SCOUTMAG - s3.amazonaws.com€¦ · objectives Inspire and connect with millennials through written...

S C O U T M A G . P H

Scout Magazine’s primary market is 17 to 25-year-old males and fe-

males, students and young creative professionals, all belonging to the A,

B and C sectors.

t a r g e t m a r k e t

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is a monthly youth title under Hinge Inquir-er Publications created by the youth for the youth. It is a free magazine distributed to targeted communities through partner organizations and establishments.

Created to help revive a millennial interest in print media, Scout Magazine utilizes in-novative, dynamic design and original, raw content that strongly resounds with the ide-ologies of

d i s t r i -b u t i o n s t r a t - e g y

Scout Magazine is directly distributed to universities around Metro Manila through partner school organizations. It is also available in establishments in school areas, as well as in select branches of leading bookstores.

It is also available for online viewing through ISSUU, Buqo, Magzter and Scoop.

ob jec t i ves Inspire and connect with millennials through written word and by featuring aspirational personalities

Produce original content that the youth can strongly connect with

Serve as a platform for people to get their work/stories published

Revive interest in print media through innovative design

r e -s u l t s

• Strong, vocal reader reception to long-form content and featured personalities from target demographic

• Published work (both written and visual) from a wide array of young, up-and-coming local

• creatives in the Philippines

• Now available in leading bookstores

• Trust in the print product since redesign has lead to increase in social media following by 600%

PAR T Y I S S UE

FREE M A G A ZI NE!

5

scoutmag.ph November-December 2014

pre-re branding

www.scoutmag.ph | Scout July 2014 | 15

I’m always a bit awkward when people refer to me as an ‘artist,’” says 23-year-

old Jel Suarez, whose childhood favorite artist is Eric Carle. “Collaging was something I did to play outside of the stress of work and night school. After I started posting them on Instagram and Facebook, I got invited to this year’s Art in the Park.” She ended up selling all 12 of her collage art pieces. During the day, she’s a preschool teacher who’s finishing up an MA in Special Education at De La Salle University, a fact that makes her even more adorable when you meet her in person. “My job’s quite a bonus because every day is arts and crafts time with the kids,” she adds. She’s currently working on a double-bill show with Chalk Zaldivar for a show in Vinyl on Vinyl in August, technically her first formal art show. In the meantime, check out her other work at jelsuarez.tumblr.com or on Instagram @jelsuarez. —CVS

“

At Booksale, there’s no such thing as low-EQ buying, a thing I learned from Shinji Manlangit a.k.a. Booksale King.

At Vinyl on Vinyl gallery’s two-show

night. Excited for my first collab exhibit here this August!

Usual weekend hang-out spot:

I create a lot of

handmade collages

from old textbooks, vintage

magazines and vintage

advertisements.

Taking a clo

se-up of Joy

Mallari’s

Illumination at

this year’s A

rt Fair. This

artist also cr

eated Doll Ey

es, a current

Filipino children

’s storybook f

avorite.

Boyfriend purchases: Sad Comics for Dirty Lovers by Rob Cham, Lost at Sea by Bryan O’Malley, and Art Work by Ivan Vartanian.

Wearing my favorite

earrings at

Heima’s PaperClub ev

ent!

COLLAGE CUTIE:

why we're smitten by this teacher by day, a

rtist by weekend

JEL SUAREZ

Today x Future!

An afternoon at my favorite ukay-ukay place along Emilio Aguinaldo Highway in Tagaytay! I

scored some leather bags and long skirts.

CURRENT READS!

Neckties as curtains? Golf clubs as curtain holders? The imagination’s the limit at 10

A Alabama. Home to Resurrection Furniture and Found Objects Gallery, you can shop for everyday objects reborn into pieces like a drawer made from a CPU to a table transformed from an electric fan. The team behind it is architect Leah Sanchez, interior designer Binggoy de Ocampo, and collage artist Arlene Barbaza. 10 A Alabama is an actual house that functions as a showroom, workshop, and three times a year, the venue for an arts and crafts fair. The fair is Etsy come to life. Showcasing the work of independent artists, products range from embroidered artwork and quirky terrariums, to homemade Harry Potter wands. —AGV

10 A Alabama. 10 A Alabama Street, Quezon [email protected]. www.facebook.com/10aAlabama.

PHOTOS BY JELITO DE LEON

ADD

ITIO

NAL

PH

OTO

S BY

AN

IKA

VE

NT

UR

A

This House HasGone WonkyAn artist community comes alive

in this Manila home

Wall piece by Mary

Velmonte of the

Takatak Project

10 A Alabama's

entrance

Embroidery by

Nikki Abelardo

of Junk Studio

Stickers by Ella Lama

Notebook

decorated withmath flashcard

Piano pieces used a

s wa

llpaper

Tak e i t f ro m u s : when al l i s sa i d and do ne , f ew th i ng s wi l l l eave yo u f eel i ng as no stal g i c as yo u r f i rst day i n sc ho o l .

PHOTOS BY Ralph MendozaSTYLING BY Sam Potenciano


Pla y in g H ookySkipping class for a dose of culture never hurt—once in a while. Kevin wears blue eyewear (P330) from Bench with a blue jacket (P1,795) from 21 Men, black pants (P1,299) from Penshoppe and white sneakers (P1,850) from Converse. Jana wears a printed sweater dress (P4,000) from Fifth Code with sneakers (P2,298) from Vans.

Ea s y AWe believe this is called kickin’ it old school. Anna wears a cropped tweed jacket (P5,000) and matching pleated skirt (P3,500), both from Fifth Code, with a polo shirt (P549) from Penshoppe and printed sneakers (P2,695) from Keds.

MAKEUP by Yciar Castillo for MAC CosmeticsHAIR BY RJ Aranillo and Oliver Gallemba for Bench FixMODELED BY Anna Bradborn, Jana Stuntz and Kevin Redder and Emil Khodaverdi of IM Agency


Drawers refurbished

from an oven

Stackable boxes by Mary Velmonte of the Takatak Project

Resurrection Furniture and Found Objects Gallery’s showroom doubles as a space for independent artists to sell their work during art fairs.

Utilizing a fan grill as a table top

A window repurposed as an art piece by Resurrection

Furniture and artist Buccino De Ocampo


post-re branding

big city dreams

10

get

ANNA BUQUID, 24

Lean arms

Produced by ROMEO MORAN

Photography by KOJI ARBOLEDA

Styling byJED GREGORIO

Hair and makeup bySARI CAMPOS

ADID

AS BRA TOP, M

ISS SELFRIDG

E JEANS

Ibus, exeribus nes rem ulparum raeriorum faccat voluptat.Rum et que corit faceribus et pro conem resenem vellupt aquianto dolorerit pore pa prae porectis sapit as ide namus adis di ut aci reseruptat. Tur aut labore si aut veria quis mil eictur sitistrum sam fugitist re nis aliquos corrorporent modignis aperchi liquatust rerum ut que sin eaquia et, sita dicilic tumenit istotat estores tibusci moluptatiae sum facium quos si aut ut aliquatur, conse quas andaect orehendit poresti ncipsum ad mo bea iminull uptatiante pore re dollaut fugiate sitatem faces velesti busanissequi cuptiunte non es est omnis aruptae velecae quia porum harum qui nullabore pore necum hil minverum vollaborata et est, quia velibus dolupta niminct oratem eium re reria quis aut magnimi llorepudia non et harcium unt. Um alitati scient voluptaquid eiciatu reperio comnihitas volupta sperovite solut et hil el ipiet ut offi ci blam, am re iustia sunt ut venim facias

Senime que natis ea cusae iducia necatiossit volorec usciiss umquamAximus nonsedit, nihilis autatiatios sitiori busciam re doluptasit




38 � tness

ANNA BUQUID, 24

Lean arms

FORE

VER

21 M

EN S

USP

END

ERS

AND

SH

ORT

S

Ibus, exeribus nes rem ulparum raeriorum faccat voluptat.Rum et que corit faceribus et pro conem resenem vellupt aquianto dolorerit pore pa prae porectis sapit as ide namus adis di ut aci reseruptat. Tur aut labore si aut veria quis mil eictur sitistrum sam fugitist re nis aliquos corrorporent modignis aperchi liquatust rerum ut que sin eaquia et, sita dicilic tumenit istotat estores tibusci moluptatiae sum facium quos si aut ut aliquatur, conse quas andaect orehendit poresti ncipsum ad mo bea iminull uptatiante pore re dollaut fugiate sitatem faces velesti busanissequi cuptiunte non es est omnis aruptae velecae quia porum harum qui nullabore pore necum hil minverum vollaborata et est, quia velibus dolupta niminct oratem eium re reria quis aut magnimi llorepudia non et harcium unt. Um alitati scient voluptaquid eiciatu reperio comnihitas volupta sperovite solut et hil el ipiet ut offi ci blam, am re iustia sunt ut venim facias





39� tness

Photographs by Regine David

11

malasimbonights

Photography by ARTU NEPOMUCENO and BELL JAVIERCoverage by MARA SANTILLAN MIANO

The Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival is you in a tribal print shirt, prancing around in an enchanted valley amphitheater, in the company of strangers that couldn’t care less about mundane, worldly

things. Like showers. Try it at least once. I had so much fun I passed out in front of the stage for an hour, and no one gave a damn.

45S C E N E

fash

ion

&

be

au

ty

hey

monday

Lessons in restrained makeup, because too pretty is passé.

Photography by KOJI ARBOLEDA and PAOLO CRODUA Styling by VINCE CRISOSTOMO

2 beauty

What foundation should accomplish is to even out the skin tone, not cover it like plaster. Shiseido’s UV protection stick foundation with SPF 36 does the trick, with extra sun shielding prowess. For that luminous glow, complete the routine with strategic highlighting on the high points of the face.

f reckle minded

3beauty

2 fashion

z e p h a

c h i c h i&

Photography by SHAIRA LUNA Styling by ZEPHA JACKSON

2 fashion

s t i l l

i n

t r a n s l a t i o nPhotography by CENON NORAL III

Styling by JED GREGORIO

Styling by MARTIN DIEGORPhotography by RAEN BADUA

5fashion

All from REN

AN PAC

SON

c h a r m i n g

4 fashion

mu

sic

Robots (Victor Ruiz Bootleg) by Kraftwerk Love to Love You Baby (G

iorgio Moroder Rem

ix) by Donna Summer

Party

Up

(Up

In H

ere)

by

DMX

Cal

l My

Nam

e by

Che

ryl C

ole Be My Baby by Ariana Grande U

ncertainty (Cut Copy Remix) by Jaguar Ma

New Navy (Tropical F

eels) b

y Zim

babw

e

Cho

p Su

ey! b

y Sy

stem

of a

D

own

Together by The Presets More by Hannulelauri

Fantasy by

Mar

iah

Care

y fe

at. D

irty

Old

Bas

tard

Put

Me I

n a M

ovie by Lana Del Rey

I hate loving Ariana Grande.

A good tune to warm

up the dance fl oor.

T

ropical fe

els.

I us

ually

pla

y th

is s

ong

afte

r an

Arian

a Gra

nde t

rack. It

totally m

akes sense, trust me!

Dance like it’s your last day on earth. YouTube the video and you’ll get what I mean.

F

or th

e no

stal

gia d

ahhh

ling!

Not

hing

bea

ts a

’90s

kin

d o f

urb

an. #

LAM

BS

A

song

to m

y fut

ure h

usband. S

ee lyrics: “Y

ou can be my DADDY.”

Beat will make your head bang. If you want to get laid, you better dance to this song

Serv

ing

you

som

e GA

NGS

TA R

EALN

ESS.

One

word

: GEO

RDIE.

10 M U S I C

Robots (Victor Ruiz Bootleg) by Kraftwerk Love to Love You Baby (G

iorgio Moroder Rem

ix) by Donna Summer

Party

Up

(Up

In H

ere)

by

DMX

Cal

l My

Nam

e by

Che

ryl C

ole Be My Baby by Ariana Grande U

ncertainty (Cut Copy Remix) by Jaguar Ma

New Navy (Tropical F

eels) b

y Zim

babw

e

Cho

p Su

ey! b

y Sy

stem

of a

D

own

Together by The Presets More by Hannulelauri

Fantasy by

Mar

iah

Care

y fe

at. D

irty

Old

Bas

tard

Put

Me I

n a M

ovie by Lana Del Rey

I hate loving Ariana Grande.

A good tune to warm

up the dance fl oor.

T

ropical fe

els.

I us

ually

pla

y th

is s

ong

afte

r an

Arian

a Gra

nde t

rack. It

totally m

akes sense, trust me!

Dance like it’s your last day on earth. YouTube the video and you’ll get what I mean.

F

or th

e no

stal

gia d

ahhh

ling!

Not

hing

bea

ts a

’90s

kin

d o f

urb

an. #

LAM

BS

A

song

to m

y fut

ure h

usband. S

ee lyrics: “Y

ou can be my DADDY.”

Beat will make your head bang. If you want to get laid, you better dance to this song

Serv

ing

you

som

e GA

NGS

TA R

EALN

ESS.

One

word

: GEO

RDIE.

11M U S I C

pre

ss p

lay

moira dela torreyou t ub e . c om/mo i r a r a c h e l l e

People would probably recognize Moira for making it into the fi rst season of The Voice of The Philippines in 2013. Despite the onstage auditions and performances, however, Moira made a little confession: “I usually fold in big (or small lol) audiences.” She kept her eyes closed during fi rst solo performance singing “I Need You” by LeAnn Rhymes when she was 10, then immediately cried to her mom after because of stagefright. “Now, I still barely open my eyes when I perform!” But perhaps, her shyness was a good thing, because it pushed her to upload her music online instead.

Moira shared, “Now, through the Internet, I get to meet the most amazing people I never even thought i’d ever be able to reach and meet,” and that probably includes commercial jingle producers where she got stints writing and singing for famous ads. She has, after all, a knack for writing lyrics that hit close to home and through the heart. “I write about honesty, real stories--either mine or from people close to me.”

These up-and-coming artists talk about fi nding your sound, getting noticed, and how there’s probably no formula in Internet stardom. Also, their playlists to get you inspired.

By MARTIN DIEGOR Photography by JACK ALINDAHAO

Please Don’t Say You Love MeGabrielle Apelin

JealousLabrinth

VideoIndia Arie

Love Is WaitingBrooke Fraser

GravitySara Bareilles

2 music

r yan chr is topher

keiko necessar io

s o und c l o ud . c om/ r yand s y

s o und c l o ud . c om/ke i k on e c e s s a r i o

Looking at Ryan’s resume, one may think he’s not even into music. He went to business school in Edinburgh Scotland, then moved to Atlanta where he graduated with a double degree in international business and corporate fi nance. He’s had piano teachers giving up on him. But one particular summer, a young (and grounded) Ryan found himself picking up his dad’s old guitar to save himself from dying of boredom. The next thing he knew, he was trying to learn to play the piano again. “I became obsessed with playing, and this obsession soon transitioned into my wanting to write my own music.”

Soon enough, LA-based management company A&R Worldwide discovered Ryan on his YouTube channel. “The feedback I get from Soundcloud, YouTube, and songwriting blogs reassures me that I’m doing the right thing--and that I just might be able to spend the rest of my life doing what I love.”

Fast forward to 2015, Ryan launched his fi rst album aptly named after himself under Ivory Records.

Love seems to be an easy topic to write about. Keiko, 24, wrote her fi rst love song when she was in fourth grade. Years later, a love song placed Keiko’s name for the records for writing an entry to the PhilPop Music Festival entitled “3 AM.” It didn’t win a prize, but it turned out to be one of the more popular songs of the contest.

Keiko grew up singing for a church choir. Her folks are quite avid music fans, too, though her mom is a teacher and her dad is an engineer. The problem is they didn’t quite vote for her dream to pursue music professionally. After switching colleges and taking breaks down and then, Keiko realized that music is really her path. Last 2012, she was part of the Elements Music Camp and now performs at gigs. “I record myself to know my mistakes. I really want to improve my music. My biggest dream is to perform in front of a huge crowd.”

Too GoodNick Santino

93 Million MilesJason Mraz

Edge of DesireJohn Mayer

Winter Kina Grannis

Beautiful EscapeAJ Rafael

The ChainIngrid Michaelson

Ikaw at AkoJohnoy Danao

Little LiesDave Barnes

No NameRyan O’ Shaunessy

DreamPriscilla Ahn

3music

GEOFF GONZALEZ MOSTLY JUST FILMED him and his friends cruising on skateboards around southern Metro Manila. But fi nding himself surrounded by music producers, DJs, artists and creatives for friends, he did for Manila what Levi Maestro did for Los Angeles: He provided the Internet an intimate look into the city’s vibrant youth culture through raw, POV documentary videos uploaded on his website, outofscratch.com. Their most interesting hooks are candid conversations witih a fresh, diverse range of individuals, coupled with clever musical scoring. Geoff, now armed by well-established relationships with the subjects he’s interviewed and the people he’s met, earned the trust of street wear labels, corporate brands, and music producers, all prodding him to interpret their product into something today’s cool kids would check out.

What’s the name of your company, and how did you start it?Business Videos Corp. Now it’s focused on the bigger corporations—client stuff—though I still inject the creativity I did with Out of Scratch. I show these brands a more progressive way of presenting themselves, like, “Hey, this is what the kids like now.” A lot of them were low-balling me at fi rst, and I fi gured, I couldn’t keep doing that. I have to make money off of it, so I made it legit by having a business partner, and we set up a company. Now I have a team, a secretary, stuff like that.

Who’s your favorite interview subject?I have a lot, actually. I’ve gotten to meet Afrika Bambaataa, Ali Shaheed Muhammad [of A Tribe Called Quest], Jeff Ng, and Steve Aoki. I picked him up at the airport, brought him to Tondo, and helped him give away shirts. He’s a cool guy. I feel like he’s done partying. When he arrived, he asked for alkaline water and wanted to eat vegan. Before his show, he was just sleeping on the couch in the back room of Republiq.

You set up a website of videos of your day-to-day. Does that mean you care about how many views, likes, or followers you get?No, I’m low-key. My Instagram is private. And say I had a great gig one night, I’m not gonna post anything the next day. It’s important, and of course you get way more opportunities if you’re always out there, but that’s not how I see things. I like hanging out with real people. I’m not too friendly and sociable, but when you hang out with me, we’ll talk about life, about how to become better, how to fi x things. The reason why I put

g e t t i n g p a p e rGeo� Gonzalez went from making videos on his skateboard to starting a company, and this is how he did it.

By MARA SANTILLAN MIANO

up a website is because I wanted to show other people, “Hey, this is what I did, and you can do it too. You can do it better.” Even if just one person saw this video from his computer in Singapore, or Hong Kong, and saw that this is what’s been happening in Manila, I’m happy with that.

A lot of younger people are doing what you’re doing, but what should they do to get to that level of making real money and starting a company?I think you have to really put your work out there, instead of looking to make money off of it. That wasn’t my intention starting out. I was just putting stuff out, doing it for free, for fun. I wanted to showcase people that inspired me. But I made sure to be consistent. I always tell my subjects to consistently follow up after we make a video. I’m giving you a platform, so you have to continuously put out stuff too. And you have to respect people who came before you. I feel like these kids nowadays have no idea, and they go out there misguided. They’re all like, “This is what gets the most likes, so I’m going to do this too.” No, you have to create your own stuff and progress from there. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of talented kids out there. But there’s more to it than that. You need to have work ethic. You need to be professional. You need to study and read a lot of books. Talent is never enough.

POST MALONE (ARNOLD EDIT)

BY WHITE IVERSON

RACE RELATIONSBY SAYKNOWLEDGE

PARANOIDBY KANYE WEST

LET’S ESCAPE (J-LOUIS REMIX)

BY ABRAHAM BLUE

GET TF OUT OF MY FACEBY JR JARIS

CHILDHOODBY SAM GELLAITRY

ROCK WITH YOU (DJ100PROOF BLEND)

CHILDHOOD GAMBINO (KUN HOUSE EDIT)

BY URN

YOUR LOVE IS KING (MR. LEIGH’S KEEPING

DANCING EDIT)BY SADE

ACTION BRONSONBY BABY BLUE FT.

CHANCE THE RAPPER

All apparel from Nike Forum, Greenhills

GEOFF’S ‘CLIQUES AND

HATERS’ PLAYLIST

9pro� le

ess

ay

college r24 E S S A Y

Is it embarassing?

Can they deal with it?

You sure?For you?

Can youdeal with it?

Will it beworth the lulz?

#NOPE Maybe think about it? Time for a throwback

Absolutely sure?

Yes. Nah. It’s cool.

Wait, there’ssomeone elsein it.

Yeah, they’llbe �ne!

OMG. Please burn it! Buuurn!

I think so!

No, forsomeone else!

Yeeeaaaaah

Totally!

Probably could

Actually, nope Fo’ sho! Hold on... I SAID YES

And then Facebook goes, “Here is a photo you posted 2 years ago today.” To post or not to post?

This one’s easy; if you’re not comfortable sharing what

Facebook dug up from the crypt, no one’s forcing you to do that.

It could be okay, but if you’ve got some doubts about this, make sure everything checks out before you

hit “Share.”

No problems here. Let that thing loose and let’s all laugh

at our silly selves.

4 essay

r e m e m b e r m e ?EUNICE BEATRICE BRAGA unintentionally digs up pieces of her past

thanks to Facebook’s On This Day feature

SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO COLLECT TOYS. Some collect gadgets. Some collect vinyls. Some collect clothes. Some collect artwork. I like memories. I like making them. I like realizing that they will stay with me for a long time. I like how they come in different forms—cloudy, clear, bright, dark, jagged, smooth—and how they can transport me to a different time and place, even to a person different from the one I fi nd in the mirror every day. I like being reminded of them.

I like knowing that while I may someday lose my words, I will never lose sight of that one sunny Saturday, the Christmases I’d spend with family, or even the day my elementary school paper adviser announced that she was appointing me editor-in-chief. Likewise, I’ll never forget about the day I fi rst cried about a crush, the day my shoes got thrown over a veranda by some bullies, or the day I got so upset I stormed out of a classroom.

In this regard, perhaps there was no one better suited to enjoy the On This Day feature on Facebook. When it fi rst came out, I was excited about getting another chance to see old status messages, old photos, and even old wall posts, mostly because of how silly they would be, a bit like reading something you wrote when you were a kid.

Then it turned into something that would give me secondhand embarrassment, by way of the “How on earth did you think this was funny?” or “How did you not think this was cheesy as hell?” posts. This would then spiral into the fi nal stage—a whirlpool of sentimentality that would have me seeking out anything from that period, much like an archeologist on an action-fueled quest, if by ‘action,’ I meant feelings, and if by ‘quest,’ I meant multiple trips down memory lane.

Facebook’s On This Day feature works much like a scrapbook, except that there’s a page for every single day of the year. Remember that trip you took with your friends three years ago? You’ll be able to see photos from that trip. What about your graduation day? You’ll see the video from when you went up onstage and even wall posts from friends and family congratulating you on your achievement. Oh, and you’ll also be able to see the date when you added your crush on Facebook, which will save you time spent wondering when you became friends.

According to TechCrunch, Facebook has also built in rules for the feature’s algorithm to ensure that it wouldn’t bring up negative feelings. If you’ve ever made a relationship Facebook offi cial, only to break up later on, Facebook will remember you delisting that person as your romantic partner and will not show you posts including that person in your News Feed, unless you choose to do so. The On This Day feature will also avoid displaying memories of friends who might have passed away.

How can one feature on one social media platform get such a reaction? The answer may lie in emotional memories. In an article on WebMD, writer Miranda Hitti shared that when an event stirs a person’s emotions, the brain takes in as much detail about the event, making it easier to recall. This is probably why we remember defeats and victories in equal measure—the strength of the emotion connected to the event is enough to leave an imprint in our minds.

Clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst Mary Lamia shared, in an article on Psychology Today, that it doesn’t really take much for us to bring back or recall a memory—a date reminding us about an anniversary, a trinket once belonging to someone, or even a song that you used to sing along or dance to together can be enough. Lamia shared that once a memory is recalled, it can activate positive or negative emotions, with a person feeling negative emotions with greater intensity.

Recalling a bad break-up may bring back all the anger, the bitterness, and hurt, and might lead us to wallowing for sometime, while a more positive memory, like a fi rst date, can be the lift that we need in our day.

Lamia added objects can activate not just an emotion or a memory but also the connection that we had with the person who owned the object, which probably explains the mad rush of returns that broken-up couples go through. It’s not just getting rid of a potential trigger or reminder, but it’s our way of telling ourselves that it’s time to make some room for new memories.

When it comes to emotional memories, Lamia noted that having a good memory may not be as advantageous as it usually is, as it may require a person to exercise control over details or potential triggers that can keep them from focusing on the now. It will be up to us to determine whether we can use the memory as a gentle reminder to be more cautious or as straight-up detour, telling us not to go down that road again, maybe try a new one instead.

While looking back can have its side effects, research has shown that nostalgia, now more common thanks to Timehop, Facebook’s On This Day, and #throwbackthursday, does more good for the body. Psychology professor Constantine Sedikides, a known researcher in the fi eld of nostalgia, noted

in two papers they published that while the feeling of nostalgia is triggered by negative moods and loneliness, the experience of it can create positive effects on the body.

Dr. Sedikides and his colleagues found that nostalgia can help people become more open-minded, which, if channeled in creative behavior, such as writing prose, can contribute to creativity. They also found that there is a relationship between loneliness and nostalgia—while people who feel lonely may feel that they don’t have as much social support, their loneliness can lead to them to recall times when they felt supported by their social network, which could lead them to realize just how connected they are.

As for that warm feeling you get after recalling a good childhood memory? That might actually be nostalgia affecting your body. Dr. Sedikides and his colleagues

found that nostalgia triggered by music or by an event actually affected how people would perceive room temperature. The same set of studies also found that people who recalled a nostalgic event showed greater tolerance to unpleasant levels of coldness.

The power of nostalgia seems to be in making us realize that while things have gone south before, they can be good again. Without this reference point, we may remain adrift. We may end up thinking and believing that life will only ever give us the bad. We may end up thinking that life is pointless or meaningless or only ever about the temporary. Nostalgia reminds us that we have embarrassed ourselves before, we have gotten hurt before, and we have grieved before—the difference is now we’re strong enough to dust it off.

I still cringe, sometimes, when I see old status messages or photos. Sometimes, I ask myself why I decided to stick with a long, shaggy haircut or why I thought dropping unambiguous hints would keep my affection quiet and hidden. Sometimes, those memories make me laugh. Other times, those memories feel like opening Pandora’s box.

The one thing I always ask myself at the end of each day’s On This Day feed is this: Would I change it? Maybe. Most of these memories, though, I’d much rather keep. I may never live down some things, but I don’t know who I’d be without those memories. Maybe I’d be someone who’d never appreciate looking back. If that’s the trade, I think I’m happier on this side.

Maybe nostalgia is a way to remind us to be kinder to ourselves, to seek the help of others, and to grow from our decisions. Maybe the gift of nostalgia is not in making us want ourselves ten pounds, two loves, or three student clubs ago, but in taking refuge in that space where understanding, compassion, and contentment meet.

“The power of nostalgia seems to be in making us realize that while things have gone south before, they can be good again.

5essay

But Barthes perhaps fails to see what happens after she says yes, after promises prescribe, after those delicious passions that once coursed through your veins begin to wear themselves out. The alternative is that perhaps Barthes recognizes this as well; that despite all that, all we can do is wait. Both views are equally errifying.

In college, and for quite a while in law school, I collected comic books. The stories are more like encyclicals, and I think us fans collected them more for the rituality that comic books introduced to our sad, miserable, and awkward lives. While these heroes were often depicted as invincible, my favorite stories were the ones with heroes falling apart—Batman failing to save Robin in A Death In The Family, The X-Men in The Dark Phoenix Saga losing Jean Grey to the Phoenix Force and its evil dementia, everyone in Watchmen questioning their heroic relevance in a world that remained vastly indifferent to violence and hatred. In these stories, heroes could do nothing but wait for the sky to clear.

So naturally I loved All-Star Superman, penned by Grant Morrison with art by the phenomenal Frank Quitely. This story, in particular, I loved because of the fi rst storyline featuring Lois Lane. Superman takes her up to the Fortress of Solitude, reveals that he’s slowly dying of cancer,

a n o v e l r o m a n c eLEIRON MARTIJA reads his own hearthache in Fitzgerald and Superman.

and grants her a serum that temporarily gives Lois Kryptonian powers as a birthday present, just to show her what it’s like to be him. Lois of course takes the offer, and I imagine it’s because she can’t wait to be in the same shoes Superman is in. The surprising thing is she turns out to be more of a hero than Superman could ever be. When the evening ends, Lois Lane returns to her normal self, but they walk away from that dream of an evening closer, more fulfi lled, as if they needn’t longer wait for anything else.

We could turn to wiser, more damaged souls to give it a name. F. Scott Fitzgerald, writing from This Side of Paradise: “They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.”

A memory: it must have been Year Two, somewhere near its end. We were at the movies, and though it was dark I could feel her smile as she rested her head on my shoulder, hands entangled like knotted earphones lost in the darkest recesses of your bag. My mind departed from the movie, some blockbuster I can’t even remember anymore. I recall being content, and being sickened with the idea of contentment. Was it love? Of course it was, so naturally it stunted growth, hindered an open ending, given me a fi nite label I would have to live with. I don’t fi nd anything wrong with

thinking that way. A relationship with someone who refuses to meet you halfway is a relationship with a road block. Imagine the precedence you set.

By the start of Year Three you start counting the arguments, keeping score, observing how the relationship takes a life of its own. In one particular argument, she will say terrible, painful things, and so will you, both of you blinded by an irrational anger that can hardly be controlled. Next thing you know, you’re waiting on the sidelines for the smoke to clear to see if there is anything left to save, and while you had months, maybe even years to wait for a beautiful blossoming of fulfi lling, enriching love, you have nothing but seconds now

A Lovers Discourse: Fragments by Roland Barthes (1977)Barthes’s most famous book is a list of vigne� es discussing what it means to love and be loved. The author uses both his own philosophical thoughts and excerpts from literature to explain “a lover at work.”

X-Men: Dark Phoenix Saga (1980) This celebrated series focuses on Jean Grey merging with the mystical Pho enix Force in order to save the universe, and then her inevitable fall and corruption.

Batman: A Death In The Family (1989)In this controversial graphic novel, readers were given a choice to decide the fate of Jason Todd, the second Robin. It remains famous both for it’s shocking conclusion and the moral questions it raises.

ROLAND BARTHES SAYS, at his most quotable from A Lover’s Discourse, that “the lover’s fatal identity is precisely this: I am the one who waits.” Fatal, but true. For those of us who like to live on the emotionally dangerous side, love consists mostly of leaving everything on the table and waiting.

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to prepare for the impending disappointment—heartache. Cheap, dull, painful heartache.

Etta James, God bless her beautiful soul, singing now to the tombstone of your dead, mangled, misshapen relationship:

Swing low, sweet chariot,

Coming for to carry me home;Swing low, sweet chariot;

Coming for to carry me home.

“That was always the risk,” my best friend tells me. That’s a fact, but it didn’t make sense to me: “Certainly I wish I wanted less, especially when it came to love. But it’s just so important to me. How can it not be important to people?” Is it a fault that I always seek out women who are always larger than life—women who turn out to be greater heroes than I could ever be? Am I at fault for wanting that? For being willing to wait for that? Was it so utterly demanding for each romantic experience to be as fully threshed as the relationships I’ve had?

Hemingway now, from The Snows of Kilimanjaro: “He had never quarreled much with this woman, while the women that he loved he had quarreled so much that they fi nally, always, with the corrosion of the quarreling, killed what they had together. He had loved too much, demanded too much, and he wore it all out.”

Modern literature might be a bit heavy, but comic books always tend to end at the most ideal endings; they fl y off into the sunset, the camera zooms out of the Batcave with the raucous cheers of laughter, Wonder Woman carries Steve in her arms and kisses him. Things like that. But when you wear happy endings around your neck, does it ever turn into a leash? Five years, ten years down the line, when things like bills and Your Mother and Oh-My-God-Who-Is-Shes get thrown between both of you, how do you Hero your way out of that? For the rest of us who don’t date Kryptonians, what do they give us in lieu of some super-serum for an overnight hero experience? For us human beings who don’t live within comic book panels, nothing but the painfully sagacious words of Fitzgerald or Hemingway, all broken souls, what’s in waiting? What are we waiting for?

I stumbled upon a painting because of the Google Art Project: Love’s Young Dream (1887), by Jenna Augusta Brownscombe. Look at our naïve heroine, here, holding her skirt, fl owers

in her hand for the wedding that must surely come, ready to run at a moment’s notice, looking to the distant prairie waiting for someone, something, anything.

I found a poem, by Thomas Moore, with the same title as that painting, which likely took inspiration from the former. This part is particularly good:

New hope, may bloom,And days may come,

of milder, calmer beam,But there’s nothing half so

sweet in lifeAs love’s young dream.

It’s a little sickening how the sum of all human

experience has led us to this highly marketable idea of love —a young dream to which no other joy could possibly compare. The price, of course, is waiting. I can’t tell you defi nitively why we choose the people we do choose to love. But they come in to our lives deliberately, without warning or notice, Kryptonian promises in a vial. For a moment we’ll fl y and have super strength and get X-Ray vision and invincibility, and when the high leaves us we end up falling in love. Do they come back? Do they leave us? Do we fetch new fl owers before they arrive, if at all? We, being lovers who dream, all we can do is wait.

All-Star Superman (2005-2008)This twelve-issue reboot of Superman returns him to his pre-eminent place as the greatest of all superheroes. The stories are both respectfully classic and excitingly contemporary.

This Side of Paradise by F. Sco� Fitzgerald (1920) Fitzgerald’s debut novel is a wi� y and romantic tale that examines the lives and moral choices of post-World War I youth. It serves as a spiritual predecessor of his now classic, The Great Gatsby.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway (1936)O� en regarded as one of Hemingway’s best stories. This haunting short story juxtaposes the beautiful snow-capped peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the bi� er relationship and tragedy of a married couple.

Watchmen (1987)This seminal tale by comics legend Alan Moore chronicles the fall from grace of a group of superheroes plagues by their human failings. Along the way, these characters question their actions and morality while being stalked by an unknown enemy.

3essay

ou expect a nice homecoming when you show up back in college after moving on into the real world. The young folk recognize you and excitedly greet you,

as you track down still studying buddies—of course they cut class to have a snack at your favorite eating spot because, hey, you’re back!—then a favorite professor will show up and you proceed to talk as mature, working equals, which is pretty rad and mature. You leave and you’re fi lled with a sense of achievement because 1) you managed not to become a total bum post grad, and 2) now everyone knows it and they look up to you as a shining beacon of millennial achievement. Having the total opposite occur is a nightmare, fi lling you with existential dread or perhaps moderately aging you at best. I would know because it happened to me.

During my last visit to my alma mater, I didn’t see anyone I know. Considering all the people you meet and keep during the best years of your life, not spotting a single one is pretty tragic. No moldy old professors. No overstaying students who fl aunted the maximum residency rule by constantly shifting courses. No vaguely remembered faces from the freshman batch of nameless org applicants circa grad year. And, most tellingly, no hallowed human institutions like the building janitor or security guard. Even the buildings look different. If you cut me open in that moment, you would have seen my human tree rings rapidly multiplying.

I’ve neglected to mention the fact that I dropped by at 10:00 pm on the Saturday after Christmas. Off timing even for the transient population of bikers and joggers who normally populate the university during the oddest hours and holidays. Obviously I wasn’t going to see anyone. I was just there because the roads were wide open and my friend felt like a drive.

Three years of absence from the academe doesn’t seem like much on the grand timeline that is the post-college existence, but it’s really easy to forget the glory days when you’re grinding out the daily 9 to 5. Prior to that night, I hadn’t seen any need to come back for the better part of two years. Seeing my campus in its most basic form reaffi rmed that I was over it. College had nothing left for me to come back to anymore. My friends had all fi nally graduated. My favorite professors had stopped teaching. Oh, and they closed down my favorite spot in the cafeteria.

In the crisp evening air of that unusually chilly December, I initially felt like a visitor sneaking in through the backdoor while nobody was looking. If I had come by at a more humane hour, it would have felt the same—crowded, sure, but just as empty where it really counts. I’d just be judging the little shits that make up the present student body while silently, maybe even desperately, hoping to see someone I do actually know. Fact: the young ones will never be as cool as us. I’ve conceded that my college is for the next generation now. There’s no need for a good old professor to awkwardly accommodate me if I wander by. I will simply give a little smize of acknowledgement in the background,

ox! ASH MAHINAY gets nostalgic about college and grapples with moving on—in more words and less cheese. Illustration by JC JAMORALIN

Ypreferably while they are imparting wisdom (or bullshit!) to some young grasshopper, and slip away like a ghost before they can react. I was never a favorite student of his anyway! We’d only engage in superfi cial pleasantries before the conversation grinds to a halt! If I really wanted to make any sort of meaningful comeback, then I would have to slide on over to alumni affairs to sponsor a bench or piece of sidewalk or whatever and have my name sat on, stepped on, and vandalized until it rubbed off.

Why do people like coming back then? When are we supposed to totally let go? Why are tenth, twentieth, even fi ftieth reunions a thing? (By then more than half your batch is buried in the dirt, and the rest are rushing to join them.) And, most importantly, why did I feel so home at home despite all my doubts?

Though I genuinely felt that I had nothing to come back to, I felt like I belonged to this empty place. Belong is a strong word, but I didn’t feel like an outsider, unlike going back to a former workplace, an ex’s house, or even the place of a friend you regrettably no longer get along with. It wasn’t weird. I didn’t have to explain my being there (“I’m just getting my things…” with matching forlorn expression) to anyone, including my self. If some security pulled us over, two random dudes driving around in the middle of the night, and asked us what the hell we were doing, I could say we’re visiting alumni, and everything would be all right. Probably.

Nabokov once said one is always at home in one’s past. Presumably Vlad felt this way because he didn’t grow up in some gulag, but he’s got a good point. I may have been physically present in my campus, but what I was really visiting were all my old memories of it. Where I liked to eat, where I hung out, where I went to sleep in between classes, where I locked myself out of my car on a rainy day, where I aced a class, where I looked for my fi nal grade and discovered I had failed, where I got rejected, and where I marched off stage, diploma proudly in hand, and my beaming parents triumphantly declaring: “No more allowance!” (I then unrolled my diploma and discovered it was a glorifi ed IOU: “Congratulations! Claim your actual diploma next month!”) The entire place can burn down to the ground tomorrow, but I’ll never forget the experiences. Unless I was trapped in the building or something.

If you’re not like me—and by that I mean still in pursuit of higher education—the point of all this… is not to think about any of this? Not yet at least. Don’t to stupid things because you have to bank them good memories. (Do them just because.) There is merit in just embracing everything college throws at you. Nostalgia is terrible because it paralyzes you for hours while you reminisce, but it’s also great because everything—bad times, even the most mundane of memories—become magical when viewed through its sepia tone lenses. Unlike pirating an old videogame or movie you loved and discovering how terribad it actually was, there is no way to go back to college and ruin it for yourself.

25E S S A Y

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m u n c h m o n t hLive a little and wreck that new year’s resolution with

29 of the best eats around the city

By CAI MAROKET, MARTIN DIEGOR & GIAN BERNARDINOPhotography by GERALD DEL MUNDO & ABBY MAGSANOC

Beni’s Falafel, MakatiFALAFELThis was one of the last places you’d fi nd the best falafel in the country. A hidden gem in the heart of Makati, today, Beni’s has upgraded and has moved to A Venue mall with a more pleasant interior, but the most delicious falafel around still and is as great as ever.

Manam, MakatiWATERMELON

SINIGANGThe good thing about having watermelon in sinigang is the

surprise that it may not be as you imagined it. The fruit simply brings a light twist of

fl avor to an old recipe, but it’s a huge, crazy di� erence.

Stockton Place, Makati

STEAK & TRUFFLE FRIESThis is a little bit pricier than the rest, but for good reason. Stockton Place’s steak is as delicious as it smells. Served on a bed of crispy tru� ed potatoes, this carb-and-protein combination is just what you need for a family dinner, lunch with friends, or if you just want a really good steak.

Wai Ying Dimsum, BinondoHAKAW

Wai Ying’s magic also comes from the fact that they’re

in the middle of Chinatown, meaning their food couldn’t

be more authentic. For a safe fi rst visit, get a steamy serving of Hakaw dipped in spicy soy sauce. The meat is

fi rm and the wrapper is nicely moist. Once you’re done with

that, order a few more for good measure.

Cantino, MakatiCHORI PASTA

Finding a nice, quiet place in busy Pasong Tamo is quite a surprise in itself, but to fi nd that it also

serves good, hearty (and cheap!) food is a treat. Cantino’s chori

pasta is the right kind of salty for a light lunch. Best consumed with its vinegrette properly mixed in.

Vest Ramen In Town, MalateTANTANMEN

Eating at Erra’s/Vest Ramen in town is about more than just good noodles; it’s an experience where you are taken into another strange world of the darker side of

Malate. It may be frightening or intimidating at fi rst, but good broth and cheap beers make

for a refreshingrespite from the hectic goings-on in the area.

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5 Ooma, OrtigasABURI MAKI

If you ever fi nd yourself tired of the same old California maki, head on to Ooma and give their aburi sushi a try. They blowtorch the

fi sh, giving the dish an extra crunch and a bold, smokey

aroma and fl avor. It is best eaten with a brush of

ponzu sauce.

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20 food

We fondly remember lining up along 53rd

street in the cold New York weather in

anticipation of the best street food in the

area. From its crisp, succulent meat, to the searing heat of its hot

sauce, Halal Guys Gyro Wrap ups the plaing fi eld on simple but

wholesome streat food.

La Grotta Cucina Italia, MakatiTRUFFLE PASTA

La Grotta Cucina Italia is the place to go to if you ever fi nd yourself with a strong, weird

craving for tru� es. Made with perfectly al dente pasta, porcini

mushrooms, parma ham and incredibly creamy tru� e sauce,

their Tagliatelle di Tartufo Crudo is one of the best tru� e

pastas in the country. Kanto Freestyle, KapitolyoCHAMPORADO

Kanto Freestyle’s Champorado is a simple, honest-to-God good Champorado. Their

Champorado, drizzled with cream and topped with choc-nut pieces, had us going way

back to our childhoods at lola’s house meriendas. If you’re

craving for comfort food for whatever reason (or excuse),

Kanto Freestyle’s Champorado is the go-to dish.

Taco Vengo, KapitolyoBACON LENGUA

TRIPE SUPER TACOThis container van taqueria is

here to make sure that splurging on a well-loved taco is more

than just grubbing and messing around with our favorite comfort food. The bacon lengua, for one, is a play on gummy texture with

strong fl avors from the relish and drops of lemon.

Silantro, KapitolyoQUESADILLA

Silantro’s Quesedilla is just damn good. It overwhelms you with a

plethora of cheese and chicken, all topped o� with tasty, crisp fries

that taste like they were deep fried in beef fat. Combined with the remarkably reasonable pricetag, this is our top pick from the best

Fil-Mex in town.

Mendokoro Ramenba, Makati

SHOYURAMENThere are lots of ramen restaurants around Manila, but Mendokoro’s tight menu and limited seats (just 21!) elevate the game with artful and complex renditions of our Japanese favorites. The Shoyu has a tasty and soft pork swimming in rich broth. Sip it up hot along with the long noodles.

Hossein, Makati

MEGA PLATTERBesides being generous with the servings, Hossein’s dishes are authentic Persian food. Their platters give you the chance to try di� erent kebabs they prepare in one go, from lamb to chicken to two types of beef. Each platter comes with a big plate of biryani rice and sa� ron rice, and is good for four to fi ve people.

Goto Monster, MakatiGOTO SPECIALFinishing Goto Monster’s big bowls can be quite a task, but just get that spoon and you’re good to go. The mix of garlic and salted egg brings the right amount of fl avor to the palate. Squeeze the calamansi and add some soy sauce to taste. Perfect for drunken cravings.

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Halal Guys, OrtigasGYRO WRAP

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All im

ages copyright VII Photo A

gency / Sarker Protick

f o l l o w t h e l i g h tPhotojournalist Sarker Protick returns to his hometown to document the little-known Bangladeshi Film Industry

Interview by NICO PASCUAL

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BANGLADESH BORN Sarker Protick fi rst came to photography when one day during his graduate studies at university, he decided to take a picture of the sun with a camera phone. On all accounts the picture was “very direct and terrible.” But since then he’s been all around the world using light as an important tool in his portrayals of daily life. This year he fi nds himself joining the acclaimed VII photographic agency and has received the 2015 World Press Photo Award for his poignant photo essay What Remains, a visual diary of his fi nal encounters with his grandparents. Now, I caught up with him as he begins his next photographic journey, which is to document the obscure yet fascinating world of the Bangladeshi fi lm Industry.

Mr. Sarker, What has been your most memorable image so far? There’s a lot. For me, it is hard to pick one image. But if I had to pick one it would be the one I saw last week while I was travelling through a river in a speedboat. It was raining, the sky was full of dark clouds, and I saw 3 cows in the middle of this big river. They were swimming and trying to cross the river. It was surreal. It was raining hard so I only took a few images, as it was not easy to see and use the camera. It doesn’t matter how the image will turn out because I am sure I will remember that experience for a long time.

I noticed you take pictures with an almost dreamlike aura. What started your fascination with light?When I make images I am very conscious about light, I think it is light that is the underlying thread of all my work. I don’t remember why it became that way but when I started photography I used to take pictures of sun using my phone. Those images where very direct and terrible. But light was something that has always attracted me.

You’ve studied and lived in the United States, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. How would you describe the photography scene in Bangladesh now? I only stayed in the U.S.A and U.K for a brief period of time. So I can’t comment from that perspective. But I did travel a lot abroad. Bangladesh has both its strengths and weaknesses. We have a very good photography school (Pathshala) there so our education system is very strong and is up to international standards. We also have photo festivals in Bangladesh that are among the fi rst in the region and one of the best I have seen from all around the world. But on the opposite end, there is no magazine or newspaper that promotes good photography practices. So there are two sides to the matter.

What do you enjoy most about documentary photography in particular?It allows me to work with stories where I can have authorship rather than just documenting what it is. Documentary photography also allows me to work long term on a particular story.

What inspires you?Good photography, music, fi lm and books. I like reading fi ction and poetry. Recently, I’ve been very interested about the different concepts of space, time, dimensions, stars, and universes.

Who are the photographers you look up too? Do you have any favorite images from them?I look up to William Eggelstone, Robert Adams, Weegee, Duane Michaels, and Alec Soth. The paintings of Edward Hopper and Rene Magritte are also my very favorites.

Duane Michael’s image – “This is my Proof ” is something I will always remember.

Could you tell us the story behind your photo projects, “What Remains? “ and “Love me or Kill me?” What Remains is a story about my Grandparents and their last days. It deals with the idea of family, relationship, old age, loneliness and death. I guess we can add more words to that but in short it’s a story of human life.Love me or Kill me is a work in progress based on the Bangladeshi fi lm Industry. It is about the superfi cial emotions and the fantasies these fi lms portray due to its cheap production design and overdone acting.

Do you think photography allows you to get closer to your subjects? It does. But it also depends on the photographers and the work that they do.In my case, the best example would be the work, What Remains. It helped me to reconnect with my grandparents once again after a long time.

As a photographer, what kind of stories do you want to tell? I have always done those stories that interest me personally. But I am open to do different things. As a photographer, I can’t always do the same thing. In my artistic process, I would rather explore the possibilities of an image rather than expect a specifi c outcome.

What is the most memorable location you’ve been to? There are many memorable places. But Sicily is the one place that I wish I could visit again. I also like being in Italy. The location is not the only important thing because the people also matter. For example: while Paris is beautiful city. It is hard to fi nd people who are really friendly there. But perhaps that is only my personal observation.

I also love being close to sea.

What would you tell a young photographer who wants to pursue a career in photography?It’s simple. There’s no point of practicing photography (or any medium of art) if you feel that it would be easy to live without it.

What is next for you? Finding some time for my own personal work and my current projects. Perhaps after that, a road trip in the future and then I plan on studying again. That’s all I know.

5portfolio

“I can see people fucking down there!” —Pretty Rigby “Oh, yeah. Let them be.” —Carl Luig

“I’m glad you’re here to experience the Malasimbo Magic. Whatever that is. Magic can also come in a jar.” —Jorge Wieneke

“It’s my first time. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.” —Peter Golikov

46 S C E N E

“This is so fun. This is amazing. Oh my god.” —Tom Thum

“I want to move here.” —Taylor McFerrin

“There’s this need that people have to live in the city. I’ll stay here for as long as I can.” —June Marieezy

47S C E N E

c l o u d y w i t h a c h a n c e o f d o n u t s

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CHEWY JUNIOR cream ch

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GONUTS DONUTS rainbow burst

WILDFLOUR hazelnut cronut

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COUNTRY STYLE Hawaiian d

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KRISPY KREME Hershey’s cookies and kreme

J.CO heaven berryGAVINO’S M&M

Eleven stops to satisfy a donut craving. By MARA SANTILLAN MIANO Photography by GABBY CANTERO

How the red velvet came to be, why we roast marshmallows, why Hershey’s called them Kisses, and other food trivia now up on Scoutmag.ph!

a l i e n i n v a s i o n

IT’S NOT EVERY DAY that you see a giant rainbow-colored fl y perched in Makati, or a woman with her head made of mismatched plasticware doing groceries. Don’t worry, you’re not delusional. Or maybe you are. But if you chanced upon these peculiar sights, you probably just saw a glimpse of the strange and fantastic world of artist Leeroy New.

From the outside, his place in Quezon City could pass for a home, if not for the pink coral-like contraption sticking out of the fence. Two big melting skulls meet you in the garage and alien headdresses hang from the ceiling. “I like creating my own mythology,” the Leeroy says. A white alien with four eyes and four hands smile at our direction from the other side of the table. “My work has infl uences from the things I grew up with—robots, aliens, and anime—which are things a lot of people can relate to.”

Leeroy’s name is synonymous with the bizarre—sculptures of twisted human anatomy, legions of chimera made with found objects, and body suits from latex that are made to look like your skin is stretching away from your body. It can be weird as weird can go, but this weirdness earned him accolades in the local and international art scene. But if there’s anything unique about Leeroy’s work, it may be that he is one of few well-known artists that exhibit and create their work in the context of the public space.

“When I was starting, there were really limited platforms where people can see art,” Leeroy shares. “I thought that art shouldn’t be so exclusive.”

Rewind to his stay in the Philippine High School for the Arts, one of his professors and a major infl uence to his career, artist Roberto Feleo, taught him that prior to Spain’s introduction of formal gallery spaces, art was simply part of the average Filipino lifestyle. Pre-colonial weapons, clothes, and even pots had some kind of artistic value to them. This is where Leeroy fi rst picked up the idea of how art should truly be in the public’s eye.

“We were taught to rethink art. Putting my work in the open requires a whole different mindset from traditional art platforms. With public art, you leave your work out there for people to see and interact with, for the weather to age, deform, and eventually destroy,” he says.

Interaction is Leeroy’s keyword. The Sipatlawin ensemble, a frequent collaborator and willing volunteer in donning Leeroy’s costumes, performs in trains, bridges, and random streets, documented in photo or video for the world to

Sculptor Leeroy New transports art from the gallery and onto the streets

By MARTIN DIEGOR

see. It is in this mutual interest in experimental performance art (and beer) that they were able to come up with the project Aliens of Manila. Think of it as something like HONY, but if Manila were in Mars and everyone speaks in witty, oftentimes meta, one-liners. The spin-off features Leeroy’s friends dressed in colorful, grotesque body suits, snapped casually prancing around the city. One of its photo series was shot by photography duo Everywhere Shoot. “Right now, it’s just me and my friends, but in the long run, we’d like to invite other people to be part of it, too.” As an experiment, Leeroy invited attendees of Ayala Museum’s Inspire Everyday series of talks to wear his masks (search #aliensofmanila on Instagram).

Fun as it may be, the view from behind the scenes looks much different. A quick look at his calendar shows you a schedule with little down time. He keeps a room in his studio where he can spend the night. During our interview, he was juggling calls and checking work.

“I need to keep doing all this so I can fund my passion projects.”

Enter Julia Nebrija of Viva Manila, whom Leeroy is collaborating with to create an interactive fl oating island on the Pasig River to promote tourism and attention to the river’s

care. He wants it to be a central piece for events in the river, like painting murals in the otherwise bland concrete along the waterway, and other activities that would involve the settlers surrounding it. The project received a grant from the world-renowned Burning Man Festival, which awards funding to “projects that bring people together in unexpected ways, that encourage exchange of skill, knowledge, and inspiration.” After coordinating with different government agencies, they fi nally got the chance to hold a demonstration of the interactive fl oat last May. The results seem to be positive.

“At some point, you graduate from just making commentaries and actually try to think of design solutions for real problems,” Leeroy admits.

Despite all of this, Leeroy actually thinks he still has a long way to go. He looks forward to working with experts from different fi elds (“Like robotics!”) and maybe get involved in designing large structures (“Maybe stadiums”). “I think that’s the only way you can learn. You don’t have to subscribe to a single medium. That way of thinking is already outdated. You should be able to express yourself in whatever means you want, especially today.”

Leeroy New wearing a helmet from his work on Aliens of Manila. Photographed by CHIO GONZALES for Scout.

2 art + desgin

Teratoma (2007)Leeroy’s undergrad thesis transformed the UP Diliman waiting shed.

Teratoma II (2008)Installed on the facade of the Singapore Art Musuem

The � rst demonstration of Leeroy’s interactive � oat at the Pasig River, a project made possible with a grant from the Burning Man Festival.

Paoay Sculptural Playground (In-progress)Situated in the Paoay sand dunes, made from an assortment of discarded materials like water tanks, cement fountains, window frames, a jeep, and spiral staircases, among other things. Also featured in this park is a huge cocoon-like spaceship made entirely of bamboo. The sculpture park is a collaborative project with the locals of Paoay and the local government of Ilocos Norte.

Psychopomp Reef (2011) at Bonifacio Global City

3art + design

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n my high school yearbook, I wrote that I wanted to take up Hotel and Restaurant Management because I always heard it from my classmates. The truth is that I wanted

Interior Design. I ended up in Fine Arts major in Advertising on my sibling’s advice. I worked as a graphic artist for a printing company and did art as a hobby. I didn’t care about making money off of art in the beginning. Art was just an outlet.

But I was always surrounded by artists. It was my friends and fellow TUP alumni (Lynyrd Paras, Mark Andy Garcia, and Allan Balisi, to name a few) who inspired me to go full-time as an artist. I thought, if they can do it, then so can I. You know, it’s a common misconception that galleries approach artists and ask them to display their work. In my experience, it’s the other way around. You write a proposal—it’s quite formal, with a letter and everything—and submit it to different galleries. If they like your work, they get back to you and you settle on a deal.

Getting your name out there is important. I guess you can say Garapata got my name out there—though I didn’t start out with that intention. Garapata was just for fun in the beginning. I would print out stickers and give them away to everyone I meet. I didn’t know Garapata would become popular. It’s useful that Garapata is like my signature thing, except that one time I impulsively put a sticker on someone’s windshield outside The Collective and the owner fl ipped out when he saw it. (I told him I was giving away the stickers to everyone in B-Side and it wasn’t me who did it.) Garapata is the fun side of my

work. Dex Fernandez the artist is different. It’s the more serious stuff, for the more serious art buyers. When you’re an artist, you can’t just always be fun, you know? If you do not take your work seriously, people won’t take you seriously. You prove yourself fi rst, then play around later on.

Art is now my livelihood. Half of my earnings I put into making more art, and the other half I put into paying the bills. When you make art for a living, sometimes it gets tempting to create an art piece just for profi t. When you start taking away elements from your art that are “you” just so it becomes more conventionally refi ned or tasteful, that’s when you become a sellout. There were instances that I tried it, just to test the audience and the buyers. There really is a difference. Last 2011, West Gallery asked me to do a show. It was going to be my third show. My fi rst two shows were all sold out, so I guess the buyers liked what I’ve been making, right? That year, I tried something different. I experimented with obscenity, and made cutouts of pornographic images and covered them up crudely. You know how many I sold? Three pieces, from

a series of 52. [Laughs] The profi t is necessary, too, but for me it is all about balance. You avoid becoming a sellout whe n you’re consistent with your work. If you started with brutal stuff, then be brutal with the rest. Never half-ass it. —Dex Fernandez, as told to Mara Santillan Miano

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Artist Dex Fernandez a.k.a. Garapata busts the myth that good art sells itself.

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Photography by Everywhere We Shoot

48 B A C K S T O R Y

What got you into art?Hello Scout! I guess it was the day when I read in the bulletin board in UP that I passed the entrance test for the College Of Fine Arts. It was either that or to go to a nursing school.

What is the proudest moment in your career so far?It would be every time a relative or a family friend becomes condescending when they ask me about my work and tells me to get a real job and then those same people see my name on a magazine or a newspaper.

What keeps you going as an artist?I just do what I do in the best way as I can, with or without a client. Perhaps for self-ful� llment. And also the thought that this is the path I chose, nobody pushed me to become an illustrator/artist and I feel obligated to prove to myself and to others that it’s not a wrong decision.

What’s your take on having a de� ning visual style versus being � exible?I have a lot of qualms about “style” because it is a

very misguiding word. Style is not just the form or execution. Style is your aesthetics—your history, your experiences, your in� uences, what kind of music you listen to, what you ate for breakfast, etc. It’s not a case of “I need to make all my artworks look the same: eyes wide-apart, long necks, nose made of buttons!” Why would I want to impose something so limiting to myself when I can do so much more?

It is okay to be � exible, because whatever you draw/make, it will always carry your essence, your de� ning style. As an artist, experimenting is crucial for (skill/self?) development.

Name an artist you’d like to collaborate with.I wish to collaborate with many artist whom I idolize a lot ha-ha! Safe answer.

Describe your dream client/project. Right now, I just want to make a lot of books and zines!

For October (2011)

Diwata (For October) (2015)

TOKWA PEÑAFLORIDA, 25

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What made you interested in art?When I found Nick Bantock’s Grif� n and Sabine series as a child, I was � oored. It was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever come across, and until now I see it as a perfect synthesis of art, design, and fantastic story telling.

What’s a common misconception you get about art as a job?That clients expect you to copy off of another artist’s style to suit their needs and that this is okay. It’s really not. Being a copycat is one thing, but imposing it on someone else is just wrong. “Gawin mong parang James Jean, ha!” LOL.

They say nothing is original anymore. Do you agree?The concept of a peg is so akin to our generation that a lot of us can’t create without it. In a society that’s turned the internet from a drug to a crutch, aesthetic similarities between artists are easy to come by, especially since information is an eat-all-you-can buffet. When I feel like I’ve made something that’s in any way been seen and done before, I’ll keep it to myself and explore something new. The downside to that could also mean that that last great idea was done by someone else, and they did it better. All

you really have to do is experiment with what you have; read, use your hands, and put down your smart phone once in a while. (Although be careful when you experiment! I almost burned down my room last month while playing with chemicals for a sculpture I wanted to make. It’s kind of sad that I don’t even have a video to show for it!)

What’s your take on having a de� ning visual style versus being � exible?The good thing about having a de� ning visual style is exactly that—it de� nes you. Your work speaks for itself and your art need not be introduced to anyone. Be � exible, and you’ve got the element of surprise on your hands; no one will know what to expect because you’re a shocker at every turn!

Name an artist you’d like to collaborate with. Ken Matsubara

Describe your dream client/project. I would love to have Matohu as a client! I would make all sorts of weird and wonderful things for that label.

KRISTINE CAGUIAT, 21

Die Dy Day (2009)

Amrita (2015)

Ever wondered how far you’ve come? Five artists revisit their old work and recreate them in their current style. Scout talks to them about turning dreams into dayjobs.

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• The redesign of the magazine has helped increase Scout’s online presence and has boosted its social media following by 600% in the span of one year.

• Scout Magazine has become a collectable item because of it’s new aesthetic and sensible and engaging content.

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