Filipino Street Art Project is the creation of Kimberly Dryden and Filipino-American, Austin Smith. The duo utilizes cross-platform storytelling to shed a light on a growing art movement in the Philippines. They describe the project as “part film, part multimedia art, part community engagement, and a whole lot of creativity.”
The Filipino Street Art Project hopes to expose a largely ignored art form in the Philippines often labeled as “vandalism”. Central to the project is a documentary film, Manileños, where Dryden and Smith follow several street artists in Manila and tell their stories.
“We’re interested in the way that young and marginalized groups can be empowered and have a voice through public art, how art can be used to mobilize resistance and enact change, why young people are drawn to art in places where they feel they don’t have much say in their government, and so much more.”
FSAP closely examines the rise of street art as a viable form of public art in developing countries, specifically in the Philippines. Dryden and Smith capture some of the most creative and often politically charged images that finds its way onto city walls. The duo is crowdfunding their documentary, Manileños, through Kickstarter and also plans to grow their project through community engagement and events.
