Saturday, June 30, 2007 Go: Street Art By Charlene Go LaMyerda
ART…any form of it, for that matter, has always fascinated me. Especially when I see different forms of it around the world. I have often admired graffiti, or, as I’d like to call, street art—especially when traveling to different countries. It does not only paint a picture but tells a story and colors the area, giving the particular vicinity a lot of personality and character, which is certainly more interesting than just a plain old boring wall. It is one form of art that has existed since the days of ancient civilizations.
Unfortunately, in most cases, graffiti is stereotyped as vandalism, especially in the Philippines where the idea of graffiti is this: the name or organization on a bare wall. It takes me back to school where I’m sure a lot of you used to write “I was here” on tables and chairs. Remember those days?
Graffiti is often seen in movies where kids coming from a tough neighborhood sneak out in the middle of the night, carry backpacks filled with cans of spray paint and creating art on the walls. And as soon as somebody catches them, they quickly run away and return to finish their work of art when nobody is watching.
It may not be so big in the Philippines, but to promote street art, Bite magazine presented A Night of All Star Bites at the Tapas Lounge at the Crossroads in Banilad last weekend showcasing graffiti art by Ivan Zaldarriaga and Mark Copino. An auction artwork for charity also took place as personalities like Butch Carunggay, Romero Vergara, Budoy, Edwin Ao, Dexter Alazas, Island Joe, and Jude Bacalso (who featured an original Josua Cabrera portrait of him) created their artwork on Converse Chuck Taylor Shoes. They also featured the music of DJ Psyentific plus 6000 Goonz rappers.
Catch me on Y101 Always first Mon-Thurs. 6 a.m.-10 a.m., Sat.10 a.m.-1 p.m. Email me at y101charlene@yahoo.com. Listen Live www.y101fm.com
(lamyerda (Filipino slang): to walk leisurely as inclination directs, to roam (syn. lakwatsa [Tagalog], laag-laag [Cebuano]). Not to be confused with the Spanish la mierda)
