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e-culture: Mexican Consul Eduardo Ibarrola, lakbay ng pagkaalam, Ricas Y Famosas, more
June 1, 2004
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Señor Ibarrola Goes to Washington
As the honorable Eduardo Ibarrola prepares to join the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C. as the Chief of the Chancellery, he reflects on his accomplishments as the head of the Mexican Consulate in Houston, serving growing numbers of Mexican immigrants over a wider region. Rose Mary Salum talked with Ibarrola about the role of the Mexican Consulate, the proposed immigration law, and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Interview with Mexican Consul and Diplomat Eduardo Ibarrola in English:
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/ibarrola_eng.html
Interview with Mexican Consul and Diplomat Eduardo Ibarrola in Spanish:
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/ibarrola_esp.html
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Hart on the Progressive Forum
John Mason Hart delivers an enlightening discourse on Mexico's historic economic relationship with the United States on the Progressive Forum, Thursday, June 3, 2004. Tune in KPFT 90.1FM at 8:00pm to hear the speech, recorded April 24 at the Houston Peace and Justice Center's conference on globalization.
Houston Institute for Culture was a sponsor of the important forum on economic globalization issues, as the issues have serious ramifications for diverse cultures.
Read an excerpt of John Mason Hart's Luncheon Address to the conference:
http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/context.html
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Journey of Consciousness
lakbay ng pagkaalam 3 ("journey of consciousness 3") at Helios June 5 and The Artery June 9
lakbay ng pagkaalam 3 features Houston-based kayumanggi Pinoy rock band with a series of Filipino independent short films and documentaries by artists Howie Severino, Rommel Eclarinal, Aimee Suzara, Oliver Eclarinal and Patrick Epino, and poetry by Julio Marquina and Brian Swain.
lakbay ng pagkaalam, Tagalog (the national language of the Philippines) for "journey of consciousness," is a multi-media program exploring the Filipino socio-political and cultural identity. This third edition presents work by four U.S.-based filmmakers and one award-winning investigative television journalist in Manila. kayumanggi Pinoy rock band is the medium through which Kokoy Severino delivers his compositions manifesting the search for the Filipino identity. Poets Julio Marquina and Brian Swain are writers whose work reflects the international character of the Houston community.
Suggested donations at the door: $5-10, sliding scale.
Screening at Helios:
The Other Mindanao (2002) - In a land of conflict, maybe hope is the real news. Christian-born Howie Severino traveled with Samira Ali Gutoc, a Muslim peace journalist, to war-torn places in the southern Philippine provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Davao del Norte to find stories of hope and redemption, challenging the usual notions of the tumultuous island of Mindanao. "Before the coming of Islam and Christianity to Mindanao, there were indigenous peoples of many tribes, faiths and languages. Today, many indigenous peoples in Mindanao are in retreat, the purity of their cultures confined to shrinking spaces. Yet there are tribes and peoples today who fight and die for this land." - Howie Severino, from The Other Mindanao. VCD color, 26 min 52 sec, English, and Tagalog and provincial dialect with English subtitles.
Ramona (2001) - A film by Rommel Eclarinal about memories and revolution. An operative with an assassination unit of a Filipino revolutionary army searches deep within the recesses of her memory to justify the "liquidation" of a former military officer living in Queens, New York. 16 mm color/b&w, 16 min 20 sec, Tagalog with English subtitles. Currently showing at the "Texas Prime" exhibit at Diverseworks, Houston, through June 26, 2004. Previously screened at lakbay ng pagkaalam 2 in Berkeley, California 2004, the Newfilmmakers series at The Anthology Film Archives in New York City 2004, the Sa Pinilakang Tabing Film Festival in New York City 2003, and lakbay ng pagkaalam 1 in Berkeley, California 2001.
Inang's Home Cooking (2004) - A documentary by Oliver Eclarinal reflecting upon the life of an immigrant as experienced by Danny Cruz and his popular Filipino restaurant in Daly City, California. 16 mm color, 13 min 15 sec, Tagalog with English voiceover. Previously screened at lakbay ng pagkaalam 2 in Berkeley, California 2004.
Spunk (2004) - A short contemplation by Patrick Epino about a man coming to terms with a critical part of himself. 16 mm b&w, 3 min 34 sec, English. Previously screened at lakbay ng pagkaalam 2 in Berkeley, California 2004.
Si Freddie sa Austin ("Freddie in Austin") (2003) - A documentary by Rommel Eclarinal about legendary Pinoy rocker Freddie Aguilar's historic concert in Austin, Texas. DV color, 12 min. English and Tagalog with English subtitles. Previously screened at lakbay ng pagkaalam 2 in Berkeley, California 2004, and the Sa Pinilakang Tabing Film Festival in New York City 2003.
Films begin at dark (approximately 8:30 pm), followed by poetry readings and kayumanggi Pinoy rock band.
Helios
411 Westheimer (east of Montrose)
Saturday, June 5, 2004
(713) 526-4648
http://www.heliosrising.org
Screening at The Artery:
School of Hope (2000) - Howie Severino gives viewers a rare look at a school in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga which offers a unique education for Muslim children of former fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front and promise for communities that have known mostly war and cruelty. With a curriculum that includes religious instruction and academic subjects like mathematics and science, Muslim students here can aspire to become lawyers and doctors. VCD color, 8 min 4 sec, Tagalog with English subtitles.
Crizel (2001) - A short documentary by Aimee Suzara dedicated to a young victim of the toxic waste left behind by the U.S. military upon vacating the bases in the Philippines, combining footage with 35 mm photography. Color, 4 min, English. Previously screened at lakbay ng pagkaalam 1 in Berkeley, California 2001.
Let Stand Before Serving (1999) - A film by Oliver Eclarinal about the uncertainty of living away from one's homeland and the struggle between assimilation and tradition, questioning the Filipino colonial mentality.. 16 mm color, 9 min 36 sec, English and Tagalog. Previously screened at lakbay ng pagkaalam 1 in Berkeley, California 2001.
San Mateo (2003) - A film by Rommel Eclarinal set in 1902 during the Philippine-American War. A young American soldier writes a letter to his family revealing his excitement and his exploits while the images convey the loss of innocence and the immorality of this war. 16 mm b&w, 9 min 30 sec, English. Previously screened at lakbay ng pagkaalam 2 in Berkeley, California 2004, the NEWFILMMAKERS series at The Anthology Film Archives in New York City 2004, and the Cinema Texas International Short Film Festival in Austin, Texas 2003.
Spunk (2004) - A short contemplation by Patrick Epino about a man coming to terms with a critical part of himself. 16 mm b&w, 3 min 34 sec, English. Previously screened at lakbay ng pagkaalam 2 in Berkeley, California 2004.
Poetry readings and kayumanggi Pinoy rock band begin at dusk (approximately 8:00 pm). Films will follow after dark.
The Artery
5401 Jackson at Prospect
Wednesday, June 9, 2004
http://www.arteryhouston.org
Learn more about the directors:
http://www.houstonculture.org/temp/pinoy0604.html
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Tony Vega Band in Denmark
By Michelle Ong
The Tony Vega Band, a blues band from Houston, continues the tradition of blues and is exporting the local sound overseas to such places as Denmark, a Scandinavian country known for Vikings, Legos, and Hans Christian Andersen. At the town of Horsens, with its winding streets and softly sloping hills, I stumbled upon a venue, Kulisse Lageret, where the Tony Vega Band was playing, surprised to see a poster proclaiming the featured band was from Houston, Texas. Far from Denmark's cosmopolitan capital, Copenhagen, entering the venue was like entering a small blues bar in Houston. Most people were sitting around drinking beer, staring at the band and conversing. The difference was the predominance of fair-haired Danes, a few of them lazily dancing and revolving to the lyrics and wailing guitar solos.
The Tony Vega Band consists of Tony Vega, Sam Massey, Brad McCool and Jeremy Pierce. During their set-break I introduced myself as a fellow Houstonian, was warmly welcomed, and entered into a conversation about the difference between the music scenes in Austin and Houston, and the reaction to blues music by Danes. Sam Massey recounted walking around Copenhagen and his perception of Danes as standoffish. I remembered how many Danes described themselves as people who take a while to open up, but once they do you have a friend for life. Danes would periodically interrupt the conversation to buy CD's and posters, introduce themselves to the band and compliment them. The apparant indifference of the Danish audience during the band's first set was dispelled by its eagerness during these friendly introductions.
The Danes were reacting positively, emphasizing the ease of sharing culture between countries, where a remote sound like blues can surface in a distant venue. The Tony Vega Band will again tour Europe this fall 2004. Dates and more information can be found at:
www.tonyvegaband.de.
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Daniela Rossell: Ricas Y Famosas
Daniela Rossell's large, luscious and acutely observed photographs from her notorious series "Ricas y famosas" (Rich and Famous), created between 1998 and 2002, and published in a book by the same title, afford a rare insider's glimpse into the world of the Mexico's upper class whose ostentatious lifestyles stand in stark contrast to the extreme poverty that characterizes life in Mexico outside their gated mansions.
Rossell's subjects are mostly women, often the artist's personal friends or members of her affluent and powerful family who posed for her in the extravagant surroundings of their own homes. Rossell stages her photographs with an ethnographer's precision and a cinematographer's aplomb to create powerful images. Her careful compositions are replete with extreme angles and mirrored reflections and establish telling relationships between her characters and their environment. Against the backdrop of Mexican poverty, Rossell's images become not only a charged, if ambivalent, study of affluence, taste and consumption. The moralizing subtext of abiding class disparities is obvious and inescapable. Yet the pictures are far from being judgmental, rather they reveal the photographer's sympathy with her models. She is, after all, by birth one of them, but unlike them, Rossell is conscious of the artificially constructed existences of these appointed or self-proclaimed princesses and harem ladies and their complete remove from the everyday reality of life in Mexico.
Lacking any historical lineage, Rossell's nouveau-riche subjects claim legitimacy through a compulsory demonstration of buying power and the sheer will to showcase idiosyncrasy through the exoticism of their fairy-tale lifestyles culled from a random set of cultural references indicative of wealth and power. The women portrayed by Rossell seem to live in a world ruled by the adage 'he who dies with the most toys wins,' and as Barry Schwabsky writes in his introduction to Ricas y Famosas, "Just as their wealth allows them to spoil themselves physically, to indulge in a life of conspicuous consumption but also of conspicuous sexuality, it defends them against having to face any antagonistic worldview."
Sex is a clear subtext in these photographs, with the women striking seductive, often provocative, poses and modeling scant or revealing clothing. Rossell describes the images as the result of a close collaboration between photographer and model; the women were free to choose how they wished to be represented. However, if they welcomed photography as a means to reveal their true selves, they quickly limited their self-expression to cliched poses reinterpreted a million times by film and media. Hollywood and consumerism emerge as the only points of reference for these women caught in the trappings of their own wealth and narcissism. Their self-image and representation is squarely aligned with the likes of movie stars and models. "I like to play with people's conceptions of what a photograph should be," comments Rossell. "The women figure out from magazines and television what they think a photographer should snap, and they start performing."
With the setting of the photographs ultimately more expressive than the characters inhabiting them, Rossell's images also offer a powerful statement about these women's status as dependants, as wives and daughters, and their sense of purpose or lack thereof. As Rossell points out, "wealthy women in Mexico are prisoners of their houses, style and excess. Most of them live in the salon. They really want to look American, like what you see on TV, and they go to a lot of work to accomplish that. It's a kind of hell. There's so much unhappiness among the people who supposedly have everything."
"Ricas Y Famosas" continues through June 13, 2004
Blaffer Gallery
University of Houston, Entrance 16
http://www.blaffergallery.org
There will be a Brown Bag Lunch Tour of Daniela Rossell led by Fernando Castro, Curator of Photography, Sicardi Gallery, on Thursday, June 10, at Noon.
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Upcoming Asia Society Events
U.S. Ambassadors to ASEAN visit Houston
Sponsored by Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the Thai American Chamber of Commerce
Participating Ambassadors: The Honorable Ralph L. (Skip) Boyce, US Ambassador to Indonesia; The Honorable Douglas Hartwick, US Ambassador to Laos; The Honorable Frank L. Lavin, US Ambassador to Singapore; The Honorable Darryl N. Johnson, US Ambassador to Thailand; and The Honorable Raymond F. Burghardt, US Ambassador to Vietnam. In addition there will be participating Senior Commercial Officers: Ms. Margaret Keshishian, Senior Commercial Officer - Indonesia, Mr. William M. Zarit, Senior Commercial Officer - Malaysia, Mr. David W. Fulton, Senior Commercial Officer - Philippines, Mr. George Ruffner, Senior Commercial Officer - Singapore, Ms. Judy Reinke, Senior Commercial Officer - Thailand, and Mr. Michael Frisby, Senior Commercial Officer - Vietnam.
June 8, 2004, 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Four Seasons Hotel, 1300 Lamar Houston
$25 members; $35 nonmembers; free students & teachers with ID
713-439-0051
E-mail: txcenter@asiasoc.org
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Bonnie Burnham: "The Challenges of Preserving the Architectural Heritage of Asia"
In Asia, more than anywhere else in the world, the forces of economic development and the traditions that have historically made up the region's way of life are in powerful opposition. By highlighting specific Asian heritage sites included in the World Monuments Watch, President Ms. Burnham, will discuss how private-sector efforts are affecting government policies toward heritage management and preservation in a way that generates new economic opportunities for communities.
June 16th 6:00 - 8:00pm
The Westin Galleria, 5060 W. Alabama, Houston
$10 members; $15 nonmembers; free students & teachers with ID
713-439-0051
E-mail: txcenter@asiasoc.org
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At the Aurora Picture Show
Saturday, June 5, 8pm
Sunday, June 6, 3pm
We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning
Curated by Allison Wiese
June in Houston will likely be hot as h-e-double hockey sticks. What more appropriate activities than to muse about our wrongs (or rights)? Treat yourself to a popsicle and a collection of short artist-made film and video works that spans nearly 100 years, all seven of the "deadly sins" as well as a few other taboo-busting behaviors that ruffle the feathers of the building superintendent, certain U.S. Congressmen and the art world. Work by (among others) Brian Dick, Adam Frelin, Joe Gibbons, Andy Mann, Bjorn Melhus, Sterling Ruby, Liz Sisco/Louis Hock/David Avalos, Igor Vamos. Surprise door prizes.
Allison Wiese is Aurora Picture Show's Managing Director, and an artist whose sculptures, installations, and architectural interventions have been shown throughout Texas and the United States. Wiese is a fellow of the MacDowell Colony and was a Core Resident at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston from 2001 to 2003. She learned to walk and talk in Brooklyn, drive in Southern California, and everything else important in Texas. She is an unrepentant jay-walker and grocery store grazer.
Tuesday, June 8, 8pm
Innovation Then and Now: 1970s CAMH Choreographers and 21st Century European Dance Videomakers
Curated by Louie Saletan, Suchu Dance
In conjunction with Houston's 2nd annual Big Range Dance Festival, Aurora is pleased to host a two-part evening exploring innovations in contemporary dance performance on both sides of the Atlantic. Works highlighted represent almost 30 years of innovative choreography as well as advances in media and video technology.
The Choreographers who were active in the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston's frequent dance/installation/performance art happenings of the mid-70s manipulated observers' perception of the dance in real time, while many of today's innovators in dance rely heavily on video shooting and editing techniques to explore the relationship between camera and performer, or to make possible that which is not possible in live dance performance.
Panel Discussion: CAMH choreographers Farrell Dyde, Roberta Stokes, Mary Wolff, (and appearing by pre-recorded video: Polly Motley and Jim Clouser) will join us for an informal panel discussion, moderated by Professor Karen Stokes of the University of Houston's Center for Choreography.
Screening: Curated by Suchu Dance managing director Louie Saletan, a 45 minute screening will showcase a wide range of short but innovative 21st century dance-made-for-video projects from Videoworks, a series produced by The Place, London's vibrant nexus and service organization for European contemporary dance.
Thursday, June 10, 8pm & 10:30pm
Wild Style
Director Charlie Ahearn in person
Co-presented by Austin Film Society
Co-sponsored by Aerosol Warfare
For those craving the true roots of rap, Wild Style (1982) captured the hard core South Bronx scene at its birth. The stars of Wild Style form the pantheon of hip hop's pioneers: DJ's Grand Master Flash, Grand Wizard Theodore, D.St.; rappers Grand Master Caz and The Cold Crush Bros, The Chief Rocker Busy Bee, Double Trouble, Fantastic Freaks and RAMMELLZEE and bboy champions The Rock Steady Crew. Beat Music by legendary Blondie guitarist Chris Stein and Fred Brathwaite.
Wild Style stars the legendary subway artist LEE Quinones and the queen of the graffiti scene, Sandra PINK Fabara. Graffiti Masters DONDI, ZEPHYR and DAZE also bombed for the movie. FAB 5 FREDDY, who along with writer/producer/director Charlie Ahearn, helped create Wild Style, shines as the smooth hip hop impresario PHADE. Wild Style follows the outlaw artists through the train yards to the rap/breakdance clubs.
Charlie Ahearn is a filmmaker and the co-author with Jim Fricke of Yes Yes Ya'll (Da Capo Press), the first and only account of hip-hop's origins, told in the never-before-published words of its founders and stars and highlighted by hundreds of vintage photos and flyers. He lives in New York City.
See the Aurora Picture Show 2004 Summer Schedule:
http://www.houstonculture.org/temp/aurora2004.html
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Our Photo Ops Are Limited
We put our photography and video classes on hold last year, even though the attendance was great and the publicity reached as far as the Wall Street Journal. Unfortunately, we weren't reaching an audience with an interest in exploring cultural and social topics. We decided to offer more limited opportunities with the specific mission of Houston Institute for Culture in mind.
Two of these opportunities, a week-long visual communications conference and a workshop in Utah, are coming up:
A Visual Communications Conference in Houston
September 17 - 26, 2004
Peggy Kelsey (The Afghan Women's Project)
Roger Wood and James Fraher ("Down in Houston: Bayou City Blues" UT Press)
Ben DeSoto (Houston Chronicle and social documentary producer)
Monika Hallqvist ("Centro Historico de la Ciudad de Mexico" and Visible Magazine)
Downs Matthews (Polar Bears International)
Jerome Crowder (visual anthropologist)
These are just a few of the visual communicators who will be part of a nationwide conference in Houston June 14 - 18. Participants coming from as far as Calgary, Canada and nearby Brownsville, Texas, and coast to coast from New York to California and Florida, will explore inspiring work in the visual communications field, new technologies, and legal and ethical issues. There will also be a discussion session on two powerful films, Alain Resnais' "Night and Fog" (1955) and "War Photographer" (2001), a modern documentary about James Nachtwey.
Professional communicators in photography, video production and design, as well as cultural and social documentary artists who are interested should contact conference host Mark Lacy at 713-743-8197, or email mark@houstonculture.org, for more information.
A Photography Workshop in Utah's Canyonlands
September 17 - 26, 2004
Join us for a pleasant week of photography practice and adventure on the edge of the Colorado Plateau. We will roam the land between Page, Arizona and Moab, Utah looking for grand scenes, interesting history and great photographs.
We are planning many more Fall adventures.
http://www.houstonculture.org/travel
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Upcoming Volunteer Meeting
General Interest Meeting
Wednesday, June 23, 2004, 6:00pm
Napoli Flying Pizza (713-726-1166)
4820 West Bellfort (about one block east of South Post Oak)
The next meeting for volunteers or anyone interested will take place on Wednesday, June 23, 2004, at 6:00pm. We will discuss upcoming programs, including films, forums and cultural performances. The meeting will take place at Napoli Flying Pizza (713-726-1166), 4820 West Bellfort (about one block east of South Post Oak in the Meyer Park Shopping Center). Call 713-521-3686 for directions or more information.
Those with special physical or communication needs that may impact participation in this activity should contact Mark Lacy at 713-521-3686 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to discuss accommodations.
For agenda items and general interest meeting updates:
http://www.houstonculture.org/meeting
Thank you for supporting diverse activities in Houston.
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M a r k @houstonculture.org
Cultural and Community Organization Listings:
http://www.houstonculture.org/listings
2003 Report to Friends and Volunteers:
http://www.houstonculture.org/report
Support Houston Institute for Culture:
http://www.houstonculture.org/giving
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