Local Expert
Knox Balbastro
Having grown up outside the Philippines, Knox was raised on a diet of Macaulay Culkin movies, Barbie dreams, and the sounds of MTV. When she returned to the Philippines during her teens, she began to…
Having grown up outside the Philippines, Knox was raised on a diet of Macaulay Culkin movies, Barbie dreams, and the sounds of MTV. When she returned to the Philippines during her teens, she began to seek out a distinctly Pinoy culture. So far, she loves what she’s seeing. Manila for her is a fertile ground for art, music, fashion, and fun. Living in a little known, third world country definitely has its perks. Adventures are affordable and discovery doesn’t come in the usual package.
Her best advice for travellers new to the Philippines is to go out on the streets where faces, traffic, and landscape can create a collage of experiences that’s gritty and real.
Knox is a 24 year-old dreamer who also happens to be an advertising copywriter. She loves to travel and dreams of bag packing throughout the entire Philippine Archipelago. She hopes that through this blog, people all over the world will find a reason to drop by.
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This Week in Manila: June 16
My three hand-picked gimmicks of the week.
1) Laughology 101
June 16 & 30, 7:30PM, Spicy Fingers, Greenbelt 2, Makati
Circle Entertainment presents, “Laughology 101” with Tim Tayag and Mike Unson featuring The Comedy Cartel. Tickets are Php150, but it’s definitely a steal considering that there aren’t a lot of standup comics to come around. The comedy of choice in this country is slapstick in nature so people, who have the ability to stay still and still be funny, is refreshing. Laugh your pants off as this group of passionate comics share their brand of humor. Most of them speak in English so foreigners can most definitely join in.
Contact Rochelle at 0632-533-9316 for more information or reservations.
2) Hervieu-Montalvo’s Bossa Fotaka
June 22 at 8PM, Cultural Center of the Philippines.
The French Spring is almost over but before it ends, be sure to catch La Bossa Fataka, a fusion of visual art and dance that seems like an exhilarating way to spend a lazy Sunday.
“Using extensive visual effects, La Bossa Fataka is a journey into the imaginery world of J.P Rameau, compositor at the court of King Louis XV. Extravagant and poetic, this combination of dance and video installation will leave you and your family dreaming.
Hip-hop, ballet, contemporary and African dancers as well as elephants, rabbits and kangaroos – romp, parade and play ping-pong among the projected images. It is surprising and beautiful, doubling our imaginative pleasure and transporting us inside the hedonist philosophy and the music of Jean- Philippe Rameau. The title of the work associates the joyous irreverence of La Bossa Fataka, a phonetic poem by the founder of the Dada movement, Hugo Ball, and the famous 18th century composer. It proclaims the blending of genres, colors and times and lets us peek at the jubilation and extravagance it sets in motion. Borne by the music, the virtuoso dancers fly between dream and reality, gamboling freely at full speed between the Chateau de Versailles and the grey towers of Créteil.-“ (Text taken from http://www.alliance.ph/)
Check out http://www.alliance.ph/ for more details.
Tickets available at CCP Box Office, Ticketworld 891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.ph, and Alliance Française 895-7883.
3) Sleeping White Elephants
June 7 to July 2, 2008, 10:00am to 6:00pm, 210 Loring St., Pasay City.
Though, I haven’t had the chance to see photographer, Kidlat de Guia’s works in an exhibit , the photographs I’ve see online intrigue me. So does his art rockstar lineage. Being the son of independendent filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik, Kidlat de Guia was born into great expectation. As a documentary filmmaker, he has done great things with NGOs and international development aid groups. However, this is his first solo show with Galleria Duemila. Let’s go and see if he delivers.
“The bay windows from Kidlat De Guia’s breakfast nook offer him a distant yet clear view of an abandoned and unfinished 40-storey high-rise. He has always been struck by the prevalence of these monoliths in the metropolis, just sitting there in space and collecting dust. When asked to produce a series of photographs for a workshop he took under German photographer Peter Bialobrzeski dealing with the theme of urbanity, he saw it as an opportunity to document these sleeping white elephants that are monstrosities in both size and the waste they represent---of space, material, money, and potential.
Shooting the images of these abandoned buildings with a digital camera, Kidlat manipulates each frame in order to darken the skies and enhance the texture of the buildings. Using the computer as his darkroom, he creates an ominous backdrop that brings our attention more directly to the stark monstrosity each building has become, an experience akin to watching a B-movie horror flick, our eyes drawn to and held by the blood-soaked screen even as we are filled with revulsion at the events unfolding before us. The abandoned behemoths seem to lie in wait, undaunted by years of neglect, portents of gloom in which they may play a direct role.” ( Text taken from an article by Lissa Romero at http://www.galleriaduemila.com)
For more information call (632) 831-9990 or (632) 833-9815
Website: www.galleriaduemila.com