WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
» 2010 March
After Cebu Next
• • • • The next few days that followed the beginning of Cebu-Next were a whirlwind of events. Though admittedly not as full as the last couple of shows in better times, familiar faces reappeared, bonds strengthened, and hard work paid off.
First and foremost, it was a humbling honour to be surprised with three nominations for the MUGNA Awards Citation [»]: The Ripple two-seater for MUGNA Heritage and Best Contemporary Furniture, and our batch of promotional materials (c/o K [»] and Myka [»] again!) for the MUGNA Citation for Best Promotonal Tools. The latter in particular, has been the third in a row that we’ve been graciously cited for this award, and the third time we’ve achieved it.
The nomination ribbon, perched atop Dotarté commode
Both nominations for MUGNA Heritage and Contemporary Furniture (nominated last year also for the Meryll coffee table) perched on each side of Ripples. Tension or Attention?
Lichen lamps glow quietly in the corner. A certain species [»] is said to glow in the dark!
• • • • The two-seater won for the MUGNA Heritage, which I am grateful for. The Heritage award acknowledges how the finished piece fuses something traditional and cultural—in the Ripples’ case, I took the concept of indigenous Filipino basketcraft—and make it new and modern. I remember seeing how the tribal folk of Bukidnon carried around their possessions like nomads, in their baskets.
What if, I thought, I made a basket that literally carried the person? The oldest story [»] in the oldest book in the world tells of how a boy floated downstream in a waterproof reed basket. Why not float up a clever, efficient design for containment up to the modern world?
Further down the river
The other nomination and win we achieved this year was thanks to the efforts of the Promotional Materials team. With them taking care of details, and Gus guiding the way, it’s definitely one problem off my list, and I can thankfully focus on other things, assured.
Expression and conveying ideas is what promotion is all about.
As the afternoon wears on, a bit of ice cream—Hílado—sounds like a good idea!
Photos from the stand this year. It was a quieter fair, but the interesting part of it is that the visitors who DID come, came for hard business. It has happened that there have been droves of people and spectators to a show, but not even half of these were serious about it!
Come in around the corner…
• • • • So what does happen next? The business side of things, of course, and the time to work! “Designing” is simply not sitting down and drawing things out. The indomitable Sr. Luz of the Capuchin Order has sat me down for another project; there are plans for the long vacation to make; there are renovations for existing spaces awaiting acknowledgment.
What happens next is a surprise. What happens next is a true test of hard work and humility. What happens next is always something new.
Also, please watch out for the next post: K will guest-write and explain our winning concept behind Green Chemistry, and how we put it to practice!
Photos by K. Batiquin » • M. Arnado »
