PAGADIAN CITY (Aug.
1, 2018) -
A multi-talented artist who expresses appreciation to biodiversity and nature through
amazing artworks—indeed, this girl is special.
Samantha
Kaspar, a 21 year-old Fil-Swiss artist, was diagnosed with autism when she was
just three years old. Instead of losing
hope and feeling down about the diagnosis, restaurateurs Martin and Mitzi
Kaspar, Samantha’s parents, gave her the much needed understanding and support,
and helped her discover her talents and skills.
True
enough, they discovered that Sam’s talents are immense. She can sing, dance,
and play the violin really well. “What’s puzzling is that she barely talks to
anyone. She speaks very few words but when she sings, she utters every line clearly
and beautifully,” said Mitzi Kaspar, Sam’s mother. Aside from having all these
talents, Sam is also good in swimming and ice skating.
Different, but
special
Eventually,
the world started to notice Sam and her exceptional talent. In 2017, the Center
for Possibilities Foundation helped Sam put up her own art exhibit which
featured 40 of her artworks which include hand painted fashion accessories and
paintings in canvas. In the same year, Sam, along with seven more Filipino
artists with autism were chosen to represent the Philippines in the Fashion
Arts Autism Benefit (FAAB) event in New York. Their artworks in piña cloth were
transformed into clothing by well-known fashion designers.
In
celebration of the World Autism Awareness Month, Sam was also invited to grace
a two-day interactive art workshop from 5 to 6 April 2017 organized by the
Autism Hearts Foundation in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General
at the Kalayaan Annex of the Philippine Center in New York.
Sam
was also one of the artists with special needs selected by Banana Peel and
Unilab Foundation to design a new line of slippers to be sold in the market.\\
Understanding
autism
A
person with autism finds it difficult to communicate and interact with others. Autism
is characterized by struggles in communication, speech delays, and repetitive
behaviors. Early signs of autism in children include: having little or no eye
contact; having repetitive language or mannerisms; speech delay; and lack of
interaction with other people.
“Some
individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may display
behavioral dyscontrol - having disturbances in mood (emotional) and thinking
(mental) that may impair functioning in significant areas of life,” said Dr.
Alexandra Jean Palis, a psychiatric expert.
According
to the World Health Organization, about 1 out of 160 children in the world has
autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In most cases, the symptoms of autism can be
seen in the first five years of life. People diagnosed with autism often suffer
from other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
anxiety disorder, and depression.
“Persons
like Samantha should not be considered as people with disability because a lot
of them are even more capable of doing amazing things than most of us,” said
Kenneth Sioson, Sam’s art coach. Kenneth is Fine Arts graduate from the
University of the Philippines Diliman. “What is rewarding about this job is
having the opportunity to share to others that people with autism should not be
disregarded; they must be given special care and must be embraced by the
society,” he added.
Health and
biodiversity
Sam
and her family love to travel. They enjoy nature walks. After every trip, Sam
would immediately paint what she saw in the place they visited. It is as if she
would like to translate the visual images in her mind into paintings so that
she will never forget how the place looks like. “She will make sure that she
finishes the painting once we get back home. She never sleeps until the piece
is done,” said Mitzi. (By JONG CADION with DENR PR)
Some
of Sam’s paintings (acrylic paint on canvas) of their family trips
“Sam
loves to paint sceneries. When she likes a place, she would paint it to tell us
that she wants to go back there,” she added. Many of Sam’s paintings also depict
nature and biodiversity.
“A
healthy environment is nurturing to our mental health. It is not only within
our households; it also includes our external surroundings. Nature is part of
this external environment,” said Dr. Palis. “Physically, our bodies are
supported by clean air, produce that we make, up to the food we eat and this
comes from our environment. A healthy body begets a healthy mind. Exposure to
trees, plants, grassy fields to name a few; experiencing all of this first hand
reduces stress. In mindfulness techniques, we are encouraged to connect with
the stillness of nature. It makes us feel relaxed, a restorative process which
we unconsciously avail when we are out and enjoying our unique surroundings,”
she added.
“Biodiversity,
as a subject for art, I believe, is truly inspiring and healing, and in this
case, both for the artist and the beholder,” said the Executive Director of the
ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim.
Making a statement
through fashion
Sam’s
current project is a Philippine national costume called “baro” with paintings
of some of the country’s endemic species. This will be worn by ACB Executive
Director Lim in the upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the
President of the Philippines, His Excellency Rodrigo Duterte, on 23 July 2018.
The material is piña cloth, designed with silk paint.
The
national costume that Sam designed for ACB Executive Director Theresa Mundita
Lim has illustrations of the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi), Red
Vented Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), Turquoise Jade Vine (Strongylodon
macrobotrys), and Waling-waling orchid (Vanda sanderiana)
“I
admire the works of Samantha that depicts nature and biodiversity, and I am
honored to be given the opportunity to wear such an amazing work of art, said
Dr. Lim. “This piece of clothing embodies a two-fold advocacy; to raise autism
awareness and to promote biodiversity conservation. Causes that are seemingly
unrelated at first, but with Samantha’s unbelievable talent, she can make the
two mutually reinforcing,” she added.
According
to the Second Edition of the ASEAN Biodiversity Outlook of the ACB, thousands
of species are endangered and on the brink of extinction, leading to the
possible loss of both endemic and economically important species. The massive loss of wildlife has led to rates
of extinction that are considered at least 100 to 1,000 times higher than
nature intended. All forms of wildlife face risks from the degradation of
habitats through illegal logging, land conversion, pollution and others;
overexploitation and use of illegal and destructive harvesting practices; and
poaching and trafficking of wild plants and animals. These and many other
threats undermine the population growth, diversity, and breeding and
reproductive behavior of wildlife.
For
more information about biodiversity in the ASEAN region, log on to www.aseanbiodiversity.org.
___________________________________________________________________
The
ACB was established in 2005 by the ASEAN Member States as a response to
biodiversity loss in the region. The Centre supports and coordinates the
implementation of activities in the ASEAN leading to the conservation and
sustainable use of biological diversity, for the benefit of the region and the
AMS.
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