by Anton Baello
Fig. 1. KoloWn, Free Wall CCP project, drawing by Bstn Baello, July 20, 2018. Image courtesy of KoloWn: https://www.facebook.com/.../a.1015530.../10156165208583283/.
Excerpt from Photography as Protest, and the Need to Puncture the Surface (1):
At first glance, we might think that the facade of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Building has been vandalised. A drawing of two presidents with the words "Evil Is All Around Us" on the country's premier cultural structure presents a monumental expression that could overshadow all other visual activist projects in scale. However, our initial awe shifts to understanding when we realize this is a marking on a digital photograph. This digital artwork by Bstn Baello is a submission to koloWn's Free Wall CCP project.
Baello’s work challenges our preconceptions of the "credit" for the photograph. The original image of the CCP Building, unmarked and bare, originated from koloWn, but the participatory nature of the project allows for the recognition of other voices and commentaries beyond the "project owner." In this case, koloWn and the photograph (as a canvas) serve as "enablers" for the protest of others, assuming participants choose to engage in such expressions.
koloWn blurs the lines between art, protest, and brain fart. Conceptual in their approach, koloWn treats photography without the regality strongly upheld by traditional shooters. The photographic image becomes a canvas for writing, doodling, and satire, making the integrity of the image subordinate to the act of protest—something a photojournalist, as a passive viewer, cannot achieve. Even a photographer deeply embedded in the community of their subject remains merely a witness. In koloWn’s project, the photograph is not a finished product but a canvas for further markings, enabling active participation in the act of image-making—an approach unfamiliar to traditional photographers.
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Baka ito yung missing link sa creative exploration mo?
Naranasan nyo na ba to? Madalas kasi di nababanggit 'to, nakakalimutan o hindi binibigyan ng importansya. Kaya baka ito yung missing link sa creative exploration mo. Tatype mo lang sa google.
Huwag kalilimutan at laging tandaan! mahalaga ang opinyon mo
Disclaimer:
Linawin ko lang yung tungkol sa mga speakers na puro "about me" medyo joke lang naman yon kaya wag sana seryosohin hehe meron nyan pero di naman lahat. kahit sa anong workshop/talk mapabusiness, art, or kahit anong venture meron ganyan.
At para po dun sa mismong topic, naisipan ko lang itranslate yung mga naiisip ko into a video. Yung mga nasa creative fields syempre alam yan (ginagawa pa ngang meme e) pero sa photography kasi napansin ko nalilimutan banggitin yan kaya merong naliligaw at di malaman kung san magsisimula, lalo na yung mga baguhan. (naisip ko lang baka makatulong)
Fig. 2. Elements of Art, directed by Anton Baello, Facebook Post, December 13, 2023, video, https://www.facebook.com/antonbaello/videos/1552494118837164.
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Munting alay para sa kapwa alagad ng sining!
Munting alay para sa mga kapwa alagad ng sining!
Fig. 3. Art Block at Burnout, directed by Anton Baello, Facebook Post, January 18, 2024, video, https://www.facebook.com/antonbaello/videos/1139755847389478.
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WOW lalim! WOW lakas!
Kailangan ba laging may meaning ang likha mo? malakas? malalim? ahh ewan basta ako..
Ang video na 'to ay inspired po sa ibat-ibang indibidwal, institusyon at grupo na may malaking impluwensya sa aking pagkatao.
Fig. 4. Does Photography need to have depth?, directed by Anton Baello, Facebook Post, February 4, 2024, video, https://www.facebook.com/antonbaello/videos/400286805877507.
These materials initially appeared in Facebook and are republished with permission from the Author.
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