Lesson 6

Philippine Indigenous
Arts and GAMABA
Artists

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward

appearance of things, but their inward significance.”
- Aristotle
 Creativity through
Philippine craftsmanship is what
Filipinos are also known.
Indigenous Many artisans across the
country showcase different
Arts unique crafts and arts
that will surely catch your
interest.
 Cloth Weaving

One of the most valuable living

traditions that are still preserved until
this day is the cloth weaving. Threads
or strands of material are passed under
and over each other. Beginning in the
pre-colonial era, the art of cloth
weaving, particularly of the Cordillera
tribes in the North, still lives
notwithstanding the threat of the more
practical production of fabrics today.
The natives practice blackstrap loom to
create blankets and pieces of clothing.
 Piña cloth is also created through looms
everywhere in the province of Antique. It is a fine
and elegant handwoven fabric that is produced
from the fibers of pineapple plants. It is commonly
used in Barong Tagalog, the traditional Philippine
clothes for men. With its airy and organic textile,
it is growing more popular today and also around
the world.
Another is the abaca fiber which comes from the
abaca plant. Abaca is endemic and grown in the
Philippines. It is woven mainly to produce sinamay
fabric. Abaca is famous in manufacturing rope,
specialty papers like the currency, vacuum bags,
and tea bags. There are also handicrafts like
furniture, carpets, bags, and clothing specially
made out of abaca.
 Basket
Weaving The Cordilleras mainly use baskets
for their occupation. They utilize them
for food storage too when they have
to go to the mountain terraces and
farm their lands. A basket is a must
have for carrying hunting animals,
grains, and fishing in the waters. The
baskets are made of bamboo to
become as their fish traps; the size
and the shape of the baskets are
based on the variety of fish they wish
to catch.
Jewelry Making There are two largest product classes of fine
jewelry production in the Philippines:

Since the 16th century, it is presumed Metal Jewelry

that jewelry making in the country
already existed. It is known that the This jewelry is made of gold and
skills of the early Filipinos in creating silver which are in the forms of
jewelry are parented from our Asian earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches,
neighbors like the Chinese people. necklaces, tie pins, pendants, and cuff
links.

Pearls

Pearls are considered precious stones

and as semi-precious stones. These
are either unworked or worked types
of pearls.
 Pottery
Pottery are made from wet clay, then hardened by
baking. Pottery includes both decorative and practical
items such as bowls, dishes, vases and lamps. Pots in
the country have various shapes, sizes, and designs.
Their designs are typically geometric with embellished
nature motifs.
A model of this is the “palayok,” which is utilized
for cooking. The “Banga” and “Tapayan” are also
used for depositing liquids. There is also the stove
or “kalan” which is made out of clay. The
production of “Burnay” pottery in the Ilocos Sur is
yet a spirited tradition that remains up to the
today.
Woodcarving
The Philippine sculpture is the
most well-known art form of
the Filipinos. The most famous
woodcarving in the Philippines
is the carvings of the
“Anitos” or the nature gods,
“Santos” or saints, and
figures of Christ and the
Blessed Mother Mary.
Accordingly, Paete in Laguna
is considered wood carving
capital of the Philippines since
2005.
 GAMABA Artists
In April 1992, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living Treasures Award was institutionalized through
Republic Act No. 7355. Tasked with the administration and implementation of the Award is the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the highest policy-making and coordinating body for culture and the arts of the
State. The NCCA, through the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee and an Ad Hoc Panel of Experts, conducts the
search for the finest traditional artists of the land, adopts a program that will ensure the transfer of their skills to
others and undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation of and instill pride among our people about the
genius of the Manlilikha ng Bayan.

First awarded in 1993 to three outstanding artists in music and poetry, the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan has its
roots in the 1988 National Folk Artists Award organized by the Rotary Club of Makati-Ayala. As a group, these folk
and traditional artists reflect the diverse heritage and cultural traditions that transcend their beginnings to
become part of our national character. As Filipinos, they bring age-old customs, crafts and ways of living to the
attention and appreciation of Filipino life. They provide us with a vision of ourselves and of our nation, a vision we
might be able to realize someday, once we are given the opportunity to be true to ourselves as these artists have
remained truthful to their art.

As envisioned under R.A. 7355, “Manlilikha ng Bayan” shall mean a citizen engaged in any traditional art
uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence
and have been passed on to and widely practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the
same degree of technical and artistic competence.
 GAMABA Artists

Ginaw Bilog Masino Intaray Samaon Sulaiman

Poet, 1993
Hanunuo Mangyan Musician and Storyteller, 1993 Musician, 1993
Panaytayan, Orinetal Mindoro Palawan Magindanao Mama sa Pano,
(Died in 2003) (Died in 2013) Magindanao
He helped preserved the Mangyan literary He has mastered the traditions of his (Died in 2011)
tradition by documenting the pieces of people, the Palawan, Batak and Tagbanwa A master in the use of the kulintang and
ambahan recorded not only on bamboo tubes in the highlands of Southern Palawan. He kudyapi (of the magindanaos) His
but also on notebooks passed on to him. The is skillful in basal (gong music ensemble), extensive repertoire of dinalayday,
ambahan is a poetic literary form composed kulial (lyrical poem expressing passionate linapu, minuna, and binalig has
of seven-syllables. The Filipinos are grateful love song with the accompaniment of the demonstrated not only his own skills but
and justifiably proud of Ginaw Bilog for kudyapi, and bagit (instrumental music their culture.
vigorously promoting the elegantly poetic art depicting nature.)
of the surat Mangyan and the ambahan.
 GAMABA Artists

Salinta Monon Alonzo Saclag

Lang Dulay Textile Weaver, 1998 Musician and Dancer,
Tagabawa Bagobo Bansalan, 2000
Textile Weaver, 1998 Davao del Sur Lubugan, Kalinga
T’boli (+ 2009) Worked for the preservation of Kalinga
(+ 2015) Salinta Monon had watched her mother’s culture. He lobbied that the abandoned
T’bolis are known for their use of abaca nimble hands glide over the loom, weaving Capitol Building be turned into a museum,
traditional Bagobo textiles. She developed a that schools implement the practice of
fibers in textile weaving. Lang Dulay
keen eye for the traditional designs, and now, donning the Kalinga costume for important
continued this tradition and preserved at the age of 65, she can identify the design as events and that traditional Kalinga music
the culture of their community through well as the author of a woven piece just by a should be broadcasted alongside
patterns of crocodiles, butterflies, glance. Salinta has built a solid reputation contemporary music in the local radio
flowers, mountains, and streams of Lake for the quality of her work and the station. He formed the Kalinga Budong
Sebu in her works. intricacies of her designs. There is a Dance Troupe
continuing demand for her fabrics.
 GAMABA Artists

Francisco Caballero
Epic Chanter, 2000 Uwang Ahadas Eduardo Mutuc
Sulod-Bukidnon
Calinog, Iloilo Musician, 2000 Metalsmith, 2004
A Panay-Bukidnon from the mountains of Yakan Kapampangan
Central Panay to ceaselessly work for the Lamitan, Basilan
documentation of the oral literature,
Apalit, Pampanga
particularly the epics, of his people. These ten His life’s work is to preserve and He dedicated his life in sculpting
epics, rendered in a language that, although promote Yakan’ culture through the retablos, mirrors, altars and carosas
related to Kiniray-a, is no longer spoken, traditional music and instruments from bronze, and wood. Some of his
constitute an encyclopedic folklore one only of his tribe.He has mastered the works can exceed 40 feet tall while the
the most persevering and the most gifted of others feature smaller sizes and
disciples can learn. Together with scholars,
gabbang, the agung, the kwintagan
and others. dedicate craftsmanship.
artists, and advocates of culture, he
painstakingly pieces together the elements of
this oral tradition nearly lost.
 GAMABA Artists

Haja Amina Appi Darhata Sawabi Teofilo Garcia

Mat Weaver, 2004 Textile Weaver, 2004
Sama Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi Casque Maker, 2012
Tausug
(+ 2013) Ilocano
Parang, Sulu
Haja Amina Appi of Ungos Matata, Her remarkable proficiency with the art and San Quintin, Abra
Tandubas, Tawi-Tawi, is recognized as the the intricacy of her designs allows her to He learned how to make gourd casques
master mat weaver among the Sama price her creations a little higher than and weave baskets from his
indigenous community of Ungos Matata. Her others. Her own community of weavers grandfather at the ag of 16. He never
colorful mats with their complex geometric recognizes her expertise in the craft, her bold stopped experimenting with other
patterns exhibit her precise sense of design, contrasting colors, evenness of her weave designs. He previously used nito to
proportion and symmetry and sensitivity to and her faithfulness to traditional designs.
decorate the headgear and then used
color. Her unique multi-colored mats are Pis syabit weaving is a difficult art. She
protected by a plain white outer mat that remains faithful to the art of pis syabit with other materials such as bamboo
serves as the mat’s backing. Her functional weaving. Her strokes are firm and sure, her after his supplier from Cagayan passed
and artistic creations take up to three color sensitivity acute, and her dedication to away
months to make. . the quality of her products unwavering.
 GAMABA Artists

Magdalena Gamayo Ambalang Ausalin

Textile Weaver, 2012 Textile Weaver, 2016
Ilocano (born 4 March 1943)
Pinili, Ilocos Norte Apuh Ambalang's skill is deemed incomparable: she is able to bring forth
Magdalena’s handiworks are finer than most abel –her all designs and actualize all textile categories typical to the Yakan. She can
blankets have a very high thread count and her designs are execute the suwah bekkat (cross-stitch-like embellishment) and suwah
the most intricate and can sometimes take up to five colors. pendan (embroidery-like embellishment) techniques of the bunga sama
Making sure the right colored threads are spaced evenly and category. She possesses the complex knowledge of the entire weaving
keeping accurate count is a challenge that Magdalena has process, aware at the same time of the cultural significance of each textile
always unerringly met. The beauty of her designs lies in how design or category.She practiced the sinalu’an and the seputangan, two of
delicate the patterns are, and yet how uniform the weave. the most intricate categories in Yakan weaving. They are the most intricate
Magdalena’s calloused hands breathe life to her work and since the former requires the use of the minutest details of diamond or
her unique products are testament to how machines can rhomboid designs, and the latter demands balance and the filling up of all
never hope to equal the human art. the spaces on the warp with pussuk labung and dinglu or mata-mata
patterns.
 GAMABA Artists

Estelita Bantilan
Mat Weaver, 2016 Yabing Masalon Dulo
(born 17 October 1940)
Born as Labnai Tumdan was already precocious in mat weaving, Ikat Weaver, 2016
took on the name Estelita in the 1950s. She kept to her mat (born 8 August 1914)
weaving. She persisted where other women could not because
her. Estelita also carried on because mats were her gifts of She carries on with an exquisite tradition of her gift:
choice to people she cherished. She was never wont to monetize the expert making of fine warp ikat textiles. That focus
her mats. She carved out considerable time from domestic and brings to greater clarity a person whose ikat-dyed
farming responsibilities to accomplish some of the biggest, most
subtly beautiful mats to be seen anywhere in Southeast Asia fabrics bear stunning similarity with museum-held
today. And, from the evidence of the mats she makes today, Blaan pieces created more than a century ago.
Estelita has continued to cultivate a personal aesthetic through
half a century.
 UNIT 6

ART IN TODAY'S SOCIETY

Lesson 1 - Soul-Making, Art Fusion, and
Transcreation

"Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations."- Faith Baldwin

 SOUL-MAKING
In the language that refers to all activities
concerning individual expression through
the arts, is the deeper process known as
"soul- making." The soul here refers to the
individual's psyche.
"It is this activity of working through disintegration
that I consider to be at the core of the creative and
therapeutic processes. I call this act "poesis"
(following Heidegger's use of the Greek word for
poetry), and consider it to be at the center of
human existence. These creative activities can be
best described as a death and rebirth of the soul
or what James Hillman calls "soul-making."
ART FUSION
Art fusion is a product of industry
and commercialism. It occurs
when an artist of any art form
collaborates with a
brand/company (a product,
service, fashion, charity) to create
a product that will benefit the
artist, the company and society as
a whole.
TRANSCREATION
Transcreation is a type of translation that also includes
creation, or recreation. It means going a step further than
simply adapting the text. It is a term used in advertising and
marketing and refers to the process of adapting a message
from one language to another, while maintaining its intent,
tone and context

A great example is the transcreation of Spider-Man in India.

Peter Parker of New York is transformed into the dhoti-
wearing Pavitr Prabhakar in Mumbai who fights evil monster in
emblematic places like the Taj Mahal. The setting and the
names of the main characters, with the exception of Doctor
Octopus, have been changed so that the target audience
identifies with them more readily.
Lesson 2 - Hybrid Art Forms and Appropriation
“Art is not a mirror to hold up to society, but a hammer with which to shape it.”
– Leon Trotsky
 Hybrid Art Forms

Hybrid is defined as having mixed origin that adds variety or complexity to a system

Hybrid Art Forms in the contemporary arts explore the various media and techniques for
innovation and experimentation in art creation. It may involve cross-breeding the art-making
process with other disciplines like with the natural and physical sciences, industrial and etc.
Contemporary artist are now free to create art with whatever material or technique they could
think of. This freedom from rules paved way the way for new opportunities to express ideas,
beliefs ad emotions.

In art forms,For hybridity

more assets and could mean
information, scan the blurring of traditional distinct boundaries between artistic
here. Generate a QR code by browsing
media suchthrough
as painting, sculpture,
the 'More' option on the left- film, performance, architecture, and dance. It also can 159
side object panel.
mean cross-breeding art-making with other disciplines, such as natural and physical science,
industry, technology, literature, popular culture, or philosophy. Hybrid art forms expand the
possibilities for experimentation and innovation in contemporary art.
According to Levinson (1984), hybrid art forms are not purely structural; they are primarily historical.
Hybrid art forms are art forms arising from the actual combination of interpretation of earlier art
forms. Its form must be understood in light of their components.

Levinson identifies three important categories of hybrid art forms which are classified according to
their method of combining different artistic disciplines:

1. Juxtaposition (or addition) – simply joining two or more different products to present a larger,
more complicated one; each component maintains its original identity; involves arts that explicitly
use accompaniment and most multi- or mixed-media arts; examples: mime accompanied by flute
b. symphony plus light show

2. Synthesis (or fusion) – all components modify each other so that each one loses some of its
original identity; employs a certain amount of parity or symmetry of fusion; examples: Wagnerian
opera = symphonic sung drama (or dramatic song) Concrete poetry = poem-picture (partly poetry,
partly graphics)

3. Transformation (or alteration) – one art is transformed is the direction of another; an unequal
mixture of components so that the resulting hybrid maintains the identity of the dominant art
form; example: kinetic sculpture (sculpture with movement related to dance)
Two overall effects that Hybrid works of art
achieve:

1. Integrative: the image of richness and

complexity; parts cooperate towards common end
(e.g. Wagnerian Opera)
2. Disintegrative: rampant lack of coordination;
cognitive overload (e.g. Einstein on the Beach)

In these sculptures, Italian artist

Alessandro Gallo depicts everyday
people as human animal hybrids.
Gulls sit patiently on a bench.
 APPROPRIATION

Appropriation is borrowing. It is the practice of creating a new work by taking a preexisting image or
material from another source like book and combines it with new ones, thus completely transforming the
original. A found object is an existing object given a new identity as an artwork or part of an artwork. Artist
can re-create an object in many ways like repainting it, altering its style, they can also layer images and
redefining the images in a new context.

To is to take possession of something. Appropriation artists deliberately copy images to take possession of
them in their art. They are not stealing or plagiarizing, nor are they passing off these images as their very
own. This artistic approach does stir up controversy because some people view appropriation as unoriginal
or theft. This is why it's important to understand why artists appropriate the artwork of others.

Appropriation artists want the viewer to recognize the images they copy. They hope that the viewer will
bring all of his original associations with the image to the artist's new context, be it a painting, a
sculpture, a collage, a combine, or an entire installation. The deliberate borrowing of an image for this
new context is called recontextualization. Recontextualization helps the artist comment on the image's
original meaning and the viewer's association with either the original image or the real thing.
Appropriation
Lesson 3 - Improvisation in Various Art Forms
“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse
Improvisation in Various Art Forms

Improvisation is creating or performing something spontaneously or without

preparation, or making something functional from whatever is available. The
skill to improvise can apply to many different areas, across all artistic,
scientific, physical, cognitive, academic and non- academic disciplines. There
are things that no matter what people do, is just unpredictable and cannot
be controlled, the best that the person can do is adapt and make use of
whatever is available to survive. Murphy’s Law states that in any field of
endeavor, anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
Photorealism
Photorealism is a term that was invented
to refer to artist whose works depended
for the most part on photographs. These
artists would often project onto the
canvas the images which would be
replicated with precision and accuracy.
The movement began in the same period as
Conceptual art, Pop Art, and Minimalism.
Photorealism expressed a strong interest
in realism in art, over that of idealism
and abstraction. Photorealism complicates
realism by combining that which is real
and which is not. Photorealism emphasizes
the value of the tradition techniques of
academic art again after years of
spontaneous, accidental, and
improvisational art techniques.
Installation Art

Installation art is a modern movement characterized

by immersive, larger-than-life works of art. Usually,
installation artists create these pieces for specific
locations, enabling them to expertly transform any
space into a customized, interactive environment.
Installation art is different from sculpture and other
traditional art in a sense that its focus is on its
effect on the viewer. Installation artist usually
create this pieces for specific location, enabling
them to transform the space into a customized,
interactive environment.
Installation art is characterized into three major characteristics:
immersive, large-scale and site specific

Immersive. This unique characteristics entices the viewers’

senses and invites them to experience the art from new and
different perspectives. Chuck Close is a stalwart of
photorealism (Image credit: Chuck Close) 163

Large-Scale. Most works are massive or large in scale. Their

size engulfs the viewers and enables them to become
completely immersed in this environment.

Site-Specific. Before artists create their massive installations,

they usually plan it with certain sites already in mind. These
areas may be rooms in galleries, museums or outdoor spaces.
Like many modern and contemporary genres, the installation
art is influenced by different art
movements, like Conceptualism, Dadaism, and Performance
Arts. The innovation of installations has become a major
component in modern art since 1960.
Applied Arts
Applied Arts refers to the application of artistic designs and decorations
to everyday utilitarian objects to make them aesthetically pleasing. This
includes, industrial design, fashion design, furniture design, and
commercial art.

Industrial design is a process of design

applied to products that are to be
manufactured through techniques of mass
production. A key characteristic is that
design precedes manufacture: the creative
act of determining and defining a product's
form and features takes place in advance
of the physical act of making a product,
which consists purely of repeated, often
automated, replication.
Fashion. It is defined as popular way of dressing
at a particular time and place, and among a
particular group of people. It is the art of
applying design and aesthetics or natural beauty
to clothing and accessories. Fashions designs
are influenced by culture and social attitudes
which has varied over time and place. Designers
are tasked to come up with works that are
original, flattering, and comfortable. They also
consider who is likely to wear the garment and
situations in which it will be worn.

Furniture Design. A specialized field

where function and aesthetics are brought
together. Interior designers believe that
furniture is one of the most important
aspects of an interior space. Furniture not
only add function and space, but they also
add style and personality. Chair, table and
couch should be more than just functional,
it should be aesthetic and decorative.
GR0UP 6

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