAPISANAN, the premier Philippine arts/cultural organization of Toronto, has recently received funding to create a brand new website. They are seeking illustrators to support it's overall vision and art direction. The chosen illustrator will be working under the Creative Director (Christine Mangosing - www.christinemangosing.com).

We are looking for 3 main illustrations (to represent 3 main sections of the site) which we will be taking pieces of to complete the overall look of the entire website.

The illustrations created will visually represent the KAPISANAN Centre and should evoke the mood/ambience/energy of the Centre and its people through the recommended styles described below to be used as the foundation of the new design for www.kapisanancentre.com.

STYLE PEGS:

• Point of reference is Scandinavian folk art, as adapted by illustrator Sanna Annukka (http://www.sanna-annukka.com/ or images also attached)

• Make use of the simplified forms (icons), repetition and organic flow of elements characteristic of the style, while incorporating elements specific to Philippine culture.

Make use of:

- flora and fauna native to the Philippines (ie. sampaguita, gumamela (hibiscus), anahaw palm leaves, santan, waling-waling, pineapples, papayas, mangoes, etc)

- native food/animals ( ie. roosters, pigs, carabaos, etc)

- stylistic elements found in architecture, furniture and textiles from both indigenous and post-Spanish culture (ie. T'boli tribe (below) t'nalak patterns, embroidery on barongs, geometric tattoo patterns from northern Luzon mountain tribes, Philippine Art Nouveau embroidery and decor from the turn of the century (EXAMPLE: THE Manila Metropolitan Theater (above), etc)

- objects common to the daily life of a Filipino (paypay (fan), banig, fork + spoon, jeepney, tricycle, rice cooker, etc)

BE CREATIVE, make it your own, make it FILIPINO, do your research, have fun!

Illustrations can be hand-drawn/hand-made using media of your choice (as long as it can be digitized and further manipulated -- scanned and vectorized) or digitally re-produced.

Please contact caroline@kapisanancentre.com if you are interested in this job.

Thanks!

WHEE! WHEE! WHEE!

There is a great article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer about my performance in Toronto for Kapisanan last May. Just came out this morning. Thanks a million, Harriet. Thanks a million, Kapisanan.

And on an not so similar but artistic note, WOW. Check out Andres Amador's work.

I'm all over art like that.

WHEE! WHEE! WHEE!

Kapisanan presents: If these Walls Could Talk by Carlos Celdran from rj leveriza on Vimeo.

Thanks Kapisanan and RJ Leveriza for the great feature 

on the performance of "If These Walls Could Talk" in Toronto.

May 22 - 23, 2009.

WHEE! WHEE! WHEE!

I can't complain. I have been here in Toronto for less than a month and already I was able to swing an interview on CBC 99.1 (Here and Now) to talk about my work and about Manila. It was a short, sweet, but primetime interview @ four pm (Thanks Tori Allen once again). I actually got a few people to come to the show just because they heard the broadcast.

And now I find out that my picture (along with my super friend and Tesa's BFF, Lee (Poch) Chapman) came out in the website of Spacings Toronto Magazine. We were at the Toronto the Good party at The Distillery and our photo was taken by Filipino-Canadian snapster Rannie Turingan. See the article here and the full photo set here. I also had the pleasure of meeting Sean Micallef, (below) the man behind Spacing Toronto Magazine, Toronto the Good Party, and Murmur. I find his interests in creating a spirit for Toronto and using cellphones to tell stories about historical spots rather inspiring. Manila could use someone like him.

And on the more localized front, a couple of nights ago, I finally had the pleasure of meeting Brian Gorrell of the Pure Advocacy blog. Now we didn't talk about anyone bitchily let it be known (or at least not loudly). We just had a great time chatting & hanging out at the closing of Mateo Guez's show at Stephen Bulger Gallery on Queen Street. Brian and I have a lot in common it seems. We have tons of common friends, we both are very hyperactive and we both have an unexplainable passion for the Philippines. Watch the trailer of Mateo's soon to be released movie, "Off World" here.

Me trying to do my cool cat look with Brian. If I look thinner, it's only because I just finished biking 25 kilometers around all of Toronto that day. Oh, and my show, "If These Walls Could Talk" was also on the listings of BlogTO.

TORONTO CALLING 5...

ART AND ARCHITECTURE AGO-GO...
This is Carlos Celdran reporting from Frank Gehry's spanking new Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). Brave awe inspiring architecture. Still kinda unfinished but neverthless, amazing to behold.

Did you know he was Canadian? I didn't. I just thought he was brilliant.

TORONTO CALLING 4 and TALKING BACK...

And then it came to pass that I visited a cafe in the neighborhood called the Hotbox Cafe to have a glass of apple juice. I could describe the place to you in detail but I think the name says it all. It was a very cool place to say the least. Full of friendly hippy types and with a very lax smoking rule.

After visiting I took yet another walk around Toronto and noticed that the city not only had really interesting art to look at but brilliant words to say.

Way Cool, man. Way cool...

And after a brief walk through Trinity Bellwoods park to watch the dogs play, I headed back to um.. where was I again?

Oh yeah. I'm hungry. La la la la la...

TORONTO CALLING 3...

Caroline and I decided to take a walk to work yesterday. And aside from my aforementioned white elephant down the street, I realized that there was a hell of a lot of public art in Toronto to be seen. Some of it intentional, some of it not. I mean, my friend Daphne said that there was great art to see in TO, but I didn't realize how much.

And it seems that the elephant wasn't the only plaster animal on the block either.

And the art I saw wasn't only installed by institutions and government entities, I noticed that even private citizens were sharing their aesthetics with the world.

Outside a park near Yarmouth is a sculpture installed by a man who lived across the street from it. It's a "street lamp" I believe. Cute.

Some of the murals I saw on my way to The Kapisanan office.

A Philippine Princess Chair. I haven't seen one of these in years.

A cat on top of the world. There were lots of sculptures like this near the Chinatown area.

Wow.

I love any city that has a tram. I have yet to ride it and fulfill my streetcar desire though. The weather has just been too nice not to walk.

And finally, the Kapisanan Philippine Center at the end of Augusta Street in the Kensington Market area, a totally multi culti area of town filled with Latinos (my other peeps, whee), Koreans, Vietnamese, Thais, Portuguese, and what not. A perfect location for the cultural hybrid that is the Filipino. I even saw a Hungarian Thai restaurant called "Hungary Thai". Pad Thai and Schnitzel anyone? No seriously, I'm not kidding.

The lounge area, meeting table, and hall where I shall be working on props and doing rehearsals.

The Kapisanan board hard at work. I have to say that I am quite impressed by everyone that I have met here and am amazed by the Filipino-Canadian community spirit. The Kapisanan folk all seem to be competent, talented, and capable of multi-tasking and thinking out of the box. I mean, I am sure that there are some among them that could be an exception to the rule, but on the get go, they are all undeniably professional and have an exceptional work ethic. This is an org that is going to go far.

Next: I visit Hotbox Cafe...