Circle

UST SINGERS instructor Fidel Gener Calalang stamped his mark once more as a world-class conductor after sitting as the only Filipino jury in the 20th International Festival of Academic Choirs Competition (IFAS) in Pardubice, Czech Republic last July 1 to 8.

“There were many different artistic elements of sounds presented by the choirs, making the competition this year more diverse,” Calalang told the Varsitarian.

Calalang is not new in the business, as this was his second time to be invited as a member of the jury in IFAS. It also helps that the outstanding composer and conductor has been to many prestigious musical events in the world and has received many awards, such as the “best conductor” at the 2002 Tonen International Choral Competition in the Netherlands, and the top prize at the 1999 International Composers Competition in California, United States.

IN AN art world dominated by males, it is always refreshing to see women artists stepping up with their art-making and challenging the men in the latter’s own turf.

Held at the UST Museum of Arts and Sciences last July 8 to 12, the ”Flame of Asia” exhibit showcased the works of Asian women artists from Korea, Nepal, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.

Manga and graphic novels may dominate people’s concept of the comic book these days but the enduring mystique rests on more than just the flashy images of this ever-evolving medium.

This was the crux of “Cartooning and Comic Art: Catching Up in a Digital World,” held last July 12 at the Miguel de Benavides Library Auditorium of UST. The event was sponsored by the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre and the Philippine Association of Communication Educators together with the Varsitarian and the UST Department of Communication and Media Studies.

AMID global warming, measures to check excessive carbon emissions have become more pressing.

Recent findings from the US Energy Information Administration indicate that buildings are responsible for almost half of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually. Not only that, buildings also consume six times as much fossil fuel energy and produce six times as much GHG emissions as all cars and trucks combined.

Hence, the urgent need for the building industry to go green.

Green is in

FEW things in the world would inspire frantic album sales, with emotion being at the top of this scant list. Perhaps, American Idol (AI) winner David Cook uses emotion fact to its full extent in his 10-track solo album, Analog Heart.

Before shooting to AI stardom, Cook had a fledgling career as an underground artist. It was during this time when the Oklahoma native released his independent album, Analog Heart, recently made available online and now a favorite among AI fans.

MAKING a locally animated film at par with Disney productions has always been in the back of every Filipino animator’s mind, and Reggie Entienza’s Urduja (2008) shows this.

PATCHES of rainbow-hued photos mounted on huge white frames could not be mistaken for anything but a lomography exhibit. These greeted mall-goers strolling along Bonifacio Global City during Passionfest 2008. LomoManila, a lomography club, was invited to put up an exhibit showcasing the complex from morning until night. Various scenes were caught in a fraction of a second by eight photographic teams with some 10 members each, and the pictures were made into a collage.

Vibrantly colorful and offbeat shots composed the collage. They were mostly of one dominating color, a trademark of LomoManila. The triangular positions of the pictures remind one of banderitas or festive flags ever-present in Philippine fiestas.

TRAVELLING is a luxury only a few can enjoy, but thanks to photography, one can now tour the world without shelling out a fortune for a high-priced airfare.

Former UST College of Fine Arts student Kleyr de la Cruz provided a photographic tour of Australia to Filipinos who hadn’t been there in her solo exhibit, “Wandering Soul: A Journey to Australia,” which ran May 1 to 3 at the Podium.

The exhibit showcased photographs of Australia’s picturesque landscapes such as the Blue mountains of Katoomba in New South Wales and the majestic Razorback cliffs of Port Campbell. There are also shots of a Mardi Gras, portraits of her young nephews, and a little girl playing with a water fountain.

MANY YEARS of painting has almost taken a toll on Mario Parial’s health. Because he has to stoop every time he paints, Parial suffered from slipped disc and underwent surgery in 2002.

For six months, he had to endure back pains that prevented him from walking and painting. But when he slowly recovered from his illness through grueling therapy sessions, Parial made it a point to take brisk walks and take pictures with his digital camera.

“I’d take pictures of anything I’ve chanced my eyes upon on,” he said.

Unsatisfied with nothing to do, he experimented with Photoshop until the wee hours of the morning every time he could not sleep well.

It was when he conceived his “computer-generated” art—surreal yet sensible artworks done with just a few clicks with the help of Photoshop.

WITH the invasion of foreign reality TV shows in recent years, local media networks have been working non-stop in producing their own reality programs or franchising them from international production companies.

“Franchised reality TV shows infiltrate local media for good money; local networks buy these for the same reason; and Filipinos watch these for good entertainment,” said Joyce Arriola, head of UST’s Department of Media Studies.

Media giant ABS-CBN has several franchises out of Netherlands-based Endemol Productions such as Pinoy Big Brother, Pinoy Dream Academy, 1 vs. 100 and Kapamilya: Deal or No Deal. But its top-rated syndicated game show, Wheel of Fortune, hails from the United States, and The Singing Bee, the network’s newest reality show to date, is from UK’s Zeal Entertainment.