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Kenneth Cobonpue is no stranger to recognition — the Pratt Institute Legend Award and the first-ever Gawad CCP Para sa Sining Award for Design are just among the accolades he’s received in recent years — and he is no stranger, still, to failure, including failing the talent exam for the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Fine Arts program.
In GMA Integrated News’ “Power Talks with Pia Arcangel,” the great Filipino industrial designer looked back on the time he applied to the UP College of Fine Arts after realizing in the middle of his accounting class that business was not for him.
“I went and applied to the Fine Arts program, I went to UP Diliman, because I wanted to study industrial design… So, I went over there and there was a talent exam and I failed because I couldn’t draw,” he said.
Cobonpue shared that he attended a Jesuit school prior, “There was no emphasis on art, it was like science and math, so I couldn’t draw.”
Determined to pursue industrial design, he took a whole year off afterward and enrolled in art classes just to learn how to draw and paint.
“I remember my classmates were like kids, just learning to draw, so it was very humbling,” he said, noting he was around 18 to 19 years old this time.
“I took art classes again because that was a prerequisite for any design school,” he added.
A year after, Cobonpue went on to study at the Pratt Institute in New York, where he earned a degree in industrial design in 1991.
Known for his handmade designs that rethink form and function, Cobonpue would later be named the first Asian Pratt Legend by his alma mater in 2023 for his contributions to the design industry.
During the “Power Talks” episode, the world-class designer also talked about Brad Pitt, who he lists among his wide range of clients aside from some of the world’s royals, and shared about decking the entire set of Hollywood film “Ocean’s Thirteen” (2007) with Cobonpue pieces.
“That was with Warner Brothers. They chose a few pieces, we sent them our catalogue, and then they ended up furnishing the entire set with our pieces, which they’ve never done before. They normally don’t pick it from one manufacturer,” he said.
Watch the full episode below.
—CDC, GMA Integrated News
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