WEBB’S WORLD
DRIFTWOOD SCULPTURES AT SM SEASIDE
It has been told that secret songs are whispered through the whistling of the wind. These are carried by birds as they sing of the life that move beneath them while they guard their nests; the rustling of trees’ branches, towering witnesses through time. These trees, if only men leave them be, have hundreds—no, thousands of stories to tell.
But one man chooses to bless the often forgotten pieces of nature—pieces of wood washed up from either the wrath of nature or ill-progress—by granting each piece with a new story; a rebirthing of sorts for everyone to see.
James Doran-Webb is a world-renowned driftwood sculptor. He may just be like the Norse god Odin, who created the first men to roam the earth from driftwood. Doran-Webb’s creations tell stories that are so beautiful that people marvel at their beauty and are not only filled with wonder but learn to empathize with the plight of nature.
Doran-Webb exhibits at the Chelsea Flower Show, London each May where, in 2013, he was awarded the Director General’s Award for the best trade stand. However, for this year, the artist gives Cebuanos a glimpse of his unique creations which are currently on display at the Amphitheatre of the Skypark in SM Seaside City Cebu.
The exhibit displays different sizes and forms of animals executing a movement and reality, as Doran-Webb strives to capture in every piece he creates. Included in the collection on display are the works A Swan Taking
Flight and The Tree Climbing Lions of Lake Manyara.
During the exhibit launch last Feb. 26, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Republic of the Philippines, Thanatip Upatising, and his wife, Monthip Upatising, walked through the exhibit area with SM Prime Holdings Inc. vice-president Marissa Fernan, with Doran-Webb explaining the many months of hard work it took to finish his creations together with his assistants. The artist and his team handpick
every single piece of driftwood, before figuring out which animal forms it takes.
As an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys mountain biking, hiking and kayaking in the remotest parts of the Philippines, the artist has acquired an extensive local knowledge of most of the larger islands that make up the archipelago. Through such activities and travels, he has built up a small network of driftwood gatherers which provides much needed cash to impoverished provincial villages. Doran-Webb founded a project known as 80,000 Trees, where for every kilo of driftwood that he buys from around the archipelago, he plants a seedling on denuded hills in the northern and southern parts of Cebu province. Doran-Webb wishes to give back to the community which has helped him cultivate his love for nature. The project aims to plant 80,000 trees with the help of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.