Artist Woody De Othello invited us into his Richmond, California, studio where is experimenting with new ideas.
Woody De Othello Is on a Quest to ‘Simplify Sculpture’
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Interview: National Art’s Council’s deputy CEO on marketing the arts to the modern consumer
When it comes to marketing the arts to the modern, Singaporean consumer, it is essential to bring together all the content marketing tools as possible. From music to words to compelling visual, advocating for the relevance and role of the arts is really very much anchored on telling stories.
This is why the National Arts Council (NAC) is prioritising a digital first engagement strategy when it comes to marketing to the modern consumer, according to Lynette Pang, deputy chief executive officer at National Arts Council in a conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. She added:
It is important to tap into the spaces where consumers are the most active.
“This includes social media, digital advertising and building online platforms such as Catch to connect with audiences to promote arts and cultural experiences,” she said.
Don’t miss: National Arts Council to liven up arts and culture scene with slew of new partnerships
Catch, which was launched in September 2023, is a digital guide and booking portal, enabling quick and accessible discovery of all things arts and culture. It is a key initiative under the five-year arts plan and comprises a digital platform and social media network facilitating content cross-marketing initiatives across a range of partners and opportunities.
Through Catch, a mix of visual, written, and interactive media assets are developed to engage diverse audience segments. This includes collaborations with influencers, content creators and digital platforms to amplify the reach of the contents. In addition, the Catch Creator Community was established, targeting art enthusiasts, everyday content creators and micro-influencers, to produce and share content across their own channels, as well as through Catch.
They will get first dips to the latest arts and culture events, and in turn, provide Catch with organic and authentic content that can be used for Catch’s site and social media platforms. Catch will also acknowledge these content creators to help profile them and extend the reach of their content.
Through the development of compelling narratives based on Singapore artists, arts and cultural experiences, the objective is to have stories powered by real encounters to create deeper connections, she added.
However, while social media reach and organic content are key, at the heart of the NAC’s marketing strategy lies a deep need to connect relevant and authentic content and experiences to the consumer, of which there are four key pillars, said Pang. These are:
1. Personalisation, curation, and customisation
Understanding the needs and preferences of diverse audience segments is imperative to enable more targeted marketing. By focusing on these priorities, NAC aims to effectively connect with the modern consumer, drive interest and participation in arts and cultural activities, and cultivate a vibrant and engaged arts community in Singapore.
2. Accessibility and inclusivity
Marketing efforts that emphasise the importance of making arts and cultural experiences more accessible to people of diverse demographics and different life stages are key, keeping in mind different age groups, cultural backgrounds, and abilities, said Pang.
3. Innovation and creativity
It is so important to ensure all creative marketing strategies have this built into its DNA, to ensure a higher probability of capturing the attention of the modern consumer, said Pang.
This can come from exploring new media formats and technologies to create interactive experiences to engage audiences in unique and compelling ways.
4. Community engagement
Fostering a sense of community and belonging among modern consumers to build greater relevance, resonance, and authenticity is incredibly important, said Pang. This involves creating opportunities for participation, dialogue, and co-creation within the arts and cultural eco-system.
“Campaigns and experiences are best developed through co-creation with the local community, adapting and integrating real stories and narratives into media and experiential content, for audiences to better recognise, resonate and connect with at a deeper level,” explained Pang.
To create more tangible and memorable encounters with arts, NAC has tapped into various local spaces to spotlight the arts scene, such as its themed MRT trains and I Play SG Music initiative, which brings homegrown visual arts and music respectively to millions of commuters daily.
This scheme is part of a three-year partnership with SMRT, that allows Singaporeans to experience and enjoy ‘art on the go’. Pang shared with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that this strategy will soon expand to the literary arts, where the council is looking to bring the written word to trains, and more busking experiences to stations.
Check out more of what Lynette Pang has to say at #Content360 #Singapore from 24 – 25 April for a two-day extravaganza centred around four core thematic pillars: Explore with AI; Insight-powered strategies; Content as an experience; and Embrace the future. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!
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PAGCOR Photography Contest: Capturing the essence of harvest
In celebration of Filipino culture and resilience, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) will again hold its annual photography contest this year to provide photographers from all walks of life with the opportunity to showcase their talents.
The resumption of the competition in 2023 after years of hiatus attracted the highest number of participants in the history of the PAGCOR Photography Contest with the winners from all regions – Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Metro Manila – taking home a total of Php1,680,000 in cash prizes.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco (4th from right), President and COO Atty. Juanito Sañosa, Jr. (5th from right), and Directors Gilbert Remulla (3rd from right) and Francis Concordia (3rd from left) pose with the grand prize winners in the conventional category of the 2023 PAGCOR Photo Contest.
PAGCOR Photography Contest 2023 mobile category grand prize winners pose with members of the PAGCOR board during the contest’s awarding ceremony on September 13, 2023, at the National Museum of Natural History in Manila.
This year’s contest will have its final judging and awards ceremonies in September. However, this early, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said that more than 3,500 have already confirmed interest in the contest through complete registration.
With this year’s theme, “Harvest Time,” the 2024 PAGCOR Photography Contest seeks to spotlight the indomitable spirit of the Filipino people, their unwavering patience, and tireless dedication during the vibrant harvest season.
“THE ALICIA PANORAMIC PARK“by Rowell C. ClenuarAlicia, Bohol
The theme also serves as a tribute to the hardworking farmers, fishermen, and other producers whose toil sustains the nation and ensures food security for all.
“CELEBRATING CENTURIES OF CULTIVATION“by Christopher G. AndresBanaue, Ifugao
This year’s photo competition also features bigger cash prizes, a lowered minimum age requirement, and the introduction of the new drone category to attract both seasoned professionals and budding enthusiasts.
“The summer months will be a colorful and festive season for the country, especially in the countryside. The fields are ripe for harvest, the trees are laden with fruits, and the flowers are in full bloom,” Chairman Tengco said.
“PAYAPANG UMAGA“ by Klienne M. Eco San Pablo, Laguna
“We hope that our participants this year will be able to immortalize the remarkable and bountiful resources of the Philippines that some of us take for granted through their lenses,” he said.
Total prizes to be given away this year is Php2,230,000 or 32.7% higher than last year.
Under the conventional category, PAGCOR will award eight grand winners with Php100,000 cash each, while Php50,000 cash will be given to each of the 16 grand winners under the mobile and drone categories.
Consolation prizes will also be awarded to eight finalists under each category – Php35,000 cash each for the conventional category and Php20,000 cash per finalist under the mobile and drone categories.
Participants have until July 31, 2024 to submit their entries.
For registration, uploading of entries, and detailed information, interested individuals are encouraged to visit the official contest website at www.pagcor.ph/photocon2024.
ADVT.
EDITORS’ PICK
Documentary project wins Sony World Photography Awards 2024, and Sebastião Salgado is awarded Outstanding Contribution
Leading lights of the photo industry gathered in London on 18 April to witness the big reveal of one of the world’s most prestigious competitions.
The World Photography Organisation crowned Juliette Pavy from a roster of 10 finalists in the Professional competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 (SWPA).
Other winners were confirmed on the night, too, for the Open Competition, the National & Regional Awards, the Latin America Professional Award, the Alpha Female Award, the Student Competition and the Youth Competition.
One of the world’s must-win photo competitions, SWPA has run for 17 years and continues to showcase some of the best in contemporary visual storytelling, enabled by the exceptional technical ability of the photographers who enter each year.
This year a record number of 395,000 images from over 220 countries and territories were submitted, and these were pared down to three finalists in each of the 10 professional categories.
As Photographer of the Year 2024, Juliette Pavy walked away with a cash prize of $25,000/£20,000/A$39,000, along with a range of Sony digital imaging equipment.
She also gets to make a solo presentation of her work as part of next year’s Sony World Photography Awards exhibition.
Aside from the competition winners, the legendary photographer Sebastião Salgado was recognised with an Outstanding Contribution to Photography award.
He took to the stage at the Grand Ballroom in London’s Hilton Park Lane hotel to a rapturous welcome and delivered an emotive speech that confirmed his love for the medium, and his respect for the people who use it to tell powerful stories, often taking risks when doing so.
“A photographer is not an artist,” he said. “A photographer has to be there.”
The glitzy ceremony is a staple of the SWPA, and with its high production values, this year’s did not disappoint.
Joining host Kate Bryan on stage were members of the judging panel, the head of Sony Europe – and Scott Gray, founder and CEO of event producers Creo.
SWPA 2024 Professional Competition winners
SWPA 2024 Open, Student and Youth Winners
Sustainability Prize: Kathleen Orlinsky (United States)
Open Photographer of the Year: Liam Man (United Kingdom)
Student Photographer of the Year: Kayin Luys (Belgium)
Youth Photographer of the Year: Daniel Murray (United Kingdom)
Outstanding Contribution to Photography: Sebastião Salgado
See much more at the SWPA exhibition
You’ve just viewed some of the winning entries, but there is so much more to see at the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 exhibition.
Open at Somerset House in London between April 19-May 6, 2024, it will then travel to additional locations.
Click here to find out more, and to buy tickets and in a Digital Camera World exclusive, you can use the code DIGISWPA24 to bag an exclusive 15% discount on the ticket price.
A full list of shortlisted and finalist photographers can be found on the SWPA webpage, along with their outstanding images.
The winner will receive a range of Sony equipment which could well be among the best Sony cameras, the best Sony lenses, and the best cameras for video.
My artwork on World Art Day posters (and a few more) are available with proceeds going to Limina Arts Foundation … I e…
Heineken to launch immersive food, art and music pure malt experience
Heineken Singapore is launching an immersive ‘Maltiverse’ experience that aims to bring consumers on a journey through food, art and music that offers a refreshing dimension powered by its pure malt key ingredient.
From 10 to 19 May 2024, fans above the age of 18 will experience a chef table experience with chef Stefan Kam, the chef de cuisine of GOHO by The Proper Concepts Collective.
Don’t miss: Heineken transforms laundromats into sports bars for the UEFA Champions League
The pure malt-infused dishes includes a ‘Malt Sphere’, ‘Maltiverse Doughnut’, ‘Infinity Malt Duck’ and ‘5D Malt Gelato’. Pure malt was used to elevate the flavour, texture and aroma of the dishes.
For example, the 5D Malt Gelato features five different textures including the aroma of pure malt smoke, crunchy malt crumble, creamy toasted oats and barley gelato, malt salted caramel, and airy puffed malt mix.
Similarly, the ‘Maltiverse Doughnut’ leverages the fermentative power of pure malt with pieces of pulled pork marinated in Heineken beer to bring out its sweetness and tenderness. The dish is then topped off with a layer of puffed and toasted malt to add a crispy texture to the dish.
The Maltiverse also includes an interactive art installation created by art collective Metamo Industries. Users will be allowed to interact and explore different installations through their pure malt avatar that corresponds to their Heineken of choice such as the Original, Silver and 0.0.
Through a pure malt-powered music maker that extracts real sounds from malt, the Maltiverse transforms these sounds into unique beats for visitors to discover how each ingredient contributes its magic to crafting a perfectly balanced Heineken.
Additionally, fans will have the opportunity to learn the art of the perfect pour from their Draught Masters where they may win exclusive merchandise when they take part in the ‘Star Pour’ challenge.
The Maltiverse is part of Heineken’s global ‘The First Ahhh’ campaign that will be running from 2024 to 2025. The campaign seeks to capture the refreshing first sip of a crisp Heineken no matter one’s geographic location.
Heineken is no stranger to creating experiences for its consumers after it recently partnered South Korean laundromat franchise WashEnjoy to turn 24-hour laundromats into all-night sports bars for fans to watch the UEFA Champions League as it aims to make football more inclusive.
Done in partnership with Publicis Groupe’s LePub, the LaundroMatch campaign was inspired by devoted football fans who wake up at three or four in the morning and want to watch the UEFA Champions League with their friends.
Join us this coming 24 – 25 April for #Content360, a two-day extravaganza centered around four core thematic pillars: Explore with AI; Insight-powered strategies; Content as an experience; and embrace the future. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!
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Images dance together in Vancouver photographer James O’Maras new book and show, Duets
The combining of images has interested renowned photographer James O’Mara since he began taking photos
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Vancouver photographer James O’Mara has travelled the world shooting photos of bold subjects, including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Lionel Messi, James Taylor, Jeff Wall, Andy Warhol, Diana Krall, Elvis Costello, Carole King and Colin James.
O’Mara’s work has been exhibited around the globe, and he is collected internationally.
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An accomplished documentary filmmaker and graphic artist, O’Mara has also created commercial work for some of the world’s top brands.
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Now O’Mara is on home turf launching his latest show and book, both titled Duets. They let him dig into a “lifetime of visual diaries,” and combine two images to create a new story, while offering viewers an invitation to contemplate shared humanity and the connectivity.
Duets the exhibit and book launch is at the Paul Kyle Gallery in Vancouver on April 20. The exhibit runs through May 18.
Before the event, Postmedia got the busy photographer to answer a few questions.
Q: When did it first come to you to merge two photos together to create the images for Duets.
A: I’ve put together images since I started shooting photography. The old-fashioned contact sheet naturally assembles them into sequences. That has always appealed to me. A few photos can tell a big story. Over the years, I’ve combined fragments, shadows, and abstract shapes in collages but never just two, as I’ve done with Duets.
Q: I picture a floor full of prints that you moved around like chess pieces until you found a perfect partner for each print. Is that at all close to how you went about pairing the photos?
A: The Duets book idea started several years ago. I laid out hundreds of postcard-sized prints on a big map table. I started with stand-alone stories I liked. Duets often came from different places and were taken years apart. Some gravitated toward each other immediately because of the elements that both had or didn’t have as a colour story, a composition playing off each other, or simply looking good together. It’s a gut feeling. I ended up with the 64 in the book.
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Q: Did you have any rules when it came to picking photos to combine?
A: Duets work even if you turn them upside down. I’ve chosen to have them a certain way, but if you turn them around, they still have a balance that works. My way of thinking goes back to when I was a kid. Balance was always important to me as I was drawing and painting, and that continued into art school. When I shoot, I compose things in my own way, hopefully a slightly different way from how most people see things. Every person who is making art has their own sense of what works. I have mine. It’s subjective.
Q: What’s your No. 1 tip to an amateur photographer?
A: If I were advising a person pursuing photography today, I would recommend studying painting and drawing. Even if the person can’t paint or draw well, they will learn about the elements that make a piece successful.
Q: How important is travel to you as an artist?
A: People take pictures when they travel because they may never be back there. That’s not my reason for shooting when I travel. I’m turned on by textures and elements that a place might have that we don’t have in everyday life here. I get supercharged when I’m somewhere else. I have to document everything I see and like. I’m constantly shooting. If people want to visit my studio, they have to crawl inside my head.
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Q: Your last book and show, Encounters, celebrated your portrait work. Duets’ focus is more about place. So, what do you prefer, people or places?
A: People in places.
Q: What’s the last thing you took a photo of before answering these questions?
A: The last pictures on my camera are of shadows of people walking and reflections.
Q: Do you always have a camera with you?
A: Having a camera slung over my shoulder is part of my wardrobe. I often don’t use it, but there’s a comfort in knowing that if I want to, it’s there.
James O’Mara Duets exhibition runs April 20 to May 18 (Tuesday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.) at Paul Kyle Gallery at 4–258 East 1st Ave. (second floor).
Duets book launch and signing on April 20, 1-5:30 p.m.
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Prints and Pinot—Wine, Whistler and Printmaking Event at USD, a Huge Success
The College of Arts and Sciences and University Galleries celebrated fine art and wine appreciation at Prints and Pinot on April 18, with over 100 guests. Prints and Pinot is one of the College of Arts and Sciences and University Galleries’ signature events highlighting the gallery artwork on campus and this semester’s special print exhibition, Glorious Harmony: The Kathryn A. and James E. Whistler Collection.
New Hope Arts Hosts a Day of Free Events In Honor of International Sculpture Day
(NEW HOPE, NJ) — New Hope Arts is delighted to announce a day of free events on April 27, 2024, celebrating International Sculpture Day. This exciting day of festivities is open to all community members and guests and promises a vibrant celebration of art and creativity.
Richard Serra (1938 – 2024), the artist who rethought contemporary sculpture
Vladimir Belogolovsky writes about the American sculptor who drew on space, volume and gravity to craft his gigantic sculptures.
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