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Old
Magic
at One Workshop Gallery
October
7 to November 7, 2008
Maverick
photography group Foto Baryo works their unique brand of “Old
Magic,” an exhibition of rare Polaroid photos at One Workshop
Gallery. Opening on October 7, 2008, “Old Magic” features
a collection of photographs taken with a vintage Polaroid SX-70.
Photographers then manipulated each photograph manually using techniques
such as tracing with a plastic fork.
No
longer manufactured today, the Polaroid camera used for “Old
Magic” is owned by Foto Baryo founder Fernando Afable. Apart
from producing his own photographs for the exhibition, Afable shared
his beloved camera and Polaroid manipulation techniques with close
friends and Foto Baryo volunteers Amor Rodriguez, Cres Yulo, Pinky
Urmaza, Tommy Hafalla and Vixienne Calulut.
With
Afable's injunction to “Go out, shoot and enjoy,” these
photographers went out to take Polaroid pictures of personal significance,
while having fun during every step of the point-and-shoot and scratch-the-surface
process. As Rodriguez put it, “I was like a kid with a new
toy and I lugged the thing everywhere I went.” Yulo likewise
felt “like a child on a “secret mission”—to
find a subject matter interesting enough to shoot, and to change
it into a whole new image.”
For
Urmaza, the photos at “Old Magic” are her “records
of trips, both near and far; some are journeys inward, as I discovered
more about myself in each shape and colour I have scratched and
traced.” For his part, Hafalla sees Polaroids as a method
that “gave me a chance to express my frustration to be a painter...I
started creating my own painting through a lens... with just a few
pieces (that) fulfilled my long-forgotten dream to paint with light.”
Calulut, who describes Polaroid manipulation as “giving the
picture a Van Gogh-ish look with the use of a stylus,” says
her pictures “bear a myriad of emotions, foremost of which
is the spirit of generosity shown by friends.”
As
the brainchild of master photographer Fernando Afable, Foto Baryo
is the result of the dreams and the life's work of a man who worked
his way up from humble origins in Tanauan to become Darkroom Manager
of the prestigious International Center for Photography (ICP) in
New York City. Wishing to nurture a Filipino version of the ICP
back home, Afable founded Foto Baryo in order to raise local awareness
of the beauty of photography. From the first year of its inception,
Foto Baryo has spread the word to over a hundred photo enthusiasts
around the country. Since its first landmark exhibition at the Cultural
Center of the Philippines (CCP), One Workshop Gallery has always
supported Foto Baryo and Afable's vision of a community sharing
ideas, knowledge, art and culture.
“Old
Magic” by Foto Baryo runs until November 7, 2008, Gallery
hours are from 10am to 7pm daily except Sundays. For inquiries,
call or fax 819-2074, e-mail inquiry@owg.cc
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