Manila's 5 Museums celebrate 10 Years with "Zero In: Open Call" Art Exhibitions

Manila’s five (5) museums have joined forces once again in putting up Zero In: Open Call, an art festival that opened at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium in Pasay City on September 15, 2011 at 6pm. It features works in different forms - visual art, culinary art, film & fashion, music and dance.

The Host

Zero In is an annual art collaboration being participated by Lopez Memorial Museum Ateneo Art Gallery, Ayala Museum, Bahay Tsinoy and Museo Pambata. Every year, Zero In exhibitions would always have a theme that the 5 museums explore on.  On its 10th anniversary, each of the 5 museums is assigned a particular art form (which they did by drawing lots) and that their exhibition concentrates on that art form.

 Mercedes Lopez Vargas (Director, Lopez Memorial Museum) 
presenting & defining what the exhibit is about

This year, Zero In collaboration seeks to bring art closer to the public and make it interactive through a mall exhibit, and showing art in its different forms: cuisine (Ateneo Art Gallery), manga and cosplay (Ayala Museum), visual arts (Bahay Tsinoy), sound (Lopez Museum), and dance (Museo Pambata). It is very rare for any art exhibition to make it engaging with the audience and providing them with a different art experience. And this is what the 5 museums try to achieve.

 Steven Tan (VP for Operations, SM Supermalls) giving his welcome remarks

Escola de Samba de Manila

At the opening, there was a lively presentation of drum beats by Escola de Samba de Manila entitled "Batucada: A Call To Dance." The rythmic sounds were beautiful & powerful. There's also a movement presentation by Batang R.O. (from Museo Pambata) headed by Nyko Maca, a piano performance, a Manga Comics exhibit, a cosplay, a gaming demonstration, and an on-the-spot painting session on a large canvas that serves as a freedom wall.

Escola de Samba de Manila presents "Batucada: A Call To Dance"

Batang RO with Nyko Maca (c/o Museo Pambata)

An Exhibit of Manga Art in Comics (c/o Ayala Museum)

Two classical pieces were played

Painting through the freedom wall (c/o Bahay Tsinoy)

Together with the rest of the attendees (both kids & adults), I also took part in the on-the-spot painting session. Paints move me; they direct my hands to create an image. Painting gives me so much delight from the moment I lift my brush and the bristles start to fondle on the blank canvas. It's fun to have kids (as young as preschool) around to express themselves through painting.

Claro Ramirez demonstrates the creation of sound using bar codes 

(c/o Lopez Memorial Museum)

"The entire course of our life depends on our senses, of which sight is the most universal and most noble," believes Rene Descartes. But the Open Call project seeks to break away from the usual degree of exhibition that usually focuses only on the visuals. People were amazed to witness that when bar codes are attached against a metal and you hold the metal (but in this case, it's aluminum), it can reverberate sounds. And when you hold any part of the person's body who is connected to that metal, the sounds react.

 Sumptuous cup cakes served to all guests (c/o Ateneo Art Gallery)

Officers & Staff of SM MOA

For more information, visit the website: http://www.zeroinmuseums.org and e-mail info@zeroinmuseums.org.

* click the image for larger view *

Zero In: Open Call exhibitions in 5 Museums

Ateneo Art Gallery (September 15-December 22, 2011)

The Ateneo Art Gallery will focus on the art of cuisine and will hold an interactive food themed-game called “Crafty Critters Munch Up.”

Location: 

Ateneo Art Gallery is located at Ateneo de Manila University, Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. For more information, please call (632) 426-6488, or visit the Ateneo Art Gallery website.

Ayala Museum (August 16-October 2, 2011)

Ayala Museum will expose the fascinating world of manga with an exhibit called “Manga Realities:  Exploring the Art of Japanese Comics Today.”

 

Location:

Ayala Museum is located at De la Rosa St. corner Makati Avenue, Greenbelt Park, Makati City. For more information, please call (632) 757-7117 to 21, or visit the Ayala Museum website.

Bahay Tsinoy (September 23-October 10, 2011)

Bahay Tsinoy will push for the visual arts by showcasing an installation by artist Con Cabrera called “Kasama.”

 

Location:
Bahay Tsinoy is located at Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center, 32 Anda corner Cabildo Streets, Intramuros, Manila. For more information, please call (632) 527-6083 or 526-6796, or visit the Bahay Tsinoy website.

Lopez Museum (September 12, 2011-April 3, 2012)

The Lopez Memorial Museum will feature a sound art installation called “Reverb” to add to the treasure of paintings, rare books and manuscripts, artifacts, and Filipiniana collection in its galleries. Sound art is a contemporary art form that involves use of traditional and modern instruments and state-of-the art software to create a fusion of beats, melodies, and effects. There will also be a demonstration from homegrown sound artists including filmmaker Tad Ermitaño, Lirio Salvador’s multidisciplinary art collective ELEMENTO, musician Jon Romero a.k.a. Aurora Borealis, and multi-instrumentalist Stanley Castelo a.k.a. Washing Machine.

Location:

Lopez Memorial Museum is located at G/F Benpres Building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. For more information, please call (632) 631-2417 or 635-9545, or visit the Lopez Memorial Museum website.

Museo Pambata (September 6-October 6, 2011)

Museo Pambata shares to the public the memorabilia of National Artist for Dance Ramon Obusan in an exhibit entitled “Sayaw!” People can also expect live performances from Batang RO (Ramon Obusan),  Nyko Maca, and the Children’s Advocacy Program (CAP) of Museo Pambata during the exhibition.

 Location:

Museo Pambata is located at Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive, Manila. For more information, please call (632) 523-1797, 523-1798 and 536-0595, or visit the Museo Pambata website.

Events at SM Mall of Asia (September 17-24, 2011)

September 17, 3pm

Sibod, an aspect of the culture of the highlands of Panay with the performance of UP College of Music’s Dr Christine Muyco and representatives of Panay-Bukidnon group.

September 17, 6 pm

35 Batang RO (Ramon Obusan) demonstrates boundless energy as they dance, play music of various ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines.

September 18, 1 pm

Clothing is an important part of a manga character and a show on Japanese fashion inspired by manga will show how this is so.

September 18, 3 pm

The Match enables two kids (ages 5-12)  at a time to play “The Crafty Critters Crunch Munch-up Game”  developed by Tender Blender, with the two highest scorers receiving certificates from Fully Booked & a crafty critters stuff toy. (Venue: SM Bowling Center)

September 23, 1 pm

Inspired by both the works of Tender Blender and the collection of the images of the works from the Ateneo Art Gallery collection, kids ages 5-12 will draw their own character in this On-the-Spot Character Drawing Contest.

September 24, 1 pm

Sound artists who are member of E.X.I.S.T (Experimentation in Sound Art Tradition) Gentle Universe, Caliph8, Mannet Villariba, Elemento & Toshiyuki Seido will give a two-hour performance that introduces audience to the idea of sound art situated in physical space.

September 24, 2 pm

Piano performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman” from Ninomiya Tomoko’s Nodame Cantabile, a manga about a gifted pianist.

September 24, 3 pm

Sound artists who are member of E.X.I.S.T (Experimentation in Sound Art Tradition) Gentle Universe, Caliph8, Mannet Villariba, Elemento, and Toshiyuki Seido will give a two-hour performance that introduces audience to the idea of sound art situated in physical space.

September 24, 6 pm

Gumboot dance performance by Museo Pambata child advocates with Nyko Maca.

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