When the CCP encouraged taking selfies

The hallowed halls of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is often cold and intimidating—here lie the works that are considered acceptable by the learned scholars and critics of Filipino arts and culture. One of the pet projects of then‑First Lady Imelda Marcos, the CCP holds a selective collection of Filipino beauty, keeping it safe and unfortunately and unintentionally distant to the common Filipino.

But the CCP is actually open to the people, and there is no larger celebration of Filipino art and culture than the Pasinaya. This year, from February 3 to 4, the CCP held Pasinaya 2018: Pusuan ang Sining (Like the Arts), named after the Filipino slang for liking something on social media. Every once in a while, in between the simultaneous art exhibits and presentations in every nook and cranny in the building, a commercial would be played telling the festival goers that they encourage taking photos and videos of the presentations—an act often banned and frown upon at the prestigious theater—to be uploaded in the largest public forum of all: the internet.

One can barely feel the air‑conditioning when falling in line with the festival goers—mostly millennials and centennials—in hopes that you could get into the exhibit or show that you want. While there are no audience cut‑offs for the folk dance and music presentations held outside the building, seating inside the CCP’s many theaters are limited, leading to much rushing and pushing by the younger festival audience who were adamant about seeing a particular show at a particular time. Ushers have even started advising people to arrive thirty minutes early to their chosen show. Some have given up on checking their maps and schedules, opting to go with the flow. Every room in the CCP is like a portal to another world, leading to different stories told through different art forms. And if that wasn’t enough, there were vans outside to take you museum hopping in Manila.

A majority of the crowd were high school and college students who came for different reasons, some because it was a school field trip, some for extra credit for a particular subject, and some just for the fun of it. Most of them carried with them a mobile device or camera of some sort, taking photos, videos, and selfies. There were families from grandparents who had to be wheeled up and down the ramps and the toddlers who hopped around to the beat of the kulintang like they would during a Hi‑5 concert.

With the Pasinaya’s theme clearly catering to the selfie generation, suddenly art felt exciting and attainable to all. No longer were you pressured to stay the silent and polite member of the audience. Art was participatory. Art was something that you save not just in your heart but in the cloud, to be retrieved through the internet every time you want to recall it.

Art as an Infestation

On the wall of the third floor of the CCP were several Garapata (ticks), the tag of street artist Dex Fernandez, modified into different characters using different art materials. For example there was Garapata Pikachu, Garapata Batman, skull Garapata, bahay kubo Garapata, and whale Garapata getting eaten by a fanged monster. These were all the works of the people who participated in the workshop given by Fernandez, where he gave people printed bases of his Garapata character for them to personalize however they want.

Photo Lucia Edna P. de Guzman

The Garapata was a character Fernandez created based on an experience he had as a child, when ticks spread all over his house when his dog came home with an infestation. It has since became his tag when he became a graffiti and street artist in 2006. You might have seen it outside the walls of Today x Future in Cubao or the PETA Theater in New Manila. (“These were legal tags,” Fernandez told SparkUp, as opposed to the secretive and often “illegal” ways graffiti artists spread their art.)

“The Garapata fit the theme of street art well,” Fernandez told SparkUp at the sidelines of the GC:1,2,3 (Garapata Chapter 1,2,3) exhibit, where participants got to make their own Garapatas. “They’re just there, pakalat‑kalat (lying around), and looking for a host.”

But travel to other countries has opened Fernandez’ eyes to a less personal aspect of his Garapata metaphor. “You can relate it to the Filipino. No matter you went you’d find another Filipino, in every nook and cranny of the world.”

Photo Lucia Edna P. de Guzman

Now Fernandez plans to expand his work to infest others. “Painting is my medium but I don’t want my art to end with just painting walls. Now I’m working on an animation project, and projects that require audience participation,” said Fernandez. “I provide the main image and they provide the background. Nape‑peste ko silang gumawa ng sariling garapata. (I’m infecting them to make their own Garapata.”

Fernandez’ future projects include a “GaraParty,” a one night rave party of Garapata visuals (and inflatable balloons!) and featuring several DJs. He hopes to hold this in the CCP so he can rain Garapata inflatables down the chandeliered balconies of the arts center. He will also be participating in the Manila Biennale on February 23.

Fernandez found a new fan in Kenneth, a 17 year old student from Dagupan City National High School, who took a selfie with Fernandez after his exhibit. Dagupan City National High School takes its students from Pangasinan to Manila every year for Pasinaya. “I was amazed because I’m also a painter, and I appreciate what he has done. I was inspired by how he conceptualized the Garapata, taking it from his childhood,” said Kenneth. “I appreciate his painting very much.” Kenneth’s Garapata will be one among the many that will infest the CCP’s halls until March 4, when Fernandez’ exhibit will end.

Rise of Contemporary Romance

One of the shows held in the CCP Library was a dramatic reading of contemporary Filipino novels from Romance Class. It was again fully booked, this time with students and art fans who might have never heard of them before.

Romance Class is a collective of Filipino romance authors that started from a Facebook group by romance novelist Mina V. Esguerra in 2013, when she decided to take a break from writing to teach about writing romance. It has since become a place for Filipino romance authors, aspiring authors, and fans to connect and help each other with their work. Every once in a while, to promote their work, Romance Class holds live readings of excerpts of their novels, which has become super effective in drawing out all the kilig feelings from the audience that they probably wouldn’t get from merely reading the blurb written behind the novel.

This is the first time that Romance Class has ever performed in CCP.

“I didn’t realize how big a deal it was going to be until we showed up and there were like a zillion people,” Esguerra told SparkUp after several members of the audience took selfies with her, the other authors, and the actors who did the live reading.

“It’s an entirely new group,” Esguerra said about their CCP audience. “I don’t think most of them have ever been to any of our events. But it seems that it gone well. They were reacting to the same lines that most audiences react to.”

While art snobs might feel skeptical about the inclusion of contemporary Filipino romance novels in CCP performances, Esguerra believes that they do have a place among the so‑called high art.

“We had the same audience for the CCP audience and our romance reader audience,” Esguerra said. “I think we have a place here, based on the audience’s reaction to it, people are ready for it.”

“People know what to do when they see the performance and they react to the same thing that romance readers react to.” It seems that kilig, like the love between the snooty rich leading man and the down‑to‑earth working student leading lady, knows no boundaries.

Renzo, a 22 year‑old communications student from the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba, encouraged by his teachers to go to Pasinaya, found strength in experiencing the works of Romance Class. “I’m a frustrated writer, before I started writing and I somewhat failed,” Renzo told SparkUp while his friends cheered him on. “I interviewed one the authors of one of the books that were presented and I asked for motivation.” SparkUp was not privy to the conversation between Renzo and Esguerra but the growth of Romance Class is testament to her strength as a teacher and motivator.

The Old Dances Made New

The students and teachers of the Ligao National High School from Ligao City, Albay danced under the noontime sun on the hot concrete road that was closed down for the Pasinaya. With their costumes, props, and loud chanting, they told the story of the epic of Ibalong—how the ancient Bicolano heroes Baltog, Handyong and Bantong defeated several monsters to keep their people safe.

Photo Lucia Edna P. de Guzman

While the audience at first were a little skeptical of the dance, some laughing at the over the top performance of it all, they were soon drawn to the battles told through dance and wonderful craftsmanship. It was exciting to see the heroes defeat Tandayag the wild boar, Oryol the serpent, various other monstrous creatures, and finally, the gorgon‑like Rabot, who can turn its enemies to stone. This is the tale of how Bicolanos came to be, and is celebrated to this day during the Ibalong Festival.

“It’s important for us to show the rich culture and tradition of a certain province,” said John Michael Monares, a teacher from Ligao National High School, who danced the role of Baltog. “We have to show them what kind of lives the people of Albay and the Bicolanos led before and even after.”

“The reception was overwhelming. I guess this was the first time the people saw Ibalong in Manila,” he added. And it was, there was an audible gasp when Monares, as Baltog, ripped the jaw from Tandayag the Boar. It was a realization that we too, as Filipinos, have epic stories that rival those that we hear from India, China, and Europe.

Photo Lucia Edna P. de Guzman

SparkUp also spoke to Camille, a 20 year‑old student from Rizal Technical University, who went with her barkada to Pasinaya and took several selfies with folk dancers in their sparkling costumes. She had heard of Pasinaya from her humanities teacher, who encouraged them to come for extra credit and to inspire them as a part of their performance arts class.

“This was optional, but we chose to go,” she said. “The selfie was a requirement, to prove that we went here.”

“But I had fun. It’s important that people go here so that they’ll know how beautiful the Filipino culture is, and to encourage people to enjoy and participate in the arts,” said Camille.

Perhaps it’s a little disheartening to know that the CCP, and the so‑called “high art” is so intimidating that the youth have to be encouraged or required to go to events like Pasinaya. But with an overwhelming postive reception from the youth, maybe there will come a time when more Filipinos will actively seek out to enjoy and create art.