IASAS Art

By Ariel Lee (‘23)

After the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) Film and Art Cultural Convention had been hosted virtually for the past two years, students were finally able to travel to attend the inperson event from Nov. 9 to 13.

Eight art delegates represented Taipei American School (TAS) at the International School of Manila (ISM). Delegates participated in critiques, attended workshops, visited galleries and collaborated on artwork.

After 25 pieces of artwork were picked by the art department, students were interviewed to be part of the eight selected delegates. “Just the thought of being in the same room with aspiring artists from all across South [East] Asia sharing and making art together was enough to make me want to join IASAS Art,” Feronia L. (‘24), a TAS art delegate, said.

In preparation for the art show in ISM, TAS delegates held a home show with the artworks that were not brought to the convention, through which they learned more about installing art and curating an exhibition.

This year’s theme for the Cultural Convention is “Pamana,” which represents

Filipino culture and heritage. This theme was present throughout the collaborative artworks. Students across schools collaborated to paint sculptures of carabaos, water buffalo native to the Philippines. Each school had its own carabao, representing its culture, which was brought back to the respective schools. Students also had the opportunity to view other artworks and receive constructive feedback from each other and professional artists. “Having critique from someone working in the professional field was really insightful and gave me guidance to one day work in the art industry as an aspiring artist,” Richie H. (‘23, she/her), another TAS art delegate, said.

Delegates attended three workshops in the unconventional mediums of paper cutting, spray painting and installation art. “It introduced me to mediums and art making techniques that I would not think of myself,” Richie said. “Attending these workshops and talking with the artists gave me inspiration for my upcoming [International Baccalaureate] (IB) art exhibition and allowed me to step outside of the box as an artist.”

IASAS Film

By Erin Wu (‘25)

During the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS) Film and Art Cultural Convention, film delegates participated in an interscholastic film challenge over three days. Everyone was given the same theme and had a limited amount of time to create a film corresponding to the theme.

According to Film Teacher Mr. Adrian Town, on the first day, students were introduced to the theme, which was related to the host country, the Philippines. Filipinos traditionally start preparing for Christmas months in advance, so the theme was “It’s Christmas already.” Students split up into eight groups, with each group including one student from each school to encourage interscholastic collaboration.

“The film challenge was really fun because we got to work with a lot of new and different people, which was super exciting,” Sofia H. (‘25, she/her), a TAS film delegate, said.

Each group was allowed to interpret the theme freely, so students traveled around the city to scout their filming locations. The rest of the pre-production process was also completed on the first day in preparation for filming, which took place on the second day. After filming, students collaborated on editing their films, which were then screened on the last day.

Throughout the convention, students also attended workshops to learn more about the film industry and improve their filmmaking skills. They watched professional films and participated in Q&A sessions with the directors and filmmakers themselves. Other workshop topics ranged from screenwriting to how to secure funding for films.

Attending the IASAS Cultural Convention was one of the film department’s biggest hopes for this year. “I think the most important part of IASAS is

“My favorite part about IASAS MUN is definitely meeting new people and interacting with them,” Jerry L. (‘24), the parliamentarian, said. “The students in other schools were all super interesting and fun to joke around with.”

During the conference, students had some difficulty communicating with the ISB team as there were some technical issues that made communication inefficient. However, the students still managed to pull through and finish the conference.

Ultimately, this year’s conference was a success. Students were all able to have fruitful debates and fun interactions with other students.

“I’m thankful we got to travel this year,” Crystal said. “We made so many memories and learned so much because of this opportunity.” the fact that delegates are meeting students from different backgrounds,” Mr. Town said. As filmmaking is very collaborative, working with other students is a crucial skill to learn. “In previous years, all the students have seen each other’s work and done workshops and watched films together online, but it’s not really quite the same as meeting them and actually making a film together,” he said.

Furthermore, students visited the Pinto Art Museum, a museum in the Philippines that showcases contemporary and native art. “The museum was designed and built in a way that interacted with nature and the outdoors; it was something I’ve never seen in a gallery space before,” Richie said.

Despite the packed schedule, most delegates found the experience to be fulfilling. “From traveling to staying at [ISM] till 7 p.m., it definitely was exhausting but an experience worth doing again if I could,” Richie said.

“Now, having been myself, I’d say it was a very magical experience indeed, and I would love to be part of this event again next year,” Feronia said.

“I’m really grateful to have had the opportunity to travel for IASAS Film after the [COVID-19] pandemic prevented us from traveling for almost three years,” Sarah Y. (‘23, she/her), another TAS delegate, said. “I think this IASAS experience was a great way to develop my passion for film and create bonds with new people in a creative and enjoyable environment.”

“I definitely think the students were just happy to be there. The energy was very high and everyone was grateful to attend a live event,” Mr. Town added.