Mus-mus' @600 Project

© Dennis Rito

At first blush, I wanted to capture a scene that is unmistakably very Filipino thus I decided to pick the ubiquitous sari-sari store, two blocks from where I live, as my subject. @600 internet time falls at 9:24 PM (Tuesday, Philippine Standard Time) and in this new system, 1 .beat is equals to 86.4 sec allowing me to shoot several frames before the time (.beat) lapses. 

The Sari-sari (meaning 'various kind') have been part of Filipino culture and neighborhoods isn't complete without one, both in urban and rural areas in the Philippines. These stores allow members of the community access to basic commodities (in almost anytime of the day) and save customer transportation costs, especially in rural areas. It offers a place where people can meet and discuss the latest buzz of the day. Sari-sari stores also reflects Filipinos' cenophobia (fear of space) where store owners fill up every inch of space available.

Almost a month ago, Mus-mus asked a group of 100 photographers from around the world (see earlier post here) to a synchronous way of seeing precisely @600 internet time (9:24PM, PST). The photographs had just been posted (see photos here) and am glad to know that my 'sari-sari' store photo was included in the final selections. Thanks Mus-mus for including me in this project!

A lot of great imagery! Head on to the mus-mus archive to view them.