Last February saw the cooperation of 4 organizations
that to put up a sketch crawl or walk in one of Manila's old prominent district
of Quiapo in Manila. Re+Discover Manila, who is currently running a series of
arts events to reignite the interest of Manila; with the Bahay Nakpil-Bautista
Foundation for the venue; the Heritage Conservation Society Youth who orchestrated
the program, brunch and a film show + lecture on old Manila; and Urban
Sketchers Philippines who provided a workshop on basic sketching skills, had
organized the event with some 30 participants. Times Trading, distributor of
Artline, Maped and Colleen Colored Pencils , provided some sketching kits.
The Quiapo district was where the Illustrados
built there city mansions away from their farms. They built some of the most
beautiful houses during the rule of the Spanish. The event was a chance to see
some of the existing structures and capture them on paper.
Most of these are in sad state and rented out to
tenants who haphazardly modified some parts of the structures. The private
sector has been initiating efforts in the awareness of these old rich cultural
heritage sectors of the city. Sketching provides a level of seeing, thinking
and feeling of such places. After brunch, we had a short talk down memory lane
of how Manila was before the war and a film show. This was one more memorable
session. A culminating ceremony organized by Re+Discover Manila will be held
around May, and would showcase some of our sketchbooks.
