03 February 2013

work in progress


2012 couldn't end any better that before it passed on to 2013, i decided to take part in in a small exhibition project despite knowing that i might deliver in a few weeks after that. the "Work in Progress" (WIP) is expected to close on the 15th of January 2013, roughly a month after the initial meeting that 15th of December 2012. 

WIP is a sort of creative collaboration of every person who is part (and commits!) of the planned WIP. the gallery where the work is to be curated and exhibited will serve as the studio in the duration of the work. In the very first invitational meeting we had, without batting an eyelash, almost every one in the small gallery raised their hand when asked who'd be interested to participate in WIP. in the first official meeting, the number was trimmed down to about 70-80%. the project finished with ten (10) participants. i think 11 completed but one was rejected due to incoherence -- he submitted a  totally different work, totally unrelated to the concept he originally presented. 

in the month-long process, i was able to come up with 3 pieces of "manipulated" photographs (for lack of term--i really don;t know how to call them) and one installation piece. My proposed project was to document a colleague's progress using photography and supplement the documentation with stories. i originally wanted to make a daily progress documentation sort of project but changed due to the nature of the colleague's own project*

as in most works, people always wish they had more time or had managed their time wisely. i wanted to say i wish i did, too because in the last last days of December and the first two weeks of January, i became practically useless and unable to work, just as when i had all the concepts laid out. I sort of planned those days to be the execution days. in retrospect, i would have followed a different work program/plan of execution. i would have done it, one at a time: research a little, make a trial execution, move on to another if the initial trial works, repeat if it doesn't. In actuality, what i did was, i a lot of time working on my concepts only to bump into a dead end when it was time for me to test it.

but all is well that ends well. my art teacher (also one of the convenors of the wip) was very happy of the outcome of my work (and gave his "graduation" blessing to me) because little, if none, was lost in the transition and translation of my ideas into a tangible art piece (see below). 


Character Studies: I

Character Studies: II

Character Studies: III

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*the colleague spent 60% of his time in the studio researching and i had nothing much to document on a daily basis. Add to that the fact that the agreed working arrangement between me and the convenor was that i would (probably) spend majority of my work hours outside because of my day job. i committed to spending at least four hours of Saturdays in the studio/gallery to work on my "progress". 


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The exhibit for the Work in Progress can be viewed at the Cinematheque Iloilo Gallery
from January 15-February 15, 2013
below is the facebook link for the details:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151137271871682.436822.601866681&type=1

04 January 2013

we have got a new baby.

four pictures for first 48 hours of Duduy's life. 


and finally he is out!
January 2, 2013, 9:43 am
first 30 minutes outside the tummy. from tummy and immediately to me. 


post-first bath. 24 hours outside tummy.
labor was fact. i was already 3 cm when i went to the hospital, 3:30 am.
then they wheleed me to the labor room at 5:30 am when i was around 5 cm.

Manong meeting the baby Duduy the first time. 

on January 3, Manong Gogol went back to Iloilo to meet the new brother.
he started patting the head. thought it was the best thing that can put this little thing easily back to sleep. just like that. how big the gogol is. how small the duduy is. the comparative scale is incredulous.


and his first day home.


and he is adorable just like that. 

05 December 2012

Photos: Abandoned Architecture

I got a good deal on negative scanning from the local film processing shop that's been my favorite of the late. I discontinued having my films processed at the other shop (the one that gives free pro-image for every processing and contact printing job ordered) upon my discovery of another kodak shop that sells kodak pro-image in boxes of fives (at PhP 80.00 each roll--roughly $1.50).

With the option of cheap scanning i had my 20 rolls of negatives digitally scanned. I was charged PhP70.00 for burning fee of everything, and i think some PHP10.00 for scanning of each roll of negative.

With my 19-month worth of pictures digitally converted i was able to make a sort of collection of my small projects, one of them is the collection of pictures on abandoned architecture all over Iloilo City. They're not much as i'm still a little apprehensive about trespassing in these abandoned spaces.

Keith discovered a blog of an urban ex named bradley garret who built his post-grad academic life around this terrific project:
http://www.bradleygarrett.com/blog/

and the link to the blog he dedicated to place hacking: http://www.placehacking.co.uk/

(given my inexperience, i'll still admit urban exploration will be very difficult with film cameras but who knows.)
someday, i'll do this, too.


and to the pictures:





















FIN.

27 October 2012

photo post in digital.

Kid left for vacation today and he'll be gone for a little more than a week.
on the list: take, process, drool over photos.

but before anything, random pictures from the digital camera.













Keith and I haven't been back to the regular sessions of our art class since May. I started getting really busy in May then was again absent for 2 weekends (in about 3 weeks duration) on a work-related trip to Canada. In july, work on the Studio Practice were at its height and our art teacher also got busy with his upcoming exhibits in places outside Iloilo but while I was absent though, art teacher and Keith met regularly to check on the progress of Studio Practice. At this time, the studio is almost done (art teacher had tried camping inside, actually). The last i visited the place in a month ago, the slabs are done and it only needed installation of the plywood at one section of the wall (i'm terrible at directions--have no idea if it's north, south, east or west wall). we're still thinking of leaving it "open" for the light but Iloilo is gets very wet sometimes and we don't want to compromise the previous works inside. for the updates, the gallery owner Rock Drilon has visited Studio Practice, art teacher informed. and because of that he's really pumped to start on with the installation/architectural project for the indigenous people of central panay. He and Keith might visit the uplands next month and it's too bad by then it'd be very impossible for me to be going with them. 

At this point, i think i'm done with the kindergarten level of art class but i'm not yet sure if i'm ready to do something a notch higher. The project (the dayjob) i'm currently engaged in is ending in March 2013 and after that i'm not really sure what will happen. We're expected to close office in June 2013, but there were some "good news" that we might extend a little for a few more months (due to our overperformance--and that is probably true) and the low burn rate of our colleagues in the opposite part of the world. Then there are other potential engagements in line, not final but when it becomes, there is a possibility that i'd have to relocate to the south. I'm still haven't thought much about the relocation part but is excited of working in other cities. 

what i really do want now is go back to taking pictures and learn to use the full potential of my 35mm. i have been reading through posts of film photographers (thomas locke hobbes has been very inspiring) and i'm very much willing to learn the technicalities of (film) photography if i see a chance. Keith has also invited me to bike across Panay as soon as the new baby learned to walk (the new baby i have yet to give birth to in January). but before that, i have yet to purchase a bike. I'm thinking of getting an urban bike (99% of the time i'll be using it for commuting to work and for grocery shopping--and going around with the kids if i do find a good kids trailer) but if i do take Keith's invitation, i might just as well scrap the idea of an urban bike and get a good road or mountain bike instead (that will be a lot pricier though).

So while i wait to spill this big bean out of my belly, everything's planned ahead: the bike, the self-teaching in using my 35 mm. (and maybe finish what i've been writing and decide on the concepts for the exhibit that art teacher has been prodding us).





04 October 2012

list of putograpers


1. http://www.julianroeder.com/workdetail/THE+SUMMITS/18
2. http://www.taylorglennphoto.com
3. http://www.christopherchurchill.com/
4. http://www.thomaslockehobbs.com/ - american photographer in argentina. uses medium format range and others. basta film.has a great blog: http://thomaslockehobbs.wordpress.com/
makes me wanna go to argentina. patagonia. somewhere latin.
5. Mariano Brizzola, flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marianomio/ - 35 mm guy.
6. Luis Carlos Towar: fine art of photography, hisamuch: http://luiscarlostovar.com/
7. Adrian portugal: http://www.supayfotos.com/ingles/adrian.html, from Peru.
8. Alejandro cartagena:  http://www.alejandrocartagena.blogspot.com, his blog and this, his photo site: http://alejandrocartagena.com/
9.