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IT’S a
different kind of Christmas at the Hyatt Hotel and
Casino Manila. As the metropolis dons its Yuletide
colors, Malate’s five-star destination ushers in the
season with unusual designer décors fashioned by
renowned artist Tes Pasola. Dubbed Christmas Impressions
at Hyatt, the exhibition was unveiled to delighted media
guests who flocked around the art installation at the
lobby. Pasola’s intricately crafted paper-and-metal
scepters and her tasseled tea light candleholders
dripped from the ceiling, creating a curtain of mystique
around an ethereally garbed harpist who strummed to a
rapt audience.
But the
evening was more than just a celebration of art, music
and the approaching holidays. Hyatt announced that
proceeds from the sale of Pasola’s intriguing artworks
will benefit the hotel’s chosen charities: Make-a-Wish
Foundation and Kythe. Both are non-profit organizations
that bring joy and hope to children who are faced with
life-threatening diseases, such as cancer. As its name
suggests, Make-a-Wish Foundation grants wishes to kids
in different countries, including its first Filipino
wish child, who fulfilled his dream of singing to the
world when his performance was broadcast around the
globe at the start of the new millennium. Kythe, a
Scottish word meaning “to heal through simple sharing
and togetherness,” works its own healing magic through
the Child Life Program. Specialists in developmental,
educational and therapeutic interventions provide
psychological support for children and their families
during hospitalization.
Pasola
also shares another common cause with Hyatt, and it’s
reflected in her organic art pieces made from newspaper.
“When I was approached for this project, I was inspired
by the success of Hyatt’s corporate social
responsibility programs,” explains the president of Mind
Masters Inc., a 35-year-old company that exports
paper-based products. “This moved me to aspire to a
similar sociocivic goal, with the environment in mind. I
felt that the decision to use paper, specifically
newspapers, was in line with the rationale of
conservation, expressed through the practice of
recycling.”
Gottfried Bogensperger, Hyatt general manager, says, “As
a hotel, we seek to play our part in creating awareness
in the community of the fragile state of our
environment. This is why, this year, Hyatt has joined
forces with one of the Philippines’ finest Filipino
artists, Tes Pasola, who focuses on how products and
materials can be reused and recycled into world-class
works of art.”
A
towering leafless Christmas tree layered with paper
scepters greeted the guests at the entrance to the
hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Li Li, where a sumptuous
Cantonese banquet capped the successful affair.
“Christmas is a time for sharing,” says the multiawarded
artist, who is also one of the founding members of
Movement 8, an elite team of avant-garde furniture and
home-accessory designers. “This display is in a public
place, where a wide variety of people can view it—not
only aficionados who frequent galleries—which makes it
more interesting and inspirational. The intention and
purpose of this project is therefore shared, and made
accessible to a broader audience, making it even more
meaningful and fulfilling.” |
