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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com
ART TRIPS IN THE METRO By Edgardo S. Tugade
S
ome art lovers say Metro Manila and other urban centers have lost touch with creation and creativity because of commercialization and high technology. To balance this extreme skepticism, an art enclave in Quezon City has launched several art tours in the region that makes art, history and culture a part of modern city life again.
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Erehwon Center for the Arts in Old Balara was established in 2012 and has hosted exhibits and performances by both well-known and aspiring artists from the country’s cities and provinces. It said it “seeks to be the living hub and nerve center of the arts in the Philippines and further inspire the development and promotion of Philippine art.” Its four-story building houses gallery spaces, a dance studio, a music hall, an outdoor stage, a conference hall and a rooftop for outdoor performances. The tour, which was launched in 2016, caters to individuals or groups. Airconditioned vans take local or foreign tourists to museums, heritage sites and landmarks, galleries and even artists’ studios. Whole-day, half-day and special tour packages are offered that cover transportation, entrance fees, lunch and snacks, a souvenir photo and tour guides. Those who opt for whole-day packages can choose among 1. the National Museum and Intramuros tour, which includes Casa Manila, the San Agustin Church, Bahay Tsinoy and Fort Santiago; 2. the Manila and Intramuros tour, that covers the University of Santo Tomas Museum of Arts and Sciences, the Malacaan Museum and the Intramuros attractions listed above; and 3. the Rizal Province Art tour that visits the Blanco Art Museum, the Nemiranda Art House and Cafe, and the Pinto Art Museum. The half-day Metro Culture tour stops at the Ayala and Yuchengco museums in Makati. There are three special tours, all in the City of Manila. The first will drive tourists to the Malacaan Museum, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Metropolitan Museum. The second option will let them experience the Coconut Palace, the CCP and the Met Museum. The third package will admit them to the National Museum, the Met Museum and the Bangko Sentral Money Museum. Interested parties may log on to www.erehwonarttours.com, www. erehwonartcenter.com. They may also call (02) 294-5286 or (02) 218-2618, or e-mail travelandtours@erehwonarttours.com.
TRAINERS. Now that Pokemon Go is going out of fashion, millennials may opt to hunt for art treasures in Metro Manila itself through Erehwon Arts Center’s whole-day or half-day tours. The art center also offers tours to other local government units. Erehwon Arts Center
REGIONAL WRITING, A REVISIT By Honor Blanco Cabie ACADEMICS and observers of the country’s literary landscape, which has several major languages apart from Filipino, are agreed there should be a pool of good and efficient translators of the literature outside of the national capital. And they should also take note of the fact that much of the marginalized literature—most often folk— has been purely oral, suggesting the time was ripe to catch and preserve them on tape. For instance, before the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century, West Visayan literature was purely oral and was in Kinaray-a, suggesting, in the view of scholars, that this must have been the language of the region in folk literature of the 10 Bornean datus. Folk literature ranges from brief riddles, proverbs, ditties, ritual chants to expansive love songs, tales, and extensive epics. It also has poetry called binalaybay and the tale is the asoy or sugilanon. The asoy may be a legend or a tale about a folk hero or a local happening. Among the Panay epics are the Labaw Donggon and the Hinilawod. Ritual chants are delivered by the babaylan or healer to please the diwata or supernatural beings or spirits in exchange for good health and luck in the home and the fields during planting and harvest climes. The arrival of the Spaniards and the eventual conversion of the inhabitants to Christianity produced new forms of folk literature and saw the beginning of written literature, initially with translation of Spanish texts of prayers and lives of the Catholic saints. With the arrival of the Americans before the turn of the 19th century came the locally described Golden Age of Hiligaynon literature. But the orientation was still heavily Spanish—didactic and Roman Catholic despite strong nationalistic orientation. Tagalog literature, nurtured and nourished in the provinces of Southern Luzon, parts of Central Luzon, and Metro Manila, is considered by some scholars as the birthplace of a rich tradition of Filipino culture in language, politics, economy and literature. Other scholars, while not openly disagreeing with such commentary, argue that other regions can lay as much claim to such a rich tradition. They note the wealth in chests of other literary zones— the Ilocanos, the Pampangos, the Bikolnon, the Visayan languages down to the locales in Mindanao, and others. Particularly outstanding oral literature in Tagalog-speaking provinces are the bugtong (riddle), proverbs and native songs. This discipline is always in poetic forms, usually seven-syllabic rhymes which, according to some scholars, is truly Asian in form and perspective. Poet and fictionist Domingo Landicho, commenting on the history and tradition of Tagalog literature, observes that the tradition of Tagalog literature “has been bequeathed upon the national consciousness of the Filipinos all over the Philippines.”
BONSAI CULTURE TAKES ROOT IN BACOLOD
It’s utter sublimation, A feat, this heart’s control Moment to moment To scale all love down To a cupped hand’s size. From “Bonsai” by National Artist for Literature Edith L. Tiempo
THE 1st Bacolod Bonsai Society’s Bonsai Exhibit and Workshop held at the Annex Building Grounds of the New Government Center from October 17-23 was a success, the society’s president Anthony Michael Merin announced. “Considering that it was the club’s first exhibit, I’m happy and proud because through the art of bonsai, we brought together people from all walks of life,” Merin related. The show is an official activity of the month-long Masskara festivities, he said. The ceremonial ribbon was cut by Moises dela Cruz who represented City Mayor Evelio Leonardia and Rufo Jover from the
CULTURED. Bonsai enthusiasts in Bacolod are growing in number. Chris Xanthy Abuan Philippine Bonsai Society Inc. inducted the officers of the Bacolod society. Three People’s Choice winners were chosen on Saturday from more than 90 trees entered by the society’s members, but their names and entries were not made available as of presstime. Merin, who maintains a small farm
and was a previous employee started learning bonsai 10 years ago. He revealed that the group plans to have more shows, workshops, garden visits and skills upgrade of bonsai culturists. Herden Pedrajas also conducted a lecture and demonstration workshop, together with PBSI members Jun Sera-
pio, Rufo Jover and Jess Cabrera. The workshop was free admission and open to the public. The participants were allowed to sell their entries to the exhibit and a certain percentage of the sales proceeds was allotted to the group. Since it was the group’s first exhibit, they have no buyer profile yet but they are optimistic that potential buyers may come from outside Bacolod City. A statement narrates that with the advent of social media, particularly Facebook, the founding members of the Bacolod Bonsai Society got acquainted with Bonsayista Inc., a group registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and recognized by the PBSI. Bonsayista’s Uyehara shared his knowledge of
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bonsai culture through the Internet and reached a wide audience here and abroad. Because of this, his group attracted members in Guam, Puerto Rico and Spain, in addition to local members from Luzon, Viasayas and Mindanao. Bonsayista Inc., whose name was coined by Pedrajas, was instrumental to Bacolod Bonsai Society’s creation. Inspired by the ideals and techniques taught by Uyehara, members of Bonsayista based in Bacolod came together and formed the core group. The core group invited all known bonsai artists and collectors within Bacolod City and quickly spread all over the region as far as San Carlos City. Currently, the Bacolod group has more than 50 official members. Edgardo S. Tugade