Summer in La Rochelle!

Feb 28

I had the pleasure to attend an art residency at Centre Intermondes in La Rochelle France in the late summer and early autumn of 2019. My time there proved to be the ideal place for reflection—it was essentially a gift of time and space. At the end of my residency, I felt humbled by the kindness of my hosts and gratitude for the beauty around me. In a drastic turn of events, the world changed. As I write this now, Manila continues to be in an enhanced quarantine period. Reflecting on this residency feels a bit like time traveling.

View of Hotel Henry, the second floor room without lights was my studio space during the residency. The 17th century building on the left was once a bank and is now a quaint living area for residents, as well as converted gallery space and office f… — View of Hotel Henry, the second floor room without lights was my studio space during the residency. The 17th century building on the left was once a bank and is now a quaint living area for residents, as well as converted gallery space and office for Centre Intermondes.

The resulting work from the art residency was an installation, La Vue de deux Horizons, which explores through photography and video, the architectural site of the Vauban fortification in Île de Ré. The sites express an extreme compression of time and detail, a concrete symbol of empowered remembrance. The installation consists of a video of the horizon seen from the Vauban fort, as well as table assemblages with drawings. The audio narrative provides a subjective foreground spoken by a local Oleron artist, Carla Plantier. The images on the wall of nudes was created by the artist Annabelle Munoz-Rio, during her residency in Manila Philippines.

View of Vernissage at Centre Intermondes

This residency was also supported by Alliance Française de Manille, in Makati Philippines. When I returned to Manila, I had the opportunity to exhibit at the Alliance gallery space in February 2020. However, the Covid-19 pandemic erupted across the globe. The exhibition Vernissage in Makati followed through but the following week was the start of an international lockdown and a severely strict quarantine across the Philippines.