Following are the recipients of the awards sponsored by Nima Seldon of Namsay Adventure:

1. Aum Dhan Maya for her wrapper mat
2. Ap Phub Dorji for his cement bag ropes
3. Ap Changala for sending 2 truck load of scap every month out of the country
4. Ap Bhajay M Bhadur for cleaning the “Doma tsima” bettle nut juice spatted by people every morning at the clock tower square
5. 25 children who collected more than 15,000 pieces of garbage on the day

Today VAST is on another very different project. They are on their way to Bumthang with 12 volunteers from VAST and 54 elderly ladies form Punakha village for Make a Wish Part 2.

Welcome to VAST’s Garbage Festival at the Thimphu Clock Tower Square.

The Garbage Robot has the attention of the guests.

The Honorable Works and Human Settlement Minister, the Guest of Honor, is showered by Giant Drops of Rain.

The Honorable Opposition Leader has the attention of the Early Learning Center (ELC).

Ever wondered what’s inside a rubbish bin?

The Tiny Toes present their idea about recycling.

In another 20 years, Giants of Rubbish are going to attack our mankind.

Rubbish Robots will help the Giants of Rubbish in wiping out mankind.

The lens to the biggest camera in Bhutan – the Rubbish Pinhole Camera.

Hotel Druk projected onto the sensor of the pinhole camera. Note – we are inside a camera, how cool is that?

Recycle Me pleaded the young ones from the Thimphu Primary School.

OMG.

Same Old Dragon, just new rubbish.

All hands in the air for No Packaged Food at the ELC.

All religion in the world will be overtaken by the Plastic Worshippers.

Inside the Temple of Doom.

Dorji Wangchuk’s Gasping for Air.

Asha Kama being interviewed by the media.

YOUNG ZOOM on GARBAGE – The Festival was officially opened on 26th August 2010 by the Minister of Works and Human Settlement, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba along with the Opposition leader Lyonpo Tshering Tobgay. It’s a 4-day festival, ending this Sunday.

Welcome to YOUNG ZOOM on GARBAGE – An Art Festival
by Depkia

Not the ideal conversation starter in our minds, in fact, the last thing in most of our minds. But as we go on living life everyday, not speaking of garbage very much, it is a problem creeping out of gutters into lanes, bursting out of landfill sites, clogging drains, dispersing in the wind with pollen and apple blossoms.

Welcome to YOUNG ZOOM on GARBAGE an Art Festival by VAST. We at VAST Bhutan spoke about garbage for a while, because it is not something you can ignore. We have been thinking about it, collecting it, taking pictures of it, and making works of art with it, for the past few weeks. And all that has resulted in this Art Festival,where we hope to show you that garbage is something that you should be thinking about too.

Waste in Bhutan is a significant and growing environmental problem. The household wastes- plastics, pet bottles, clothes and shoes, paper, cardboard, construction debris, and many many things we don’t use anymore, are dumped in streets, streams, rivers and forests. And with more than 30% of the Bhutanese now living in urban areas, the problem can only grow worse.

Reports indicate that the municipal authorities in Thimphu and Phuentsholing collect 37 and 25 tons of solid waste on an average, three times more than what was collected in 1998. Find out what you can do to help reduce this unsightly problem.

The exhibition is hosted by VAST in collaboration with the following Partners:

• Thimphu City Corporation
• Greener Ways
• Green Prints
• Happy Valley
• Green Design
• Jungshi Paper Factory
• Police Aums
• RBG Aums
• Early Learning Center
• Thimphu Primary School
• The Tiny Toes
• Ghayual Gardens
• Yudruk
• Kuzu FM
• BBSC
• Business Bhutan
• Ugentsu Communication
• Wangdi Gas Delivery

THE FESTIVAL IS FUNDED BY BHUTAN FOUNDATION

Lunch and Refreshment sponsors:

• Ms. Deki, MUSK
• Mr. Dominic, Mandala
• Aum  Sonam om of Yudruk and Wangchuk Wangdi of Thunder Dragon Tours
• Dasho Tobgay Dorji and Aum Genzing of Gangtey palace
• Mr. Rinzin Ongdra of Yudruk

A very big THANK YOU to all the Volunteers, the wind beneath the VAST wings as always!!!

Stories elsewhere:

• Zoom on garbage by the Honorable Opposition Leader
• Throwaway culture by Kuensel

We are organizing “Youngzoom on Garbage” an art Festival at the Clock Tower Square from 26 to 29 August 2010. The festival is the final stage, where all the efforts and results of our yearlong Art project on garbage will be shared. Many facts, visuals, information and findings will be displayed in world class standards through various medium of art. The festival will also show case collective efforts put in by various organizations and individuals. It is designed for maximum interaction with the general public and recognizes the ABC (Advocacy Behavioral change) approach to garbage problem.

VAST Bhutan wishes to invite all as a partner for the festival and show case your commitment and efforts made towards the garbage problem. Therefore the festival becomes a collective effort to fight this serious problem and together engage our young people to create a wider awareness, featuring creative, interactive and mass participation. The City Corporation will be providing the space for free during the festival. We are also hoping to generate more funds to take this festival to other urban areas in Bhutan.

We would be very grateful if you could attend the post production discussion on the 14 August 2010 at 2.30pm at VAST studio.

ACTIVITIES AND EXHIBITS DURING THE FESTIVAL

1. “Walk the River” Photo Exhibition, digital photographs taken by members and partners
2. “Walk the River” Photo and Garbage Installation Art
3. Installation Art from garbage with video art (documentary on garbage)
4. Giant Pinhole Camera reflecting garbage and people (Photographic display)
5. Garbage Art “self creation”
6. Installation Art on Climate Change
7. Painting displays on “dragon and its web”
8. Creation of Recycle Art “ the Garbage Scroll”
9. Creation of Recycle Art “wrapper Dragon
10. Display of individual artworks created from rubbish
11. Display of Pictorial Graphic on the 3Rs (Reuse, Reduce and Recycle)
12. Exhibition by the Green Ways
13. Exhibition and sale of shopping bags
14. Demonstration on segregation of garbage
15. Demonstration on rope making from old cement bags
16. Demonstration on paper making from old newspapers
17. Demonstration on paper products from recycled papers
18. Demonstration on compost making from garbage
19. Demonstration on recycling of computer cartage
20. Demonstration through bicycle how energy is consumed
21. Demonstration on carbon footprint reduction by biking
22. Children Art making from garbage
23. Production of banner and mural “pledge and promises by the citizen”
24. Talking corner “design for Change”
25. Competitions
26. Awarding for individuals who has contributed directly or indirectly towards waste deduction

Click here for more details about the project

We’d be delighted if you could join us for a delightful evening of food, drinks, film premieres, and artwork at our inaugural Art of Giving Night on Thursday, July 1, 2010.

A delicious dinner prepared with love from our favorite restaurant, Musk, will be served to arouse your senses.Funds raised on this occasion will directly support those Bhutanese-in-need thanks to VASTís network of projects.

Despite its uniqueness, Bhutan is no stranger to the contrast between affluence and poverty. Witnessing individuals who lack basic needs, such as food and clothing, is a call to action for our small-scale projects, which including the Rice Bank, Build a House, and Make a Wish. While we appreciate and laud individual efforts to alleviate poverty, we realize these projects will not, and cannot, end this problem alone. Instead, our aim is to instill social responsibility within Bhutanese youth to provide a long lasting impact in the fight against poverty.

Please read on to learn more about The Art of Giving Night and how your contribution can make a big difference.

At a glance:

• When: Thursday, July 1, 2010 at 6:30 PM
• Where: The new VAST Studio by the clock tower
• Donation: Minimum Nu. 500

Your attendance will support our projects

Rice Bank
VAST Rice Bank aims to break the vicious cycle of debt that farmers in villages experience through the most basic commodity in life: rice. We started this project in three villages in Punakha, and we hope to expand.

Build A House
During one of our trips to a village in Kabesa, Punakha, we came across a family living in a dilapidated hut. Ap. Khen and his wife have four children between the ages of four and 13. The father is currently recovering from Hansenís disease and his hands are partially deformed. The mother is living with a terminal burn injury. The family lives on a very small land holding and is solely dependent on forest products and crop sharing for subsistence. With their limited means, they have not been able to send any of their children to school. The family is now one of the beneficiaries of our Rice Project. Inspired by this meeting, we launched a Build- A-House community programme so that impoverished families may live comfortably. Ap Khen and his family are the first recipients of this programme. In 2008, we raised enough funds to build a one floor mud house for Ap. Khen. With the left over funds, we constructed an accra one floor house for Aum Zam in Tamidamchu, Punakha. We are currently raising funds for another home for Lham and her family of five in Thamji, Punakha.

Make A Wish
There are many issues between young and old people emerging as Bhutan goes through rapid changes. Some of these issues are directly related to the generation gap and not having activities that usefully engage the youth in understanding their elders.

ìMake a Wishî project is designed to link young and old from rural and urban areas.Through an age old Bhutanese tradition, the young serve their elders and regenerate a lost connection. This pilot project took place on 1 September to 8 September 2009 in Bumthang, Punakha and Trongsa for 28 senior citizens (60 plus) from Kabji villages. During our visit to the region, locals expressed the wish to visit important religious sites in central Bhutan. Ten young VAST volunteers from urban Thimphu accompanied them to temples and other cultural heritage sites in the region. Most of the rural participants had never crossed the boundary of their district.

Young Monks of Phadjoding

The World Monument Fund placed Phajoding in the top five most endangered cultural monuments in the world, but a recent trip to Phadjoding shows us that it is not only the building that needs support. While over 26 monks currently live within the monastery, government funds only cover 14 bodies. Many of these young monks come from economically disadvantaged families, and their basic needs, such as food and clothing, are just barely met. VAST ës newest project will connect its young volunteers to the monks of Phadjoding by having them offer warm clothing.

We will also be serving:

Short Film Premiere

In June 2010, renowned film-maker and film school director, Michael Brown, ran one of his Adventure Film Schools in Bhutan (adventurefilmschool). This film school is a 12 day program for international film students. Two Bhutanese student film makers, Tenzin La and Thinley, were invited to join this 12 day film school free of cost.

To take advantage of resources rarely available in Bhutan, The Institute of Language and Culture Studies (ILCS) hosted the post-production workshop conducted by editor Sharyn Smith. Three additional Bhutanese were also invited to participate. Smith provided mentorship and feedback on their projects and developed technical editing and story telling/narrative skills.

We are delighted to premiere the five short films produced and edited by the Bhutanese who completed the workshop. The film makers will be present at the event for Q&A sessions and any informal feedback.

Film Makers

• Tenzin La – ILCS Audio Visual Unit
• Tandin Chophel – VAST member
• Tin Tin Pema Tshering – VAST member and artist
• Tashi Gyelsten – Script writer and film maker

Silent Art Sale

Throughout the night youíll have the opportunity to bid on pieces of art created by VAST members and local artists. Because the artists believe in artful giving, many of their works are donated. By purchasing their pieces you will again directly fund our projects. Attending the Art of Giving Night is an opportunity to show your support while enjoying beautiful art, food, and company.Along with all of the art that we hope you will purchase, a minimum donation of Nu 500 is requested. We look forward to seeing you there!

Live Entertainment by various Bhutanese musicians

P.S The night is about giving so please feel free to bring anything you do not need or want

Anyway, the center is called Tashi Ling, and found something interesting on their notice board.

>> Visit Tashi Ling website

>> Find direction to Tashi Ling Oslo

Signboard leading to the Tashi Ling Buddhist Center.

This is how a Buddhist center looks like in the west.

Graffiti outside the main entrance of the center.

Entrance to the center.

Art for sale at the center.

The center has a well stocked library.

Help make a wish from Norway. Small world.

>> Original story by Kuensel

There is good news for those, who didn’t like climbing up the dingy stairs to get to the voluntary artists studio in Thimphu (VAST).

VAST will be shifting today into a transformed two-storey Bhutanese house, which boasts a new studio, gallery, café and a view of the clock tower square.

Members, who have worked for days on end with curious neighbours peering over their necks, are proud of the result – a blue paint splattered gallery with arty window displays, which will double as a library and café, an open upper level studio covered with paintings, and pieces of artwork everywhere else.

The café will sell cakes baked and donated by friends, and a special ‘Bhutanese chili’ momo.

The founder of VAST, Kama Wangdi alias Azha Kama, said the move was necessary, with the studio needing better space for the weekly classes for children, as well as the exhibitions that VAST holds.

“It was also an exciting change for everyone, we all needed a new project to come together for,” he said. “The location is much better now, too, and easily accessible.”

Despite the amount of work that has gone into preparing the new studio, VAST may have to move out of it in a little more than a year, because the building is old and may only stay up that long.

“People are surprised at how much effort we’ve put, but then we do a lot of work even for a month-long exhibitions. It’s all part of the fun,” Azha Kama said. VAST has worked from the old attic studio in a building above the Changlimithang national stadium for more than a decade now, ever since it was founded in 1998.

Started as an NGO to teach art to children, VAST conducted weekly art classes for children every Saturday since 1998, annual summer camps, and regularly exhibited the work of its artists, mostly youth, who have grown up with the art classes.

It also takes up philanthropic projects, such as building houses in rural communities, establishing a ‘rice bank’ for the very poor, who otherwise fall into debt, and taking old people on a pilgrimage to Bumthang. The projects include youth volunteers, who get the opportunity to help and interact with people from rural communities, who live different lives.

VAST expressed an interest to register as a civil service organisation last year, but it hasn’t yet applied for registration after the rules for application were released in January this year, despite its excellent track record.

Azha Kama said that there were many requirements that needed to be fulfilled, and a lot of work had to be done before it could apply for registration as a CSO.

Our new VAST Studio, a two storied old house with a cafe, library and a studio upstairs is now located at the Clock Tower Square. It took us more than a month to renovate the new VAST studio. After days of breaking down and fixing the broken pieces, the new VAST was something to look at.

May 15th was the day, VAST was reopening with a new gallery and a cafe. At 5 :30 in the morning Asha , tshotsho and babyla were getting things ready for the Lhabsa. Asha lam started with the Lhabsa and we got busy cooking breakfast, last minute preparation while Madam Yannick and Tandin were filming the opening sequence. After the Lhabsa all of us gathered at the front door waiting for Asha Lam and Asha to grace the opening. By 9 am guests, family members and friends started pouring in with gifts and donations for VAST. Everyone who came were welcomed with suja , desi and shamday.

What attracted our guests to the “Newly Opened VAST Cafe” was the chilli momo(ema datsi momo),first in town, we had home baked cakes contributed by the members , friends and families of VAST as contribution for VAST fund raising.

The Exhibition was a success with everyone appreciating the Art works and the effort put up by each individual in creating the new VAST. Most of the guests showed their encouragement by buying paintings and encouraging them to continue their beautiful work. We owe our gratitude to all those who contributed to VAST cafe where the proceeds go to the VAST fund.

When everyone was busy with their own responsibilities, Sir S. Bishwa was upstairs preparing a feast for VAST members. Everyone had a good meal after an eventful day.

That is not the end, Asha opened the champagne and everyone’s faces were filled with joy. We didn’t have a tashi labey dance , instead we had a modern tashi labey by bokto , aue kueron , tashi , aue chimi , thukten and Drakpa.

Later we got a bigger studio. The bigger place was so much better as we had freedom to have our own painting area. We had completed a lot of successful projects in that studio. It was the achievements we had that broadcasted our name across Bhutan and other countries. Since most of the members were students back then, we really used to enjoy our Saturday cooking class where Asha made the most delicious dishes. It was so much fun cooking artistic food. The best part was that nobody complained and the food was always superb.

But then the big studio was not ‘big’ enough for our ‘big and ever growing’ family so we shifted in the attic. Our attic studio used to be a residential place which had a few number of families living in before we moved in. We made the shack into a beautiful studio. Most of us used to bunk school to help in building the studio. We sweated for the studio so the attic studio holds dear to the hearts of all the members who were involved in shaping it. The attic was a place we could call our own. We have lots of memories with the attic…some are good, some bad and some sad.

Like any organisation, we also had our share of ups and downs. We achieved more than we hoped for but on the way we also lost our families. “Some of us grew up, got employed, got married and got ‘bigger responsibilities’ so our contribution to VAST decreased with time. Some of us became independent with art and totally left VAST to venture on our own. Some of us despite wanting to give the maximum to VAST had to go…” Here I am talking about Sir Alan and Tsip whom we lost. They were the true members of VAST. We have lots of treasurable memories from the attic studio, it was in the attic studio that we received further recognition. We made the impossible possible. I remember the giant Dungkar (conch) we made for the 2008 Centenary and Coronation Celebrations. Everyone (including top officials) thought it was impossible but then again…we proved them wrong!

Despite the difficulties and lack of fund, we always always managed to stick together and do well. Even though most of the things were done in the last minute, we always achieved the best. The ‘last minute’ became one of our trademarks and the ‘Spirit of VAST’ our energy.

With this new studio, I feel the wave of new currents of success. I feel that VAST will achieve more and become the centre for the contemporary art in Bhutan. I feel a lot of  good things for the new era that we are beginning with this new studio. There is no limit except the limitations of our own! “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt