Bhutan Backstage
What is Bhutan backstage? It began as a name for a simple blog which would ponder over art, creativity and life in Bhutan. But once the video production company came up, and the design and artwork, and then there were the cakes, it couldn’t be just a blog, it had to be a larger site which allowed major spillover.
Now, it resembles more of a creative media collective, but it can also serve as an online magazine or a range of portfolios. So it’s easier to say—Bhutan backstage is a site celebrating, recording, channeling and exhibiting creative energy in Bhutan. It’s a site for all that which is not in the foreground. Creativity is often relegated to the background, to the back pages, to the backstage.
The backstage is where all the energy, vision, and initial strokes originate. And often times the backstage is a mess, a chaos. Here’s where all the wires, sketches, cables, rough cuts, ideas, hardrives, and paintbrushes lie. Where the crew and cast practice, dream and sleep. So like the beautiful mess of a backstage, this site, is a bit messy, confused, chaotic, (not in design) but in content, no rules and limitations apply, categories and designations are blurred, and hence, we know no way to label this site, except to say—it’s a force to be explored.
Welcome backstage.
Happenings
May 2010
ART
VAST gets a new space at the clock tower. After much hard work on renovations, Installations and paintings, VAST is proud to invite everyone to their inaugural exhibition.
March 2010
ART
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SPRING ART EXHIBITION by VAST March 18-April 30- at the new Alaya Gallery, in the Tarayana Center.Open everyday, from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. Open to all.
MOVIES
Friday, March 26 Movie screening “Man on the Train” at Deer Park, YDF Complex, 6:00 pm, Free, Open to all
COMMUNITY
Saturday, March 27- Commemorate “EARTH HOUR” in Bhutan– consume no electricity at all for one hour, 8:30
pm- 9:30 (Bhutan time), join the world movement. In Bhutan– radio valley FM will be shutting off to show their solidarity. Spread the word, and you join too!
December 2009
Music concert with accomplished pianist Noam Lemish (also a music teacher here at Kilu Music School) and one of Bhutan’s best guitarists/ musicians- Tshering Dorji.
Start Time: Saturday, December 26 at 1:30pm
End Time: Saturday, December 26 at 3:30pm
Where: Centennial Radio:Kawajangsa right below Ministry of Health
Open to all.
Canvas Cakes
Cakes are of course, made to be eaten. But who says they can’t be visually enjoyed too? Here are some of the cakes we’ve baked and painted in the past. The painting is all done with edible food coloring, and can be specialized for any occasion. Cake painting for canvas cakes is done by artist Pema Tshering.
But in the end, we of course, never forget, “the proof is in the pie”. Its gotta taste good too, and we try our best.
Orders need to be made at least 2 days in advance. Contact Canvas Cakes at 02324184
VARIETIES
Vanilla Cake
Chocolate Cake
Cheesecake
Lemon cake
Art of the Week
“Capturing the movement of the air and the sun”
Pema Tshering
“A different approach to painting a scenery. i painted a scenery from my mind ”
Pema Tshering
People Backstage
| DECHEN RODER
Documentary Producer,Video Editor,Scriptwtiter and Director |
PEMA TSHERING
Artist,Graphic and Web Designer |
SONAM WANGCHUK
Artist,Designer |
TASHI GYELTSHEN
Scriptwriter/Flim Director/Producer |
KARMA WANGCHUK
Artist, Film Maker and Directer |
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Dakinny Productions
Dakinny productions is a video production company, producing a range of work, from documentaries, to music videos, advertisements, instructional films, public service annoucements and more. It aims to produce innovative, fresh work with a social face.
As much as possible, dakinny productions focuses its video work on social and youth issues in Bhutan. It strives to make video/film a powerful medium in representing, giving voice to, and documenting meaningful issues and stories in Bhutan.
Most recently dakinny productions produced a travel show, the first and only travel documentary from Bhutan by Bhutanese.
Services
Dakinny productions provides all production services—
Documentary Production
Advertisements
Music Videos
Public Service Annoucements
Video Editing and Post-Production
Production Training/Workshops
Illustrations
Logo design
Website design
Past Projects
Dakinny Productions has worked on a number of documentaries, which were all aired on Bhutan Broadcasting Services (BBS), and all focused on social issues here in Bhutan. “Class by Candlelight,” the first documentary, made in 2004, documented students and farmers in a Non-Formal Education class in rural Bhutan. Since then Dakinny Productions has been involved in producing audio visual works for not only governmental and international agencies but also for private and corporate sectors.
| DOCUMENTARY “Bhutan: The Journey Within” the first travel show from Bhutan made by Bhutanese, sponsored by Namkha Journeys, Bhutan. |
ADVERTISMENT Pelden Group of Companies, 2009 Directed by Tashi Gyeltshen,Edited by Dechen Roder Art by Pema Tshering |
Golden Youth Video Spots 2008 for UNICEF-Bhutan and Youth Development Fund
Post-Production for narrative short films “wake up jigs” and girl with a red sky” (funded by UNICEF and Youth Development Fund)
“Young People on Wheels” (documentary, 36 min, 2006). Finalist in the UNICEF Child Rights Awards 2006
“Boy of Good Waste” (documentary, 30 min, 2005). Funded by SNV-Bhutan
Instructional Video for WHO, 2006, Ministry of Health and UNICEF
Music Video for Nguldrup Dorji (YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGfFnsq1aZ8)
Ongoing Project
March 2009
Production of short documentary on READ-Bhutan’s ongoing work in the country. READ Bhutan has a unique development model- to help build and stock libraries in different communities, and also provide seed money to start a viable business in the same community, to fund the library. The best part of READ’s projects– they don’t go deciding where and how to build libraries. They only initiate projects after the community responds, acts, writes up the proposal for the library and business, and demonstrates how they will uphold the project themselves. Dakinny productions hopes to exhibit READ’s development work in Bhutan for what it is– a strong community initiative and engagement, and most importantly– a way to facilitate a stronger reading culture in Bhutan. As someone in an interview for the documentary said : reading is power, reading is freedom.
Documentary should be ready and uploaded on youtube by mid-April.
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December 15, 2009
Production of documentary covering the 5 day art festival for children in the clocktower (produced by VAST). Festival was funded by UNICEF-Bhutan to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Bhutan. Documentary will hopefully air on BBS, and will highlight the need for children in Bhutan to be given more opportunities to be expressive and creative.
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October 2009
Post-Production of a Wish Seen Through, short documentary covering Voluntary Artist Studio Thimphu (VAST) make-a-wish project, bridging the generation gap and combining art and activism.
A Wish Seen Through
When asked what their wish was, senior citizens in a village in Bhutan replied that they wished they could go on a pilgrimage to central Bhutan. Voluntary Artists Studio Thimphu (VAST) decided to fulfill this wish. 8 young volunteer artists took 27 elderly men on a road trip to Bumthang. Camping, interacting, and visiting holy sites along the way, for these senior citizens it was the trip of their dreams.
For more information: www.vast-bhutan.org
Contact
Dakinny Productions
Kurchoe Lam
Above RICB Colony
Thimphu
email: dakinny@yahoo.com