Artivism Iloilo
to Kikik Kollektive
- Find out why...
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Bunga sang Kahisa
(Fruit of Jealousy)
Marrz Capanang is a multidisciplinary artist and visionary from Iloilo. His art is centered on intuition, philosophy, society, land, and animism.
Marrz is the founder and community organizer of creative social impact projects – Alima Community and Artivism Iloilo. Through these projects he is able to work closely with local communities, fellow artists, and social innovators. In 2019, Marrz was chosen by British Council Philippines to represent the country in Wild Conference by Slunglow in Leeds, UK and to spend some time for an exchange artist residency at Haarlem Artspace in Wirksworth, UK.
Kikik Kollektive is a collective of artists, social innovators, and unconventional movers inspired by the dream of bringing engaging collaborative art to the heart of communities and unlikely locations. We design unconventional programs and public art by co-mingling cultures of the city and the barrio.
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Pagpain sang Bulak kag Liso
/ Saving Flowers and Seeds
Birds and insects moving and working innately to
restore the body of Mother Nature. I wish we realized
this as human beings our role not only in our society
but also in our natural world living with flora and fauna.
During “The Good Lab”, I was assigned to the Environmental Disruption Team and our focus was the long-time problem in Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand), the “Burning Season”.
It is the season when farmers burn the dried crops, leaves, and organic materials in preparation for the planting season. This usually starts around February sometimes earlier, up to April thus the air quality worsens. Some artists, scientists, and concerned citizens proposed solutions and interventions to mitigate the problem 15 years ago.
The Government worked on it, but they were very very slow. There were underlying stories and dealings behind this, and it is very complicated for common civilians to understand when surviving and taking care of family is the top priority. From the whole week of talks, discussions, interviews, and online readings one thing that surfaced is this: (This is only one piece of a big pie, a short version of what I understand) One billionaire family provides the seeds for local farmers to grow. One of the striking crops is corn. Farmers transformed their lands for this monoculture system because it is the source of living. This corn is used to feed the billionaire’s chicken industry in the middle of Thailand. By the way, Thailand is the third exporter of chickens in the world, and the race must go on. These billionaires sell them all the things they need like the deadly chemicals to kill insects, bacteria, fungi, and all other creatures and they poison the land, the waters, and the air.
For years, the “Burning Season” caused ill effects on human health and most of the locals knew about this problem. For years, artists and activists have highlighted this environmental issue in their work with the hope to lessen or stop it. In one article, this unnatural phenomenon also caused the elephants to feel distressed. Elephants are the symbol of Chiang Mai, Chang means “elephants”. The old city was designed not only for the Monarchy, Temples, and the People but also for the elephants.
Where do elephants go?
A question that will keep on burning. If they have no place for the future, then there is no home for the spirit of the people of Chiang Mai.
