Saigon Creative

Re-schedule January/February Event

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 01:21:00 +0000

Dear all readers and followers, we apologise for the inconvenience caused by last week's Friday's no show event. We are now set for the coming Friday 1st February and Timothy Linh Bui will indeed start the new year with a lecture.

Hope to see you all Friday morning!

Saigon Creative January 2013 event

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:28:00 +0000

After a long hiatus, Saigon Creative is now up and running as we have secured new meetup facilities thanks to TBWA's expansion to new and larger office space.

We are starting the new year with a lecture from Timothy Linh Bui so please register and hope to see you all on the 25th!

TIMOTHY LINH BUI
Timothy co-produced and co-wrote THREE SEASONS, a triple award winner at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival - the first film to win both the Grand Jury and the Audience Award in festival history as well as the Cinematography Award. The film was also in official competition at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival. THREE SEASONS was the first American Film to shoot entirely in Vietnam; features Harvey Keitel, and released theatrically by USA films/October Films.

In 2000, Timothy made his directorial debut with GREEN DRAGON starring Patrick Swayze and Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker who also served as executive producer. The film made its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic Competition. It is the recipient of the 2001 Humanitas Prize Award, and the 2001 Austin Film Festival Audience Award. It was theatrically released in 2002.

In 2004, he produced INSIDE OUT starring Eriq La Salle, Steven Weber and Kate Walsh; it had its world premiere at CineVegas 2005 and is distributed domestically by Anchor Bay Entertainment in June 2007. In 2006, Timothy executive produced THE OWL AND THE SPARROW. The film world premiered at the 2007 Rotterdam International Film Festival and received the Audience Award Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles International Film Festival. The film went on to win numerous awards including Vietnam’s Golden Kite award for critics choice.

Timothy directed 2009’s POWDER BLUE about four lost souls desperately searching for love and miracles within the underbelly of Los Angeles. The picture stars Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta and Lisa Kudrow. It was released in 2010 by Image Entertainment.
In early 2009, Timothy and fellow Vietnamese American filmmakers founded their own distribution company called WAVE RELEASING. WAVE RELEASING’s recent releases are OWL AND SPARROW, A FOOL FOR LOVE (DE MAI TINH) which was released in 2010 and SAIGON ELECTRIC in 2011.
Timothy is in preparations to direct DIE LAUGHING – About a femme assassin and a sweet-natured pho chef, together, they take on an impossible mission to deliver a mysterious silver metal case from Saigon to Da Nang in 36 hours.

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12/12/12 – 12th December 2012

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 07:54:00 +0000

The Saigon Creative Mornings have had a hiatus due to location change. We aim to start fresh again in January 2013, more posts will follow with further information.

Today's post is a guest blog from Malin Kihlström, a Swedish copy writer and photographer who is passionate about giving back. She has shared with us a video, localized for Vietnamese language, to help inform about the terrible impact Rhino poaching has. Please read what Malin has to say:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiGcfielvYc

About the Rhino Project: I got in touch with the African Conservation Foundation a while ago through Facebook, offering them to help out and consult on marketing issues on a voluntary basis. Our recent project is to release a Vietnam version of a video animation that was made for the World Rhino Day. Among other things, we are trying to get bloggers - like you - onboard, asking them if they want to share this video and be part of this very important project.

I believe that bloggers are very strong opinion builders and role models to young people and we are hoping that you will make people understand the importance of this and also make the video a viral "talk of the town". It is of utmost importance to make a change in the attitude towards the use of rhino horns, and I believe that young people are more open towards new facts than older people.

The video is being distributed to all embassies of the supply and demand countries and their governments are urged to take effective measures to halt the trade.

Why is the rhino close to extinction?: The rhino is being hunted into extinction because of human appetite for their distinctive horns. In Vietnam, rhino horn is mainly a recreational (party) drug and used by affluent people as a detoxifying beverage and body-rejuvenating tonic. Scientific studies however proved that rhino horn has no medicinal value. Rhino horns are composed largely of the protein keratin, also the chief component in hair, fingernails, and animal hooves. In short, you’d do just as well chewing on your fingernails.

The use of rhino horn has devastating effects in Africa. Rhino poaching, in South Africa alone, now accounts for 1.6 animals per day. This comes down to 1 rhino poached every 15 hours. More than 500 rhinos could die this year if current poaching rates continue. Rhino poaching has increased with 3750% in South Africa between 2007 and 2012. The only way to stop this is to stop the demand for the horns.

About the ACF: The African Conservation Foundation is working towards the protection and conservation of Africa's endangered wildlife and their habitats. Founded in 1999, ACF fills a unique niche by creating an Africa-wide network for information exchange and capacity building of conservation efforts in the region. ACF's goal is to support and link African conservation initiatives, groups and NGOs, with the aim of strengthening their capacity, building partnerships and promoting effective communication and co-ordination of conservation efforts.

If you would like more information about the ACF you are more than welcome to contact the director Arend de Haas - info(at)africanconservation(dot)org

About Malin Kihlström: I have a degree in marketing and copywriting and I have worked in advertising for many years. At the moment I am working for an advertising agency in Malmö and I have worked with clients that vary from local businesses to high-profile companies like Daimler-Chrysler, Henri Lloyd and the Swedish Football Association. I have also recently set up my own photography business. My interest in conservation issues is deeply rooted, having grown up in the countryside surrounded by wildlife.

I have a great passion for traveling and my travels have brought me to many parts of the African continent, where I have seen some of the problems that surrounds wildlife conservation. Conservation in Africa has changed quite a bit in the last years and it's now a struggle to save the few wild pieces from poachers, developers and the resource extraction industries. After years in the marketing business I grew to realize that I wanted to use my knowledge in marketing for "a better good" - not just helping big companies earn even more money.

I have therefore, on a voluntary basis, become involved in different conservation organizations that I have been getting to know during my travels and through the Internet.

Saigon Creative July event review

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:11:00 +0000

A new month, a new topic and a new location. Despite serving great coffee, the meet up at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was the smallest we have ever held, but it proved to be a highly interesting and lively discussion. So much, that we happily ran into overtime and had doubled the time in a blink of an eye.

Stories about monks facing their fears by tying themselves in tree tops staring down into the abyss when waking up in the morning to meditation in Indian prisons and a lot more.

A big thank you to the ones turning up, hope to see more of you next time.

Stay tuned for the upcoming August event.

Saigon Creative July event

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:20:00 +0000

Profile:

Minh, with a background in Buddhist Studies & meditation, has been working and living in Vietnam for the past 5 and a half years running events, teaching, and playing music.

Topic:

5 New Things that You Didn't know about Meditation.

Minh will take us through the latest neuroscience research on meditation and his take from the Zen Buddhist side of meditation.

For artists, this will be a fascinating talk for people who want another glimpse into the mind and brain they use to create.

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About architecture, dialogue, ethic and art

noreply@blogger.com (sandrine) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:43:00 +0000

It was really worth waiting for Tereza and Charles’ talk last week.

The audience mainly consisting in non-architects was enlightened on the whole process of an architectural work, from the first discussion with a client to the final construction. Tereza and Charles made us realize how complex this process is, ranging from a full analysis of the client’s needs, taste and budget through a permanent dialogue, up to the cooperation with authorities, engineers and contractors…

We discovered also what makes their agency T3 Architecture unique. It is this specific character in their work which is so exemplary in a developing country: they have an ethic. Their ethical rules include harmony with the environment, respect of people, promotion of natural and local materials and use of low energy systems.

A surprising thing in their work is that there is also something close to art experimentation sometimes, like when they decided to lay cortene steel boards under an olive tree to create a chemical reaction between the dripping oil and the steel before using the boards for the façade of a house in Provence. It is probably this common taste for experimentation with some artists and the conscience that boundaries between creative fields are so narrow that have brought them to conceptualize and build “la boite”, a simple wood box of 2 x 2 x 2meters that they put at contemporary artists’ disposal to be used at their own convenience.

Once again, a very interesting talk to listen to for those who could wake up early that morning…

June: T3 Architecture

noreply@blogger.com (sandrine) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 03:48:00 +0000

Don't miss Tereza and Charles Gallavardin's (T3 Architecture) talk on June 15th!
http://saigoncreative.blogspot.com/2012/03/in-march-teresa-and-charles-gallavardin.html

Review Saigon Creative May event

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Mon, 21 May 2012 09:29:00 +0000

This month we had a visit from the multi-talented Thai Nguyen who currently owns L'Usine, the fashionable coffeeshop on Dong Khoi street. Today, he talked about his career which rose from a background in design into the film industry into fashion and finally into venture capitalism. The casual dialogue he lead opened up into a discussion about how do you introduce a new product into the market and how one can steer one's creative energies and goals amidst the sea of circumstances one is bound to meet in one's career. Yet another interesting talk at Saigon Creative and an interesting group of people as always

Anh-Minh Do

Saigon Creative May speaker: Nguyen Quang Thai

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:21:00 +0000

Entrepreneur + Creative & Strategic Director

Over 17 years of world-class experience in Graphic Design, Art Direction, Branding, Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

Personal Ventures 2009-present: Open a restaurant in nyc called “An Choi NYC”. Open retail/café in HCMC called Lusine. Open a product/design lifestyle brand called Sweet&Sour (Bakery, Cupcakes, Candles)

2010-2012: Became partner at IMS marketing, an event / PR / activation agency.

2010-present: Marketing Director for IDGVV, a Venture Capital company. Work with start-up companies like YanTV, SaigonHeat, Subway, WebTreTho, etc….

2006-2009: Started a digital marketing studio called “Liquidline” and produce a social networking website “yobanbe.com”. Sold to Vinagame in 2008. Created the Zing Brand and platform for VNG.

2004-2005: Executive Producer of the feature movie “1735km” produced by Ky Dong Productions

2001-2004: Art Director at JWT Vietnam & Deutsch, Inc NYC;

1999-2000: Co-Founder of a NYC web agency called “Office for Fun & Profit”

1995-1999: Designer/Art Director for Red Sky/BMA associates NYC.

Thai has designed, directed, managed and produce untold numbers of projects for clients such as Unilever, Altoids, News Corporation, PaineWebber, Reebok, Neiman Marcus, PlayStation, Nickelodeon DowJones to name a few.

His work has been awarded and published by the AIGA, Communication Arts, Print, The AR100, Mead Annual Report Show, Type Director's Club and Graphics.

Thai holds a BA in Fine and Applied Art major in graphic design at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign

Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite

Review: Yves' photographic journey

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:31:00 +0000

Yves before kicking off the lecture

Photography being a passion of mine, I was looking forward to Yves presentation. He attended the previous month and gracefully agreed to do a presentation himself.

I noticed Yves' work long before I had the chance to meet him in person. His photography evokes wonders and feelings, taking you away from the road of glossy and airbrushed perfectionist treatment.

For those who attended, we all got a glimpse into the working methods behind Yves' stunning images and for those of you who missed out, please sign up on for the email letter and receive notifications straight to your inbox and join us next time.

It is well worth checking out his book, you can follow this link here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2419570

Colour distortion by the projector

Unfortunately, we had to borrow a new projector and it did not do the images justice as the capture came out all wrong. Yves has kindly sent a few of his samples from the session for us to display here as well as sending his best regards to everyone that came.

Saigon Creative April Event – Yves Schiepek

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:38:00 +0000

"Yves' journey to Vietnam really began when he was inspired by scenes of Vietnam in a film. The landscape and the entwining stories of Vietnamese and water buffalos moved him. He traveled from the North to the South and back.

Half of the distance Southwards, he traveled by bicycle, at times on bumpy roads and upward inclines. Traveling by bicycle allowed him to "take in" his landscape - houses, trees fields, sky, people. He kept an eye out for the magical scene of a water buffalo submerged in water."

– from Yves' book

Yves will start his talk with a brief introduction to his journey in Vietnam in 2009 and then talk about his photos and the technics he uses to create some of them.

Join us for the conversation on Friday the 20th April, see you all there!

Event Registration Online for Saigon Creative April Event powered by Eventbrite

March event pulled off by the help of Sandrine

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:13:00 +0000

Sandrine pulled it off. One day to prepare and she stepped up to the challenge. Well done.

As always, new motivational tidbits was posted around the office...

...and new faces joined the Friday morning crowd.

Artwork was viewed by both printed samples and projections.

Until next month, enjoy the end of the month holiday!

The show must go on – Friday is still on!

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:47:00 +0000

Our original speaker line up had to cancel in the last minute due to the loss of a family member. We all feel sympathy for the unforeseen and tragic circumstances and are sending our condolences to the family.

After an internal discussion, we decided to let "the show go on" and be true to our aspirations of providing a monthly get together, but with a different speaker, this time our own Sandrine Llouquet.

We hope to see you all on coming Friday!

Sergueï Constantinovitch Pankejeff

Pencil, China ink, watercolor on paper (70 x 50cm), 2012

courtesy Galerie Quynh

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Talk postponed

noreply@blogger.com (sandrine) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:06:00 +0000

Sorry, sorry... we have to postpone Tereza and Charles Gallavardin's talk. We will keep you inform as soon as possible!

In March: Tereza and Charles Gallavardin (T3 Architecture)

noreply@blogger.com (sandrine) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:17:00 +0000

Our speakers this month will be the duo of architects Tereza and Charles Gallavardin.

Specialized in low energy buildings & sustainable planning as well as in ecological & bioclimatic architecture in Europe, Tereza and Charles have decided to bring their knowledge to Asia to promote Green Architecture and Sustainable Urban Development, working closely with renewable energy / energy efficiency engineers from the Concept Design stage till the end of the construction. With the architect Thang Le Hoang, they created T3 Architecture Asia (based in Ho Chi Minh city). T3 Architecture Asia is the Asian branch of T3 Architecture based in Marseille (France).

They will present some of the key projects by T3 Architecture and speak about their philosophy based on the respect of people and landscape, social mix, environmental issues, quality and sustainability.

They will also speak about the “BOITE” (“BOX”) project, a collaborative project with contemporary visual artists.

More infos about Tereza and Charles Gallavardin, T3 Architecture and the “BOITE” project here:
www.t3architecture-asia.vn
http://www.complexmarseille.fr/galerie_d_art_complex_marseille_2010.html

If you want to attend the talk, please register.
See you on Friday, March 23th!

Event registration for Saigon Creative March event powered by Eventbrite

Nhu Huy, the "facilitator"

noreply@blogger.com (sandrine) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:09:00 +0000

So this morning, we had the chance to hear Nhu Huy talking about his experience of being an artist, curator, writer and about his constant efforts for many years trying to create a new dynamic in the Saigonese art scene.

Nhu Huy told us about the notions of pre-production, production and postproduction, notions that he borrows from the movie industry vocabulary, as firstly did the French art theorician Nicolas Bourriaud in his essay “Postproduction. Culture as screenplay: How art reprograms the world”. When most art galleries in Vietnam will focus on “post-production” (exhibitions, talks…sells…), Nhu Huy, with “Zero Station” (the alternative art space he launched in 2010), will encourage and support artists during the whole process of creation, from meetings, discussions, research… to the production of art works and then exhibition.

He highlighted also the social role of an art space located in a popular area by telling us anecdotes about the interaction between the artist/art work and the neighbors, local authorities, audience, other artists and intellectuals.

If you missed this one and want to know more about Nhu Huy and Zero Station, come to visit his website: http://www.zerostationvn.org , you will also find all the information you need to get there, see some art, meet artists and eat “Pho” (the one served next door is supposed to be the best in town!).

Our Feb speaker is Nguyen Nhu Huy of Zero Station!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:54:00 +0000

After taking January off (mostly due to the holiday), we'll be kicking off the year of the Dragon with Nguyen Nhu Huy as our speaker.

Huy is currently managing ZeroStation, a house for creativity. Zerostation is a project-based art space which includes studio space, exhibition space, and an art residency program. The main mission of ZeroStation is to create more opportunities for dialoguing, thinking, and working in art-project forms among young artists in HCMC and beyond.

Huy will be speaking on the topic of what inspires him about the contemporary art scene here in Vietnam.

A graduate of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts, he's worked with various mediums from installation art to paintings, photography, video art and public art.

In 2004, Nhu Huy was co-founder of a little blah blah, the first initiated artist run space in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since 2003-2005, Nhu Huy has been co-founder and editor of first Vietnam independent online art magazine, www.vnvisualart.com.

He's also is an independent curator, critical writer, and a poet. His most recent curating project has been “ Art in Marathon”, a public art project that took place over the course of three months in some public spaces here in Ho Chi Minh City in late 2007.

In 2008, he helped develop, “Xin Chao, My Darling” a group show introducing artworks of 16 Young Vietnamese artists in Korea. That same year, his poetry collection, "The Complex Sentences” was published.

He has written, translated and published widely on Vietnam Contemporary art, culture, and art theory. He's been invited to be a guest speaker at the first international symposium on Vietnamese Art, “ Vietnam art post-doimoi”, held at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). In 2009, He was invited to participate in the Asian Curator Conference, organized by the Japan Foundation in Singapore and Malaysia. More recently, Nhu Huy contributed his writing for catalogue of the exhibition, “ Video, an art, a history”, organized by the Pompidou art center in Paris and the Singapore Museum of art, the IFA catalogue for the exhibition, “connect: Kunstszene Vietnam”.

He's also a member of the international contemporary art project, ”Hochiminh trail” organized and curated by the Long March Project in China.

He's been published in the Yishu, Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art, having a conversation with Viet Le titled : “Transnationalism in Translation”.

Huy often focuses on the ambiguous spaces located in the gap between past and present, public and private, what we see and what we know, what can be spoken about and what can only be shown, etc.. His art projects take relational aesthetics as their theoretical and practical departure, always trying to create the platforms where audience and artist, art and everyday life, can encounter each other in many different forms of dialogue.

Contact in Vietnam:

Cell: +84(0)903747779

Email: huybeo@gmail.com

zerostationvietnam@gmail.com

Website:www.zerostationvn.org

Saigon Creative December event – a review.

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:52:00 +0000

December. End of the year and the coming of another. Our December event was our 12th event, a milestone that pessimists doomed too far away to reach, while optimists can easily count beyond that. However, a break was needed as January was more or less a Tet celebration and "Tetlag" surfaced once January drew to an end.

While we all await the next announcement, we can start the first post of the Lunar New Year with our summary from December.

December was the month where we got a glimpse behind the printed page and a broader view of the publishing industry in Vietnam.

Print is very much alive and the sheer number of magazines in circulation in Vietnam is proof enough. Nick Ross at The Word magazine gave us a thorough walkthrough.

We have all heard of "Freedom of the press", but what was interesting was when you start asking the question of freedom versus corporate interests. Having guidelines of what you can do and not do versus a board of directors wanting profit and thus seeking more sensational stories. A coin still has two sides. Another interesting

part was "The Cult of Beauty" and how Vietnam has projected itself as a beautiful country, including the tourism slogan "Vietnam – The hidden charm". This is what in the past was acceptable to write about this country.

However, over the past few years, some Vietnamese newspapers have pushed the frontiers and other "hidden charms" are now surfacing on both their Vietnamese and English language online editions. Restrictions leads to creativeness, or as in a creative brief, the more constraints, the easier is the process to find a solution that works within those parameters. In addition, the Vietnamese language is a very rich language and open to a wide range of interpretations and you will have readers reading between the lines.

So restrictions, creativeness and competition for readers bring you the need to improve. Survival of the fittest and much, much more.

As always, be there and get it first hand, direct from the source. Hope to see you all at the next Saigon Creative event!

Cover samples

Intro

Preface

The Cult of Beauty

"You can cage the singer, but not the song"

Striving for excellence

Nick Ross

Xmas tree, Vietnamese style

Saigon Creative December event Friday 16 – Nick Ross

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:27:00 +0000

Nick Ross in Istanbul.

This Friday we welcome our next speaker Nick Ross. A resident of Vietnam for almost 12 years, Nick is the chief editor of the English language magazine, The Word.

Born in the UK, besides his present job Nick has also worked as a music journalist, a reporter for BBC Radio Bristol and a production manager for a contract publisher in the UK. He spent his first six years in this country working in education - teaching and managing teachers both in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. His present role with The Word started in 2005 with the launch of the English language magazine Saigon Inside Out. Over the following three years, this magazine transformed into the one it is now.

Nick will talk about the growing creativity in the publishing industry in Vietnam and how it no longer always pays to "play it safe". Contrary to western belief, the media industry in Vietnam is far more open and buoyant than perceived overseas. Reporters without Borders places Vietnam as number 165 in the media freedom charts, just slightly above Cuba and North Korea. According to Nick, the particular conditions of operating in Vietnam and the commercial needs of publications means that this is a mistaken assessment.

Biography

Nick Ross started out professional life as a music journalist before a stint on a programme on BBC Radio Bristol saw him move into the publishing industry. Working for a contract publisher on a number of specialist titles in a range of industries, Nick left the comparative safety of little England in the late 1990s to seek 'new experience'. Little did he know that a proposed six-month trip to Southeast Asia would turn into a decade-long stint in Vietnam.

Nick's present journey on the publication The Word started in early 2005 after the relaunch of an education magazine in Singapore. Returning to the comparative safety of Ho Chi Minh City, together with a friend and fellow journalist he decided to launch a magazine called Saigon Inside Out. After a number of false starts and then issues with licensing, it finally hit the streets in November 2005. Saigon Inside Out was the first wholly privately owned English language publication in Vietnam.

10 issues later and Saigon Inside Out came to an abrupt halt. After a short hiatus it returned with a new name, Asialife. This publication ran for a year before Nick decided to move on set up The Word Ho Chi Minh City with his wife, Duong Vy Bao.

The Word launched in January 2008 and has been going strong ever since. In November 2009 the team behind The Word launched a separate edition in Hanoi.

An avid reader - on bad weeks he can go through four or five novels in less than seven days - Nick's role as chief editor has seen him develop his skills as a writer and a photographer. Both outspoken and yet diplomatic, to the point and yet wide of the mark, Nick will be bringing his experience of working in the media in Vietnam to Saigon Creative.

Online event registration for Saigon Creative December event powered by Eventbrite

Why don't don't tourists come back to Vietnam?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 07:49:00 +0000

Zoe Butt, the curator of San Art was generous enough to join us as our speaker last week. Over the next hour, she drew the link between contemporary art, expression, isolation, and even the low rate of visitors to Vietnam.

What I found most interesting was her observation that it wasn't govt. regulation that was stifling artists (at least directly), but self-censorship as artists simply avoided risky topics or making statements that would challenge social mores. Over time, she noted that this has created a culture of conventional thinking.

Highlighting the educational system as an integral part of the machine, she discussed the lack of conceptual and analytical thinking as well as the notion that Vietnamese artists were becoming isolated from what else exists in the world. This was interesting, that at a time when we are more connected than ever, there was less interest in actively engaging with the art community at large. What about for the sake of inspiration? Technique? Or just interest and gaining new perspective?

She highlighted that contemporary art wasn't political, but that it was about exploring new expression. And that a key area where the art conversation here in Vietnam needs to focus is the intent of the artist rather than just style or focusing on elements of the art.

All in all, a thrilling hour and it inspired me to think about what I can do to support expression here in Vietnam. See you at the next one!

-George

Zoe Butt joins us on the 23rd

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:28:00 +0000

On November 23, we welcome Zoe Butt as our next speaker. She lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where she is the curator and director of programs and development for Sàn Art, an independent artist-run gallery space and reading room. From 2001 to 2007 she was assistant curator for contemporary Asian art at the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia, where she assisted in the development of the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) and in key acquisitions for the museum’s contemporary Asian art collection and other associated gallery programs; and from 2007 to 2009 she was director of international programs for the Long March Project, a complex, multi-platform, international artist organization and ongoing art project based in Beijing, China. For more than ten years she has been researching contemporary Asian art and has curated and co-curated exhibitions and contributed to various international art publications that have reflected the dynamic art of this region.

She'll talk about her experiences in helping build a creative culture here in Saigon. To hear a little bit about her perspective as a curator, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOI_NSPILek

Jenni Trang Le, a leader in the new Viet Film Wave

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:55:00 +0000

Every month, the good folks at Saigon Creative host monthly talks with creatives doing work in Vietnam. I play basketball with George Nguyen, so in between games where I pass him the rock to drain the game-winners (or is that the other way around), we’ll manage to talk shop about people we know in the city.

Saigon Creative’s muse for this month is Jenni Trang Le, who I’ve been fortunate to live with upon her arrival here in 2008.

Her resume thus far: Journey from the Fall, Powder Blue, Owl and the Sparrow, Bi, Don’t Be Afraid (Bi, dung so)! The Rebel, Clash (Bay Rong), Inferno (Giao Lo Dinh Menh), Battle of the Brides (Co Dau Dai Chien), Long Ruoi. Yes, Jenni Trang Le is a Hindu God of sorts, her hands have touched all of these films.

Cotdamn.

Here is all the cool shtuff I managed to learn from Jenni about filmmaking and the film industry in Vietnam, bullet-pointed for your reading pleasure:

On challenges

What Saigon and the general Vietnam filmmaking community lacks right now is good writers - she doesn’t know why this is the case for the time being (Chim: I think rote educational practices is to blame)
Right now, directors are writing their own films, because they have to (google the aforementioned list of films Jenni has worked on)
Pretty much everything she has learned about filmmaking had to be thrown out the window once she started in Vietnam
Here, you have to be on your feet and go with the flow - there is always a lot of problem-solving

On money

Scripts usually sell to production houses for $5,000 on average
Saigon is perceived as just making commercial films, Hanoi is perceived as just making art-house films
When it comes to filmmaking: Vietnamese folks are very resourceful. One time, her crew had ordered a crane, that never came, so her crew concocted one using a bunch of clamps and pipes
A funding source more filmmakers are beginning to explore is product placement. Of course, filmmakers are usually against this, but according to her: “no money, no film.”
Product placement is billed by the amount of time it is placed in the film, not by the prominence of the placement

On schedule

The Rebel, shot in 80 days, was being written as it was being filmed, because they wanted to shoot it during the winter - being an action film and all - and it was so delayed, they just had to get started
Directors vs. Producers: "I want more time to do something" vs. "No, you have to stop it"
Commercial films released around Tet usually don’t bother with subtitles. Art-house films need subtitles since they normally reach international audiences.

On future

When people approach Jenni, they don’t approach her about film ideas, they approach her about acting opportunities (“Can I be an actor/actress?”)
What is essential for Vietnamese filmmaking to move forward is for filmmakers to stay true to their vision. The ones that stay true and make what they want to make will succeed.

She also made this a while back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZiE9WNzd0E

Paraphrased: “I liked the idea of animals speaking many different languages, but ultimately understanding each other. In terms of language, I just used whatever friends I had available, at my disposal, at the time.”

Jenni hasn’t directed her own film just yet, it is in her pipeline though.

The next film she is working on is a romantic comedy, coming out in April.

Lastly, not only does she makes films, she makes cupcakes in this biatch! Jenni Cakes, whatchu know about it?!

She makes films. She makes cupcakes. BOOSH!

- Jimmy Tran

Oct. 21 - Jenni Trang Le

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:45:00 +0000

Our next speaker is Jenni Trang Le. Some could say Jenni Trang Le has been a part of the Viet Film Wave from the beginning. She worked on Ham Tran’s JOURNEY FROM THE FALL (2006), Tim Bui’s POWDER BLUE (2009) and was 1^st Assistant Director for several Vietnamese American films that followed, including Charlie Nguyen’s THE REBEL (2007), Stephane Gauger’s OWL AND THE SPARROW (2008).

In 2007 Le wrote, directed and animated a short claymation project, “Oh Mommy!/Me Oi”, funded by the James Irvine Foundation as a part of Visual Communications’ annual fellowship, Armed with a Camera.

These days, Le has begun to take on more producing opportunities, starting with Associate Producer of a child sex trafficking film in Cambodia, HOLLY (2007) directed by Guy Moshe, as well as co-producer on “Viet Nam Overtures”, a documentary on symphony musicians in Northern and Southern Viet Nam. Early 2009 Le officially relocated to Saigon after a 5 year film flirtation and now freelances. Since moving to the city of organized chaos, she has co-produced CLASH/Bay Rong (2009) and the historical epic Khat Vong Thang Long (2010). She still 1^st AD’s as her bread and butter, having completed Phan Dang Di’s BI, DON’T BE AFRAID/Bi, dung so!, Victor Vu’s INFERNO/Giao Lo Dinh Menh (2009), BATTLE OF THE BRIDES/Co Dau Dai Chien (2010), and most recently Vietnamese box office record breaker Long Ruoi (2011).

Jenni Trang Le graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a Bachelors of Art in Anthropology. She has spent the last eight years focused on theatre, community work, and film. She was the Associate Festival Director for the biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) 2005 & 2007. She was on the board of the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association when she still lived in the US. She is now exploring her new life in the motherland, through the eyes of a bicultural artivist.

She'll join us on the 21st to talk about some of the challenges and joys she's faced working here in Vietnam and trying to ensure the same quality products in a market that doesn't always have the same resources or standards that she was coming from.

Event registration for Saigon Creative October event powered by Eventbrite

Coffee+Art=Saigon Creative's speaker of the day

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 07:24:00 +0000

Small talk before the presentation

A big thank you to all of you that could make it this morning. Coffee and art, that's an irresistible combination in my book. Cristina took us on a visual and intriguing journey, all in good taste and well explained references as we went from matchstick heads to portraits created in blood to taxidermy artworks. Disclaimer, the artists keeps at least three large fridges storing road kill that has been collected, often with the help of friends and family.

How can this not be an interesting morning. Enjoy the images and scroll down for the complete reading list kindly provided by Cristina Nualart.

The morning group waiting for Art+Coffee

What do you do with matchsticks?

You start building

Until you have mastered the skill and create a portrait made of matchstick heads

Why stop with matchsticks when we can utilise clothes hangers

Self portrait made with own blood, approx 5 liters

Taxidermy art

Our speaker: Cristina

ARTISTS:

Salvador Dali (not contemporary)
David Mach
Banksy
Gavin Turk
Xu Bing
Joan Fontcuberta
Mark Wallinger
http://www.thevacuumcleaner.co.uk/
Christian Boltanksi
Caspar David Friedrich (not contemporary)
Mariele Neudecker
Yolanda Domínguez http://www.yolandadominguez.com/ & video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPEcdcmnAA0&feature=player_embedded#!
Mark Quinn
Richard Wilson (20:50)
Rachel Whiteread
Roger Hiorns
Polly Morgan
Maria Gendelman

PERFORMANCE ART:
'Sutra' at Sadlers Wells, set design by artist Antony Gormley
'IN-I' with Akram Khan and Juliette Binoche with set design by artist Anish Kapoor
Total Theatre group 'La Fura dels Baus' (opera 'Le Grand Macabre')

RECOMMENDED VIEWING:
Film: 'Exit through the giftshop' (Banksy)
Film: 'Beautiful Losers'
Documentary series 'ART21'

Reminder for upcoming Saigon Creative September event

noreply@blogger.com (MadsMonsen) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 03:28:00 +0000

A reminder for our upcoming Saigon Creative September event featuring Cristina Nualart. Please register for your free ticket below.

Hope to see you all on Friday!

Online event registration for Saigon Creative's morning event for September powered by Eventbrite