Style and Soul

A week ago, I went to Chiaroscuro, a summer party and fashion show held at Republiq Club in Resorts World Manila. Because I only knew about the event from a text invite, my only goal of attending at first is simply to show my all-out support for my blogger friends Karl Leuterio of Inkarlcerating and Mike Magallanes of Toxicdiscoboy, who both own the avant garde retail brand Paradigm Shift. It was their first-ever runway showcase after becoming a part of Fashion Designers Alliance Manila (FaDAL) and so, I really wanted to be there to witness it and cheer for them.

As I eagerly wait for the fashion show to start, there was a short segment first introducing the event's beneficiary, MyShelter Foundation; a non-stock non-profit organization which aims to create a system of sustainability and reliability through its capability-building and employment-generating projects. Its founder Illac Diaz presented their latest campaign, Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light), a sustainable lighting project which aims to bring the eco-friendly Solar Bottle Bulb to disprivileged communities nationwide. Designed and developed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Solar Bottle Bulb is based on the principles of Appropriate Technologies – a concept that provides simple and easily replicable technologies that address basic needs in developing communities.

To further understand this promising project, watch this video.

It's really a mix of emotions for me. You see, I easily get affected by social realities like this. While it's great to know that another awesome and innovative project like Isang Litrong Liwanag exists, it also breaks my heart to see how destitute most of our fellow Filipinos are. Poverty deprives them of even the most basic needs of all like electricity when on the other hand, we are so privileged enough to be able to use our laptops for hours and just leave the lights open for almost the whole day. It can get frustrating as well because after living for about 20 years, nothing has really changed in the country's poverty situation if you take a closer look at it. Really sad isn't?

Anyway, before I show you the photos that I've taken, here's a quick trivia for those who may be wondering what chiaroscuro (pronounced as kē-är'ə-skʊr ō) means in connection to the event. The word has something to do with of course, "light". In art, it refers to a manner of using strong contrasts between light and dark to achieve a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects. Meanwhile, in cinematography, it indicates extreme low-key lighting to create distinct areas of light and darkness in films, especially in black and white movies. So there!

Enough talk, now let's move on to the photos!