Social Encore: Fall brings art, film fun ? Honolulu, Hawaii Calendar ...

Fresh Cafe owner Tiffany Tanaka and artist Sam Rodriquez. (Photo by Jermel Quillopo, Special to the Star-Advertiser)

BY JERMEL-LYNN QUILLOPO / Special to the Star-Advertiser

These past few weeks have been fully packed with cool events! In this week?s blog, I?ll tell you about an art gallery at Loft In Space that will blow your mind and give an inside scoop on a film featuring a former UH graduate that makes its Hawaii debut at the 32nd Hawaii International Fall Film Festival.

San Jose-based artist Sam Rodriquez recently opened his first art show in Hawaii, an ongoing series of style and culture called ?Fractions,? at Loft In Space on Sept. 20. Rodriquez always had an artistic eye and started to experiment with graffiti at the age of 11. He attended the California College of the Arts and majored in illustration.

Rodriquez said he immersed himself in graphic design because of his history in apparel design.

?In order to promote myself, I had to learn how to be a multi-taker in visual communication,? he said. ?So this led to dabbling in collateral and web design. Logos and lettering were also a good fit since I have a love for lettering that was acquired during my experience doing graffiti art.?

One of Rodriquez's art pieces on display at Loft in Space. (Photo by Jermel Quillopo, Special to the Star-Advertiser)

Some of the most current additions to his portfolio are permanent public art fixtures ? one for the Los Angeles County Metro Authority at Jefferson Station and one for San Jose?s Solari library.

As you observe the pieces at ?Fractions,? you will notice that Rodriquez explored with personal human identity and wanted to exemplify the idea that people were walking ?melting pots.? Rodriquez said that the specific details such as colors and patterns for this gallery were heavily influenced by the Olympic Games in London.

?In this show I began with the base concept of an ongoing body of work I am doing which plays around with visual cues in personal identity,? he said. ?Going in, I knew that I was going to juxtapose various cultural and stylistic elements.?

Curator and former classmate, Jasper Wong, said he has always been a fan of Rodriquez?s work, particularly his aesthetic. He knew this series of work connected well with Hawaii?s culture.

?His newest series is about difference facets that make a person, whether it be ethnicity or interests,? said Wong. ?The melting pot that makes people. ? I was really drawn to that and wanted to share it with Hawaii.?

More of Rodriquez's work. (Photo by Jermel Quillopo, Special to the Star-Advertiser)

Rodriquez said he sees Hawaii possibly being an epicenter for visiting international artists, and that Hawaii has many opportunities to expand when it comes to the art scene. He added that he hopes people of Hawaii are inspired by his art.

When I strolled through his gallery, Rodriquez?s interpretive depth of various human personalities gave me a new perspective to the various characteristics that make a person truly who they are. To me this gallery goes beyond the physical make up of a person and solely focuses on the experience, the history and the stories that helps create a person?s unique soul. To me this is a must see, one of the best art galleries that I have seen thus far this year.

You can catch ?Fractions? at Loft In Space through Thrusday, Oct. 18.

THE 32ND ANNUAL Hawaii International Film Festival starts today, and as an avid film buff, I love the fall festival because they always seem to have more films than any other season. One film in particular, ?Yes We?re Open,? features a former University of Hawaii at Manoa American Studies graduate, Theresa Navarro. It?s been a while since she has been in Hawaii and I was able to sit down with her to talk about the film.

Navarro came to Hawaii after she had completed her degree in History and Ethnic Studies at the University of California-Riverside. Wanting to go to a public university with a progressive humanities department that was compassionate about indigenous issues, she looked into the University of Hawaii and confirmed her decision to make a move after an interview with Museum Studies Director, Dr. Karen Kosasa.

?My friends and colleagues on the mainland just think I went to UH for the scenery but honestly, I?d never been to Hawaii until I stepped off the plane for my orientation,? said Navarro. ?With an open mind and heart of a student, I am a very proud UH alumna and always speak fondly of the amazing learning experience I had here. I?m definitely grateful to the incredible community of organic intellectuals and artists that make Honolulu an unforgettable city.?

After graduation in June 2010, Navarro moved back to the mainland in search for more hands-on projects and work. Always having a niche to tell stories and growing up with a family full or performers, Navarro naturally drifted into acting and producing. She has held supporting roles in films like ?Fruit Fly,? and in thriller film ?Option 3.? Another film that she had helped produce, ?Daylight Savings,? will also be screened during HIFF this year.

She came across the ?Yes, We?re Open? script when her good friend and screenwriter of the film, HP Mendoza, told her to try out for a role and asked her to come on board to produce.

?I always appreciated HP?s talent for dialogue, I feel like these conversations and characters jump off the page,? she said. ?Rich and I have a very similar sense of humor so I knew this project was going to be fun no matter what.?

?Yes We?re Open? will be Navarro?s third feature film and says that it is definitely not your typical romantic comedy.

?It feels unbelievably real without the glamorized soft focus of vulgarity and gross humor of sexcoms,? she said. ?There is no neat beginning or ending. HP (screenwriter) and Rich (director) treat audiences like they?d want to be treated, with respect for people?s intellect.?

A former volunteer staff member of HIFF, Navarro said that the festival is a great way to connect the Pacific Rim and believes that the people that help bring the festival together every year have done an amazing job to promote various films full of rich culture.

?They bring the best cinema to the islands and I know audiences appreciate that,? she said. ?Without the independent theatres I had in San Francisco and (where I live now) in New York, I wait for HIFF showcases all year long. It was my favorite event when I was living in Honolulu and I?m really excited to return two years later with two films at the festival.?

Navarro hopes that film fans will have a good time watching the movies featured at HIFF. When people watch ?Yes We?re Open,? she hopes people laugh while recognizing characters and conversations from their own lives. Believing that films create conversation she finds it interesting on people?s interpretations of the film.

?It?s fun to see how the audience?s own perspectives on relationships usually determine how they interpret the ending,? she said.

I agree. I?ve always walked away learning something new and both of us encourage people to watch as many films as you can.

?Watch as many movies and attend as many events as possible ? you never know when you?re going to meet somebody that can spark an incredible new venture or project,? she said. ?It?s not just about seeing films, there are so many avenues to do that nowadays; it?s about the experience and interactions between filmmakers and film lovers.?

The Hawaii International Film Festival runs through Sunday, Oct. 21. Check out their website for the full movie listing and information on how to get tickets, and be sure to keep checking the Pulse site for the latest HIFF news and reviews of selected films.
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Jermel-Lynn Quillopo is a multi-faceted, energetic individual with experience in both print and broadcast journalism. ?Social Encore? aims to tell diverse stories about Hawaii?s food, events and people; share your tips with Jermel via email or follow her on Twitter.

Source: http://www.honolulupulse.com/slider/social-encore-fall-brings-art-film-fun

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