Typhoon Ulysses has left the land mass of Luzon, but we’re only just beginning to realize the damage it caused. On top of several deaths, damaged infrastructure and agricultural losses, the typhoon wreaked havoc on small entrepreneurs and local creatives who are already having a difficult time coping with the effects of the pandemic.
Bad Student, the country’s only Risograph studio, is among the many creative businesses that suffered the brunt of Ulysses.
In a post on the Bad Student Facebook page, founders Pau Tiu and Dyam Gonzales shared their near-death experience with the typhoon and how they lost their studio. In just three hours, the entire studio was submerged in floodwater, along with all of their Risograph and printmaking equipment.
Bad Student recently partnered with Serious Studio to produce “Gunitaan,” an illustrated Risograph zine that compiled stories from Filipino folklore. The zine’s proceeds will be donated to People for Accountable Governance and Sustainable Action (PAGASA), an organization that supports the T’boli dreamweavers, and the Aeta and Lumad communities.
[READ: This upcoming zine wants to support Indigenous communities by sharing their folktales]
Before the typhoon, they were scheduled to join the Tokyo Art Book Fair 2020 where “Gunitaan” would have been launched.
Other local creatives, including Esme Palaganas of Basic Movement, have thrown in their support for Bad Student by sharing the studio’s story online.
It’s a tough time for creatives right now, so every bit of help counts.
Header photos courtesy of Bad Student Facebook
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