Free the dolphins! THEME DAY: GRAFFITI

Here's a wall I spotted practically right behind my neighborhood. I know, it's more of a mural than graffiti but I thought I'd share it nonetheless. Filipino artist A.G. Saño created this mural as part of his quest to paint 23,000 dolphins to help raise more awareness about the plight of these sea creatures and to protest the keeping of dolphins in captivity. Members of the public, mostly students, also got the chance to collaborate on this mural. Speaking to students in a gathering, A.G. Saño said "When we paint these dolphins, we take action to let others know about the issue and to pressure the authorities and concerned parties put a stop to this brutal killing of wildlife. I may be one person, you may be young, but we have a voice to influence others one at a time by campaigning for an advocacy. And this is a story you can tell your child or grandchild, that once in your life, you took a stand to save another life on earth.”

An artist and wildlife photographer, Saño has been studying the migration of humpback whales in the Babuyan Islands for the past 10 years.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

St. Joseph

Here we have another stained glass art in Sanctuario de San Jose or Church of St. Joseph, which I've featured before. St. Joseph, as goes the Roman Catholic tradition, is the patron saint of workers, particularly carpenters. I have prayed to him to help me land a job, and what do you know, I got what I prayed for.

For art's sake

Here is... well, I dunno what this is exactly. Still, here we are at the lobby of Resorts World. I suppose this is some important piece of work, as it's cordoned off, but well, it's not something I'd like in my living room, for sure. But that's just me.

Sanctuario

Here's a close up view of the stained glass in the Sanctuario de San Jose. Stained glass is so pretty. I don't think I've seen stained glass that wasn't.

Mother and Child

Here is a sculpture from renowned Filipino artist Ramon Orlina. Orlina specializes in these beautiful sculptures made entirely from glass. If you look carefully, you'll notice the "Mother and Child" figures entwined in this particular sculpture. This work of art now sits at the lobby of St. Luke's Medical Center.

St.Luke's Hospital: Farewell

I noticed this sculpture of the Holy Family by the elevators in the hospital. I like it, and the great mirror behind it too. It's comforting in an odd way. Have a great Monday folks!

Jump!

I like how the mall's developers take time to beautify not just the inside of their malls, but the outside as well. Here's a lovely water fountain right outside of Glorietta, near the parking lots.

Speaking of water, Manila was recently struck by Typhoon Basyang. Strong winds and rain battered the whole city yesterday, downing power lines, felling trees and damaging property. Right now, our neighborhood still does not have electricity, 18 hours after the blackout (which explains why I wasn't able to post yesterday and why I'm posting this particularl entry furtively in our office har har). Please keep Manila in your prayers folks.

Mushroom

I don't know who made the mushroom-like art installations in this garden in front of Glorietta, a popular mall here in Manila, but I like them. I like the weaving and it's something different to look at while you're waiting for your turn to park. Tomorrow I'll post another installation, this time of a sea creature.

Art in the park

If we we were anywhere else but Manila, I'd assume this was a fancy shower of some sort, for the kids or people who may be so inclined to take showers in the middle of a park for whatever reason, but I guess that might be too much for the folks around here.

Unlikely spot

A child escapes from the summer heat under one of Arturo Luz's art installations. Now, I don't know what this art installation is about. Any guesses? Rocket launcher? Telescope? Ship? In any case, for this kid it's momentary respite from the sun. Arturo Luz, by the way, is a National Artist, which is one of, if not the, highest award our country can bestow on an artist. Which means he probably won't be too happy about me calling one of his masterpieces all sorts of things.

Perspective

The photography exhibit where I saw matinee idol Piolo ( see post below) features photographs of Filipino artisans (potters, weavers, Jeepney makers).

The exhibit reminds me of a quote by Anton Ego in the lovely, lovely Ratatouille: "..you know what I'm craving? A little perspective. That's it. I'd like some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?"

In honor of a heroine

The monument of Gabriela Silang, the first Filipino woman to lead a revolt against the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. Upon the death of her husband, Diego Silang, Gabriela rode on horseback to the mountaintops to reassemble the troops and rally the community to fight the Spanish forces. Unfortunately, she was ambushed and was summarily executed. This is a monument in honor of her courage and valor.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Circle of Life

"The Trees," by Reynato Paz Contreras. Meant to depict the circle of life, the sculpture is of three interlocking trees whose branches reach towards the sky, creating a dome. It's one of the installations in Bonifacio Global City. I've featured the other art installations here. There are five in the series. Four down, one more to go!

Supremo, once more

I posted the art installation entitled " Ang Supremo" in a previous entry before, but I felt the photo didn't do Ben-Hur Villanueva's art work enough justice. Here's another angle to it, and this time it features Lakambini, wife of Andres Bonifacio.

Supremo

This is yet another art installation in Bonifacio Global City (I've featured one here and another here. There are five of these scattered all over the area and looking for them has been like a treasure hunt of sorts). This 3-meter high brass-bronze installation by Ben-Hur G. Villanueva is called "Ang Supremo." It is a tribute to Andres Bonifacio, generally considered to be the Founder of the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The scene shows Bonifacio holding up a torn "cedula" or resident tax certificate, in defiance of the Spanish colonial rule. Andres Bonifacio is called The Great Plebeian. Despite (or maybe because) of his humble beginnings, he was able to lead the Filipinos in the struggle for independence.

Three down, two more to go!

Suffer the little children

Here's another art installation in Bonifacio Global City. I posted an installation featuring fishermen a while back and apparently, that, along with this one, is part of Bonifacio Art Foundation's public arts program. The foundation provides public arts programs for residents of Bonifacio Global City, a former military property. The art installation featuring fishermen is called "Pasasalamat," (literally, Thanksgiving) and it's made by Ferdie Cacnio from welded brass, as a tribute to our Filipino fishermen.

This one is called "Kasaysayan Bawat Oras" (History Every Hour) by Juan Sajid de Leon. This 16-meter brass and cement sculpture is actually a sundial, and the seven paper-like dolls represent the 7,107 islands of the Philippines.

(On a side note: I'm really glad I started In Manila. I discover things about my city that I don't think I would have if I hadn't started this blog. I didn't even know about the arts program until today! I'll definitely be on the lookout for the rest of the foundation's art installations. There's around 5 more around Bonifacio Global City, I think.)

Juan Tamad, part 2

The Devil, played by Vincent de Jesus

Juan Tamad as an advocacy play was unlike other advocacy plays that clobber you with too much information. This one is hip, fun and totally relatable, even to non-first time voters. Interestingly enough, according to one of the play's consultants, the script is dynamic and evolves along with the latest news on the Philippine political landscape. Say someone bows out of the race, that tidbit is incorporated in the play whenever possible. Say someone comes out with a new jingle that's making the rounds of radio and TV, that too is put into context into the play. Even some of the characters in the play are loosely based on several others who joined the election fray several months into the election frenzy. How fantastic is that?

Behind the characters is a guide for first-time voters: What to bring, where to go and when.

They think of everything!

One of the most interesting things about PETA is that after the play, the actors come out for a little question and answer portion, especially if the audience is made up of students. It's not exactly a meet-and-greet type of question and answer, but more about what the students learned from the play and how they can apply the lessons they learned in real life. Hopefully, the lessons they learned from the play will stick with them long after they've stepped out of the theater and back into their real lives.

The play runs until March 7, so Manila-based folks, catch it while you still can!

Juan Tamad

Juan Tamad (Juan the Lazy) is one of the most popular characters in Filipino children's folklore. According to the legends, Juan Tamad was so lazy that instead of picking a guava fruit from the tree, he lay underneath it and waited for gravity to do the work!

That story, and many other variations of it became one of the inspirations for "Si Juan Tamad, ang Dyablo at ang Limang Milyong Boto (Juan the Lazy, The Devil, and the Five Million Votes)," the last offering for the 42nd season of the Philippine Educational Theater Association. It is a musical comedy set in the fictional island of Isla Filiminimon and follows the young Juan and a motley crew of characters as they navigate around the crazy, carnivalesque world of Filimini politics and Filimini election season. The Devil (played superbly by Vincent de Jesus, also the composer, lyricist writer and musical director of the play) discourages Juan from participating in the upcoming elections, as there seems to be no point in trying to change the order of things. "Besides, you have to register to vote, and the registration venue is so far!" the Devil says. "So far! Two blocks away!"

The other characters in the play are the candidates for the elections, all vying for votes through the usual false promises and tawdry gimmickry. There's Sigben Pugot, an all-too-charming politician...

And Mariang Batibat, who looks suspiciously like the wife of a former dictator here. Whoops.

The play is called Juan the Lazy, the Devil and the Five Million Votes because there are 5 million "virgin" or first-time voters in the Philippines (and who make up the target audience of the play). That's a large chunk of voters who can hopefully influence the outcome of our elections for the better.

More on the play tomorrow!

Theater as a tool

This is the wall at the PETA Theater Center. PETA stands for Philippine Educational Theater Association, the premiere theater organization in the Philippines dedicated to fostering theater as a tool to educate people on social issues and ultimately, as a means for social transformation. I thought the wall perfectly captures the energy, creativity and the passion with which the actors, the directors and all those involved in PETA infuse their work.

I took the photo during a show called "Juan Tamad, Ang Diyablo at ang Limang Milyong Boto," which, roughly translated, means "Juan the Lazy, The Devil and the 5 Million Votes." The play features Juan Tamad, a character in Philippine folklore known for his laziness, and is basically a play that revolves around the upcoming Philippine Presidential elections in May.

More on the play tomorrow.

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My prayers go to those affected by the earthquake in Chile. Being in CDP has made me realize even more what a small, small world we live in. Let's be kind to one another, while we still have time.

Wall

The wall at the Virlanie Foundation art therapy room.

Virlanie Foundation is a non-stock, non-profit organization that works with street children and children who are victims of emotional, sexual and physical abuse. It was founded by Dominique Lemay, a Frenchman, in 1992. Their office is located in Barangay Singkamas Makati City.

More on Virlanie Foundation tomorrow.