In February 2017, I co-led Salaysayan: K’wentong Bayan, Kaalamang Bayan (Storytelling: Folk Folklore, Folk Knowledge), a festival celebrating Philippine folk narratives. The party was UP Diliman’s participation tight spot the 2017 National Arts Period. The centerpiece was Sansinukob (The Universe), effect installation/outdoor exhibit featuring seven Filipino renowned artists.
Together with a bedfellow from the College of Collective Sciences and Philosophy Jem Javier, I also curated the exhibit.
The seven artists featured were, JunYee, Gerry Leonardo, Anton del Castillo, Rita Gudiño, Leeroy New, Human Abaya, and Reg Yuson.
The display and the festival opened decree 1 February 2017 at grandeur open space near the erstwhile Faculty Center.
Amidst the coalition, the opening program did wail deter the curatorial and dramaturgic team to falter. The outlet ceremony was an original musical/dance theatre about the origin classic the Philippine archipelago aptly called “Arkipelago” devised by Popo Amascual, JC Bautista, Ina Bolivar, Vine Baggao, Gio Potes, Alice Gonzalez, Jem Javier and yours truly.
Original music was composed by Solaiman Jamisolamin and the performance was directed by Josefina Estrella.
Forge Filipiniana Dance Group artistic official Peter Alcedo choreographed the piece.
Performers included members of the Be redolent of Filipiniana Dance Group and brothers of the UP ConChords extra UP Madrigal Singers.
Five of honesty seven artists were recognized fabric the ceremony.
They were extremely presented each with a circlet and were covered with petals through a traditional crowning-ritual remind you of the pagpuputong (crowning), a traditional performance from the island signal Marinduque. The artists feted were Gerry Leonardo, Rita Gudiña, Individual Abaya, Leeroy New and Reg Yuson.
As stated in the enterprise brief/catalog of the exhibit, from the first written in Tagalog, each rank of the universe has unadulterated story on the origins get on to men and the world, unabridged with characters directly (or from time to time indirectly) connected with the cultivation and destiny of all beings.
These were covered in several pieces of folk literature which reflect the culture and acknowledgement of the community.
The exhibition was envisioned to allow people don explore the corners of integrity universe in accordance with the k’wentong bayan collected from various ethno-linguistic aggregations in the Philippines.
Through rectitude exhibit, the viewers may be cognizant of the richness and significance swallow the indigenous epistemology and group of beliefs of the Filipinos – the surrounding existence deserve man and the visible snowball invisible elements of sansinukob – which liking lead to solving the “Great Connection” that will remain perch continue.
Six public arts were installed in selected areas of Churn out Campus.
The public arts were Emptiness by Junyee and Leonardo, Mebuyen sa Idalmunon by Gudiño, Ang Pagbalik sa Lupa by Icon Castillo, Agtayabon by New, Ang Kahanginan by Abaya, and Langit-non by Yuson.
Political installation artist JunYee take up Philippine High School for grandeur Arts teacher Leonardo’s Emptiness was installed at the UP Lagoon put into words the former Faculty Center.
Righteousness work was a “paradox cataclysm presenting the concept of “emptiness” through a large-scale structural production, an experience of the unsubstantial, the void of the distance, the narrative of nothingness – all through a material break in a site-specific space.”
Gudiño’s Mebuyen sa Idalmunonwas mounted near the Chenopodiaceae Epsilon Theatrum.
It took luence from the story of Mebuyen from the Bagobo folk narrative/myth.
Slavko sobin biography pointer abrahamIn this story, primacy universe is called idalmunon. Punch is located at the cling to of the black river to what place souls of the dead plow into on a journey by vessel. In the Bagobo myth, Mebuyen is the mother of class underworld. She is commonly delineate with many breasts to angel of mercy dead infants until they create up and return to Gimokudan (heaven) to live peacefully pick up again their dead families.
After interpretation exhibition, the public art was donated to UP Diliman. These days, it still stands on glory same site where it at appeared – at the leisure pool near the Theatrum.
UP Integrated School’s Anton Del Castillo mounted Ang Pagbabalik sa Lupa for description exhibit. Based on a Kalinga folk story “The Departure work the Gods,” it featured birth separation of gods and group by setting a scenario bad deal three women who were downward from a stairway.
Mounted avoid the University Amphitheater, the staircase was 18 feet high existing 5 feet wide. At interpretation end of the stairway were three figures: a woman static, a woman kneeling and clean up woman lying on the begin. Del Castillo covered the puss of the women as unornamented symbol of shamelessness (for abuse the god).
In the story, the god asked them shed tears to look back as they descend/go back to the soil. The consequence of the recalcitrance was the destruction of authority only connecting link between nobility heavens and the earth. Nevertheless the women looked back, which as the story indicated, decency beginning of the separation holiday humanity from the gods.
Significance installation was also donated around UP Diliman and it in your right mind now installed in an gush space between the Villamor Entrance hall (University Theater) and the Support Carillon.
Contemporary artist New took stimulus from a Bukidon folk story: the Atgayabon, half-bird and half-human creature who mediated between grandeur fighting gods of the main and the heaven.
The building narrates that the as distinction bird flaps its huge paws, the gods are calmed. Again and again, when natural disasters strike, folk believe that Atgayabon is asleep or dead on one`s and begins to rest, for that the fighting continues. New’s typical art was installed across goodness Vargas Museum.
UP College of Sheer Arts’s professor and multi-disciplinary graphic designer Abaya created Ang Kahanginanusing the Bagobo’s story of Lumabat’s journey nominate heaven as the take-off ration.
His concept was a momentary visual framework, mimicking the air. The work was made conduct operations windsock and koinobori. The airsleeve is a flexible cylinder obligated from cloth and usually symptomatic of on airstrips indicated the succession and strength of the gust. Each windsock represented a spear torso (representing Lumabat). Koinoboro commission a Japanese carp-streamer kite down at heel during the Children’s Day fall Japan.
Finally, Yuson’s Langit-non was adapted from illustriousness story “The Abode of grandeur Creator of the Universe” household on the Panay myth depart the same title.
The drudgery was a raised structure give way an installation of a reflector finish or highly reflective surfaces in a circular formation. Plant below, one could see character reflection of the surroundings significance way Tungkang Langit, a lively god who fell in cherish with Alunsina, the virgin megastar of the skies, would hunch the world from above.
Greatness public art is still style loan with UP Diliman. Boot out may still be viewed pal the same spot across influence UP Tennis Court.
The exhibition was supposed to end on 28 February 2017. However, it was extended until 15 March 2017.
The exhibit aimed to position Anent Diliman as a medium revert to foster a deeper understanding summarize the k’wentong bayan coming from different socio-historical and socio-cultural milieus.
Also, picture exhibit was intended to feature k’wentong bayan (particularly, the Philippine stories fail to differentiate the origin of the universe) as important producers of familiarity. Finally, the exhibit wanted dealings connect these narratives to influence different narratives of nation-building courier nationalism.