The Bali Art Project Documentary FILM Blog

A little clip from the Bali Art Project Doc.

admin — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 22:28:48 +0000

This time last year I was wondering if, and how, I would get to Bali to work on a personal project; a documentary about The Bali Art Project.

This year, I now know the answer to that once mystery. Now the question is, what will this final film become? How will the stories weave together, the themes and mission of the trip come alive from the footage I have captured? All to be determined. What a learning experience this journey has been. I am very thankful to Gaylon, Zenia and all the participants of the 2010 Bali trip, and the people who have supported me thus far, for being open.

For now, I’d like to share just a quick clip from the trip:

The Fundraiser Print Collection

admin — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:38:55 +0000

The Bali Art Project Documentary Film is now in post-production! Although there is still footage and events to shoot as follow up to the trip, the exciting task of transcoding, logging, transcribing, and editing has begun!

I couldn’t have gotten to this stage without the inspiration, help, and support of friends, family, and colleagues who believe in the mission of the project. To help raise money for every stage of production, I offered (and still offer) fine-art prints for sale. I have already printed a few small, sample selects from Bali, and I have to admit, they are stunning! It’s one thing to see an image on a computer screen, quite another to feel it on paper. My preference: THE PRINT!

If you were one of the fabulous folk who already sent in money for a print, NOW IS THE TIME to make your selection. I hope you find an image in this collection that resonates with you. Just send me an email with a brief description of your select.

The collection contains images from Bali, The Bisti Badlands, the Los Reyes de Albuquerque project, Design with Nature, the Jazz of Enchantment, Honduras, and Semana Santa in Mexico.

If you would like to purchase a print…
Special fine-art print prices, this button will include shipping fees:
6 x 9 | $65
11 x 14 | $175
16 x 20 | $295

Print Sizes and Prices

Use this button if you live in Santa Fe, NM:

Again, thank you for your support!

The Santa Fe Folk Art Market

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:49:07 +0000

Just a quick entry to encourage everyone in Santa Fe to head out to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market this weekend and see, be inspired by, and support artists from all over the world who have overcome huge odds and hurdles to make it to Santa Fe for a weekend of celebration of the arts, and humanity.

I don’t think there is another event like the Folk Art Market in the US. 170 master folk artists from 53 countries are HERE, in Santa Fe, right up the road from where I sit right now. It’s an amazing feeling to have and host them here in Santa Fe. What a gift and effort from all of the Folk Art Market organizers and volunteers.

What’s particularly special about this years market is a couple who invited us into their home, their lives, their art, in Bali, are here as first time market artists!
They arrived early this week. It’s super exciting to have them here, and have them, like us, experience all of the differences (and similarities), between our land and lives. Anom, a mask maker/ dancer and his wife Nonnick are a delight.

Stop by booth #129, and visit them! Anom will be showcasing his masks, which in Bali are an important source of ritual, and storytelling.

I also want to share the work of filmmaker, Christina Mccandless. She is working on an amazing project about the Folk Art Market entitled From Zimbabwe to Santa Fe. She has been following the personal stories of women, in their trek to Santa Fe, for months. Unfortunately, as part of their story, her main subjects were refused Visas at the last minute. Their baskets, also didn’t make it – they are stuck in Johannesburg, South Africa. So, their booth, #8 will be relatively empty. Filled with images, an interpreter, and the evidence of hope postponed. However, stop by and visit. They will be taking basket orders since the baskets will go into storage when they finally arrive in Santa Fe, date unknown, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to come next year.
You can check out her work in this short clip.

From Zimbabwe to Santa Fe (work sample) from cristina mccandless on Vimeo.

To learn more about her project, please visit the film’s website.

Parting Shots

admin — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:26:41 +0000

A final duck dinner and birthday cake surprise at Dion’s, along with the last group shots of the kids in Bali on the day of our departure.
And we’re off from this adventure, and of course, on to others – with the experience in Bali a unique filter and reference from which to see the word.

I was in Bali too!

admin — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 14:48:35 +0000

So, as the photographer, there aren’t too many shots of me on Bali soil. But, thanks to darling Angela, on the last rainy morning of our trip, I have proof that I was in Bali too, …or, you can kind of tell that it’s me.

A huge and special of thanks goes out to Eric Williams, Colorado-based sound recordist extraordinaire. It might be months before the video is converted, transcribed, audio synced, and first cut edited, but I can say for sure, that Eric’s expertise, humor, encouragement, and resilience were immensely appreciated this past month. Hauling heavy equipment on and off packed buses, down busy streets, and up an endless flight of stairs to get back home on wildly hot and sticky days was a grand effort for us both, to say the least. Your experience of a place, a moment, is different when you are working. Sometimes your attention and clarity of the moment is keener because your senses of sight and sound are honed and alert. At other times, you’re possibly really missing the entire situation for the same reason, or possibly because you’re just exhausted from the effort. Eric’s uncompensated help and time were an amazing gift. I am truly indebted.

Ceremony of Place and People

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:29:32 +0000

If I had to name one thing, one impression that will likely stick with me about Bali, I think it will be the dedication to honoring the gods. Maybe the daily devotion is simple reverence and gratitude, or maybe there is a hopeful bribe at hand; appeasing certain gods with sweets, treats, and flowers for fear, or possibly it’s just a beautiful routine, seeped in tradition. Truth is, I’m not exactly sure. But walking down any city or village street you will pass women busy making offerings – weaving together a bamboo basket to fill with flowers, sweets, rice, and incense. The offerings are placed outside every business step, in a box attached to building walls, on the dash of the car, or small stand in a rice paddy field, piled in the temples. Women come out of the house in the morning and evening, looking their finest, flowers in their hair, giving offerings, waving flowers up to the heavens, sprinkling water on the steps or a statue. The compassionate focus, what looks like a direct line between the individual and the honored spirit, is striking.

The last few days in Bali I am extremely grateful for. Two ceremonies, one a blessing for a piece of land where a family is to build a new home, and the other a young couples wedding, shed a new light on my month of observations. These ceremonies were private family occasions, not public events. The blessing on the land was by far the most exciting day of filming. The wedding, mostly because I chose to just hang out and “be”, one of the most serene.

I was told one morning over breakfast as I was reflecting, “you’re comparing your insides with their outsides”. Indeed. I have only been in Bali a month. Life is complicated and full of challenges. I don’t believe anyone here on this small tropical island is free from difficulty. I’m just amazed by how, it seems, they are choosing to handle it – in community, with family, in reverence, with art, in balance.

Welcoming Women, Warrior Men

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:06:00 +0000

We’d heard about the last day of dance and gamelan class on the first day of class, and then it happened, the final performance. On arrival to Balerung on Monday, the 21st, everyone was stripped of their western ware. The women were wrapped (tightly) in pink and gold with frangipani flowers in the hair, the men were also dressed by and with tradition… and then, all were sent to the stage where the music began. First it was the group on the gamelan, then they moved to the tinklet. Then it was time for the women’s “Pendet” dance, the welcome dance, and the girls, like we had seen traditional Balinese dancers do on the same stage only a few nights earlier, came pouring out through an ornate door and took position. The first notes were hammered out on the gamelan, and discretely from the back of the room, the dance teacher Raka Astuti, started the moves. The girls followed with poise, beauty, and joy. They threw their welcome flowers towards the end of the dance and floated off stage when the applause, and maybe even a few whistles, came from the boys. The boys turned to men when they took the stage, grounded and strong, they started their “Baris”, or warrior dance with an amazing certainty. It was an awesome sight to behold, and a bit silly… I think there were moments when everyone had a good laugh at themselves. Of course five days of classes results in a different performance than a lifetime, and a bloodline, of music and dance, but their moves undoubtedly helped them feel Bali.

After the final performance, we had lunch together, and then the teachers graced us with their own performance, the mesmerizing sweet, melodic sounds of the tinklet. I’m sure there is a different name for that instrument, just not sure exactly. Someone said it sounded like the wind through coconut trees… I second that opinion. It’s a sound to sail away on.

The last few weeks of our time in Bali, the kids and adults went separate ways. The OGs (Old(er) Guys) went to the beach, the YGs (Young(er) Guys) went to a homestay. I would have preferred the home stay personally, it really was the richer experience. But, it’s just not right to complain about fresh grilled fish, afternoon snorkeling, $5 massages, and nightly sunset happy hours with Brem (a delicious, albeit somewhat moon-shined, local rice wine). Yeah, that was just miserable. This small group of images also holds a few shots from the kids cutting rice at their home stay in Munduk Pakel (a beautiful, rural village), and a visit to Pelangi Traditional Weaving Center nestled in another small village high in the mountains. Oh, and a few shots of bees housed in a log up in the trees for my bee-loving love.

More Pics

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:35:42 +0000

Sunrise to sunset, we’re still on a whirlwind, non-stop adventure. Admittedly, for me, the most pleasant and peaceful time of the day is the cool, early morning. My routine is to let the roosters wake me with their waking. I slip on my flip-flops in the dark and head up the hill to the rice paddies to watch the day come in. It’s the time when the farmers are arriving, the ducks are pacing ready to be released for a pre-dawn bath and grub, and when your eyes adjust, if the clouds have parted from the evening rain storms, Agung Volcano appears in the distance. And in moments the sun rises from behind the volcanic mountain, to wash the blue-green landscape with gold.

It seems that not long after the sun rises, the air gets hot and we load up in our blue bemo, and fill the day with activity. We’ve been to sacred temples, one being a popular destination in Ubud, the Monkey Forest Sanctuary, which is home to a thriving population of Balinese macaques, and a temple built in the mid-14th century. We’ve seen the quintessential cascading rice paddies, and a traditional gamelan factory. While the architecture and foliage is lush, extravagant and truly impressive, it’s continually the spirit and kindness of the people that leaves me humbled. The power of a smile… it breaks down all barriers, invites you in, sends the message that you exist, are honored, and a part of the community, albeit temporary.

Last week, we had really unique experience at a local middle school, literally hundreds of kids, awaiting our arrival, greeted us and put flowers in our hair. After a school snack of sticky rice in a formal banquet setting, we were ushered into their classrooms, only to see the richness of living culture, art, and spirit at work. Personally, I was dumbfounded at the level of expertise in woodworking, painting, dance and music. The ARTS take center stage here. It’s difficult not to compare and despair. Art is a priority, an expectation, a cultural necessity.

We’ve added the sounds of the bamboo tinklet and the movements of dance (everything moves in opposing directions, hips, eyes, head, hands, toes) to our schedule of classes. Oh, again, so much to report, yet little time. It’s been mentioned in hushed tones of recent conversation, our days here are dwindling, but there is still much more to come… Again, I’m just quickly uploading an assortment of images from the past week or so. The stories will continue when we return home.

Gamelan, Painting, Puppet Making

admin — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:50:22 +0000

It’s wonderful to see a painting, or hear a musical performance…. but to touch and experience it for yourself adds a whole new level of appreciation for the art, and in this case, culture.

We walked in to Belerung Mandera Srinertya Waditra, an incredibly ornate performance space just a bit out of Ubud in the community of Peliatan, and picked one of about 12 different gamelan instruments to try. Once we sat down, the teachers surrounded us and started tapping out patterns for us to mimic.

Personally, it was wonderful to sit with an instrument and just freely make noise. I chose the reyong, which are small brass gongs of sorts, in a row. They go from large reyong’s to small and I would imagine the sound of the different sizes spans several octaves. You are given two long fat drum sticks, the tops of which are wrapped in a thick cotton thread, and you hit the top. The sound rings out and the vibration of the instrument moves through your body. Your ears are horrified, but you can’t help but smile. Before you know it, the noise we were making began to blend and harmonize with the sound of our neighbors pattern, and you felt your individual contribution join to form a group sound.

Eric and I recorded the first class… of course my levels peaked immediately, and I had to rip the earphones out of my ears. We will film and record the last. It will be interesting to see our gamelan orchestra take shape over the next couple of weeks. For now, we are tapping out the patterns at lunch and humming the new songs in our head on our way through the streets.

We are also working with a traditional Balinese painter and puppet maker in their private homes. It’s amazing to see and hear about their work, but again, the appreciation differs when you are handed a blank canvas and pencil, or a piece of rawhide and a hammer.

Arriving to Ceremony

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 06:20:59 +0000

As I understand it, anytime you arrive to Bali, you will arrive during an important ceremony. We just happened to come during the week of the Pura Dalem Temple anniversary. There were days of preparation, offerings, dance, gamelan, prayer and blessings, comedy acts, cockfighting and gambling. Do I really understand the depth of devotion, the original source and history behind the offerings? Well, no, can’t say that I do. And, when I ask, the explanations are beyond me. I will keep asking, keep opening up to the answers, but for now, I can say that it’s quite spectacular how a community comes together, worships together, eats and celebrates together, and they’ve been incredibly willing to open their ceremony to us, spectators in new sarongs.