Exciting! The word of the day as Manila Design Week created a bustle of activity last Saturday, transforming Bonifacio High Street into an interactive, play-by-play art gallery. For the launch of this pioneer event, an overwhelming atmosphere buzzed with electricity as artists and kibitzers, and vice-versa amassed to celebrate what organizers envision as a landmark movement in Philippine art and design.
Team Manila’s tandem of Mon Punzalan and Jowee Alviar both expressed their delight at the obvious success of the launch. “Gusto naming ma-involve ang mga graphic designers, para maging united ang industry. (Our aim is to involve graphic designers to form a united industry.) We have allotted each day to different forms: graffiti, music, motion graphics, (advertising) agency, photography, and styling, with Graphika Manila as the culminating event that features design icon Stefan Sagmeister,” said Punzalan.
To acknowledge the wealth of talent in the young designers, Manila Design Week has Tuesday, August 11 assigned to showcase about a hundred works submitted by school organizations all over. According to Alviar, “Students are a growing community. Ateneo de Manila University has a course in design that is growing and the College of St. Benilde is a big school, but (the schools) should be involved more. Kids are still doing it on their own through blogs and websites, but we want them to be more involved. Manila Design Week is meant to gather them, to give them a voice and step up into the graphic design scene.”
Murals featuring diverse methods and forms: doodles, spray paint and mixed media, developed minute after minute, the art pieces looking new and fresh every time. Participating artists included graphic design houses Electrolychee, PSP, 2720 and Wee Will Doodle, music artist-art director Caliph8 and KST visiting U.S. street artist Ron English.
English, who first came to Manila during the Toy Box tour, is known as “the godfather of Agit-Pop.” Asked about the crop of Pinoy talents he has seen so far, English admitted being impressed, “especially with the doodle artists who are incredible, exciting, fast and so talented.” He also acknowledged that, “the young artists now are way better than when I was young. It’s nice for the older generation because they weren’t really recognized then, and despite the young artists now being more talented, they give a lot of respect to the older artists by recognizing them as pioneers.”
For Bryan Kong, Brand Manager of Bratpack, sponsoring Manila Design Week has been a success with people and celebrities attending to celebrate art and street culture. “Art is Bratpack’s advocacy: the support of local music, local artists and graphic designers, to bring Pinoy culture with that sort of feel and authenticity.”
According to Alviar, “The basic premise of Manila Design Week is to provide a forum for Pinoy artists, then go from local to international. All the materials (will be collated) and shown to the international community to feature Manila in one event.”
Gauging by the opening, Manila Design Week hardly look like a debut. As English expressed, “I cannot believe that this is the first year—it seems like this has been going on for many years.”
adobo magazine co-presents Manila Design Week: Design Dialogue on Wednesday, August 12 at Greenbelt 3 My Cinema, from 4 to 7PM. For additional information, www.maniladesignweek.com.
< width="250" vspace="5" hspace="5" height="188" border="0" align="right" alt="" src=" s-DSCF7046. " />Day 1: Public Art
August 8 Saturday / 4pm / Bonifacio High Street Grounds
MDW starts off with Public Art, an outdoor tarpaulin banner exhibit of 50 artworks along 5th Avenue and 11th Street in Bonifacio Global City. A live art show with murals painted by local design collectives. A Nokia/Mindstyle DIY recycling center offering free Ron English bags made out of recycled tarp in exchange for old phones. A concert with Up Dharma Down, Taken By Cars andTechy Romantics. All of this, and you, shall officially kick off MDW at Bonifacio High Street. From 4PM onwards.
The finished murals shall be exhibited until August 15, 2009 for the viewing public, along with the outdoor exhibit of banner artworks. At event close, these tarp banners shall be taken down, recycled and reworked to limited edition tarp bags to be sold at Team Manila and Bratpacks stores. Proceeds of which shall go to various organizations supporting our environment.
Day 2: Creative Collaboration
August 10 Monday / 8pm / Greenbelt 5 Gallery
Day two is a fashion photography exhibit called Creative Collaboration held Monday, August 10, 8PM at the Greenbelt 5 Gallery, featuring the works of 40 of the biggest names in the fashion and design world, supported by Nokia 6700 classic. Grouped into 8 teams, all of them have explored the theme Beautiful Functional, the two basic tenets of graphic design. Exhibit runs until August 15, 2009.This month’s Summit Media Magazines (Candy, FHM, Preview and Cosmo) shall distribute posters from each team as “calling cards” for the exhibit.
< width="188" vspace="5" hspace="5" height="250" border="0" align="left" alt="" src=" s-DSCF7029. " />Day 3: Future Design
August 11 Tuesday / 630 Pm / Glorietta 5 Atrium
Future Design, the student art exhibit, shall present over a hundred original artworks in the form of shirt designs from schools around the metro on Tuesday, August 11 at Glorietta 5 Atrium. The idea is to give the young talent a voice and a platform, hence the theme, MESSAGE FROM THE FUTURE. The winning shirt designs will be produced by Team Manila to be sold at the various Team Manila and Bratpack stores. A flashmob, featuring Wee Will Doodle, is open to anyone who wants to join and comes armed with markers and a white t-shirt to draw on, will get together at exactly 6:30 pm to mark the occasion by drawing, together.
Day 4: Design Dialogue
August 12 Wednesday / 4pm-7pm / Greenbelt 3 My Cinema
The next event is Design Dialogue on August 12 at Greenbelt 3 My Cinema: an intimate and select gathering of designers, creatives, communicators and public figures that shall result in a plan to brand the Philippines in a relevant and positive way, both locally and overseas. Moderated by Robert Alejandro and facilitated by Angel Guerrero of adobo magazine, this conference shall launch the 20/20 project: a 20-point Manifesto written by Design Dialogue’s panelists and guests, and the 20-question Democreated Philippines project, supported by Democreated Brand International. The 20/20 Project shall be open to the public after Design Dialogue.
< width="250" vspace="5" hspace="5" height="188" border="0" align="right" alt="" src=" s-DSCF7041. " />Day 5: Cubao Experience
August 13 Thursday / 9pm / Cubao Expo
To showcase how graphic design has helped the Filipino music industry look the part, MDW has put together a bloc party and music art showcase at Cubao Expo on Thursday August 13. The event starts at 9 and features a wide array of activities, in true bloc party style. There is a concert headlined by Sandwich and Pedicab, a music video retrospective by Furball, a motion graphics and animation reel, record swapping, album art exhibits and Nokia’s XpressMusicHeadQuarters at Pablo Gallery. The XMHQ is a place where people decide what they want to listen to. All you need is your music phone or mp3 player to download free music, free album art for your phone and drink for free at SilentDisco, held every hour on the hour to connect people through music, while dancing, without words.
Day 6: Daily Grind
August 14 Friday / 9pm / Saguijo
On August 14 at the Team Manila Lifestyle store on Jupiter St., Manila Design Week 2009 ends its roster of activities with the fourth edition of Daily Grind Sessions. Expansions, a multimedia hiphop experiment pioneered by Caliph8 and Mark Zero, will provide the sounds and visuals. The creative community comes together for this closing party and segue to our second partner event, Graphika Manila.
Day 7: Graphika Manila
August 15 Saturday
Saturday, August 15 starts 10am at Graphika Manila, an international multimedia design conference brought to you by Nokia. This year’s guests include legendary graphic designer, Stefan Sagmeister, Industrial Light and Magic, Brand New School and local talent represented by Everywhere We Shoot, Springboard and adobo magazine. The after party will be held at Magnet Café, B3 Bonifacio High Street, at 7PM onwards, where you get to hang out with the day’s roster of speakers, including Stefan Sagmeister. Graphika Manila is an official partner of Manila Design Week.
