CONTEMPORARY ART

TECHNIQUES AND
PERFORMANCE
PRACTICES
INTRODUCTION
Filipinos are proven to be one of the most creative and colorful
people: in the world. These exceptional qualities of the Filipinos are
exhibited in the types of arts that are produced in different regions.
People can come up with special artworks making use of the most
available local materials found in their particular localities. Each
region has its unique specialties or products to take pride of like for
example, the “PAHIYAS” in Lucban, Quezon; the famous colorful
and most decorative lanterns of San Fernando, Pampanga, and the
noted wood carvings in Paete, Laguna. They are just some evidence
that Filipinos are talented, and creative.
Philippines is very rich in natural resources. With our artistic inclinations, we can
maximize the use of these natural resources even in creating art. Arts express the
artistic feelings toward any aspect of life. The local materials that are available in the
locality help us hone and enhance our skills and talents in producing works of arts that
can give us pride and popularity.

Contemporary artists found used bottles, hay, rice stalks, plastic straw,
and other recyclable materials useful in creating artworks. They create
artworks from wood, wire, thread, rattan, metal and even leaves. The
real artist sees beauty even from the peelings of garlic and corn. They
can combine red, yellow, green and different other colors.

Some regions or provinces become noted for their unique artworks

like the Pahiyas
LOCAL MATERIALS TO
CONTEMPORARY ARTS
EMPTY BOTTLES AS MATERIALS FOR ART MAKING
“Puni” is one of the most popular art in Bulacan. It
has been part of the everyday lives of the children
before. It was also a simple toy for them, in a way
that they will wait for their father or mother to clean
their respective backyards so that they can get all the
coconut fronds that they can. And eventually they
can make a toy out of it. That is the first reason why it
became popular.
•Bulakenyo's way of decorating using leaf fronds
folding
•The Art of Leaf Fronds Folding in Bulacan Province
Philippines
A tagalog term from the province of Bulacan which means to beautify or decorate with the
use of coconut leaf. Coconut leaves are fashioned by folding, plaiting, braiding and simple
weaving, which may have functional as well as aesthetic uses.
Puni was used for decoration, especially to the ceiling of the old houses. Puni is one of the
main attraction during fiestas and other happenings. Almost all of the houses in a barrio
have their puni on it. Also, puni took part in the beautification of arc during Santacruzan and
other barrio festive.
Puni designs can be categorized according to their uses. The most common designs are in
the form of toys such as birds, fish, grasshopper, etc. Puni truly established its finest and
made a mark in the province of Bulacan. It is even made a name in the local of Bulacan,
until it was named as the provincial art of Bulacan.
They are also used as food containers for suman, rice and various kakanin, the most
commonly known is the “puso” and paraphernalia for religious rituals especially during
Palm Sunday when these design are used to accentuate the “palaspas”.
But today they serve as modern artistic expressions and arrangement. The art is being
revived through practical ways by preserving, developing and transforming these puni
designs into decorative pieces used as decors, accessories and accents for various
arrangement or crafts.
But today they serve as modern artistic expressions and arrangement. The art is being
revived through practical ways by preserving, developing and transforming these puni
designs into decorative pieces used as decors, accessories and accents for various
arrangement or crafts.
But today they serve as modern artistic expressions and arrangement. The art is being
revived through practical ways by preserving, developing and transforming these puni
designs into decorative pieces used as decors, accessories and accents for various
arrangement or crafts.
But today they serve as modern artistic expressions and arrangement. The art is being
revived through practical ways by preserving, developing and transforming these puni
designs into decorative pieces used as decors, accessories and accents for various
arrangement or crafts.
Singkaban or Bamboo Art
SINGKABAN OR BAMBOO ART IS A LOCAL TERM FOR BAMBOO
ARCHES ELABORATELY DESIGNED WITH KAYAS. IN THE
CELEBRATION, SINGKABAN ALSO REFERS TO “SINING AT
KALINANGAN NG BULACAN” (ARTS AND CULTURE OF BULACAN).
FILIPINO WORD FOR DECORATED BAMBOO ARCH, IS USED AS A
WELCOME SIGNAGE OF A TOWN, CITY OR VILLAGE IN THE
COUNTRY. IT IS WIDELY USED AS DECORATION DURING TOWN
FIESTAS IN BULACAN.
SINGKABANS ARE ARTFULLY-MADE ENTRANCE ARCHES USED
DURING FIESTAS AND OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS IN BULACAN.
BAMBOO IS PRIMARILY USED IN CREATING A SINGKABAN, AND
THE ART IS MOST PREVALENT IN THE OLD TOWNS OF HAGONOY
AND MALOLOS.
“The bamboo, like the Filipino, will stand up against the wind. It is stronger
than steel and harder than rock. The singkaban is a manifestation of
Filipino creativity in transforming plain bamboo into a work of art.
Singkaban Festival is an annual provincial event of Bulacan where
Bulakenyo culture and arts are featured in a week-long celebration.
It showcases the traditional arts of the literary form “Balagtasan,”folk
dances, and traditional songs known as “kundiman.”
Video clips to watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApRkH89sPGs&t=
Saniculas cookie mold carvings (Pampanga):
Saniculas cookies are arrowroot cookies that have the image of St.
Nicholas molded on it ergo the name Saniculas.
St. Nicholas is also known as “the healer”  and is the go to saint for those
who need “healing” from illnesses.
Legend say that if you consume these cookies when one is ill, you get
healed and recover in a shorter amount of time than it would usually take.
The moulds are an exceptional piece of folk art and a rarity, if I do say so
myself. Saniculas cookie makers would commission the carvers of these
molds with one of a kind designs. They would also have the initials of the
owner monogrammed on the molds.
Pabalot or Pastillas Wrapper Cutting art
(Bulacan)
•The word pabalat has two levels of meaning. On a literal note, it pertains to the pabalat as a
product (paper cut-outs). On a metaphorical level, it connotes the state of the art
practice .The art is not only a cultural product or an artistic expression but also cuts through
some cultural, social, even political discourses and issues.
•Pabalat is also a folk art or in Filipino term, siningbayan. It is a folk art because it originated
among the townsfolk reflecting their traditional culture. The art practice has also been passed
from generation to generation and its creative elements and aesthetic values mirror the
people’s everyday life.
•Another important aspect of this folk tradition is that the makers of these intricate paper
patterns do not see themselves as artists and do not consider their works as arts. Taking a
quote from Dr. Brenda Fajardo in her book Ang Inukit na Kaalamang Bayan ng Paete:
Video clips to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txw6h27VsAI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M3EAvz595I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msW4yfh0ABw
Taka (Laguna) :
Taka refers to paper mache made using carved wooden sculpture used as a
mold. The craft originated in the town of Paete, Laguna in the Philippines.
Paete derived its name from paet, a Tagalog word for chisel, a principal tool
used in woodcarving. The proper pronunciation of the town's name is
probably "Pa-e-te", but natives call it "Pay-ti" (Pi-tè) with the guttural "e"
sound at the end. Only when conversing with visitors and outsiders do
Paetenians use "Pay-ti." When the American Maryknoll missionaries came to
Paete in the late 1950s, they even referred to the town as "Piety."
The art of “taka” or “taka-making” is not an exclusive Pinoy art. Paper
mache and decoupaging have been around for centuries. In the Philippines,
the first recorded or mention of a created taka was by a woman named Maria
Bague in the1920s
A takaan, a carved wooden sculpture, is used as a mold in making taka. Brown craft
paper is used as a final layer for taka made for export. This provides a thicker base
and smoother finish for the craft.
Taka is also painted. The traditional way of painting a taka is to use primary colors,
add simple flower motifs and use repetitive lines and shapes. Gold finish, usually
used in angel, reindeer and huge taka is accomplished by using gilded paper.
Taka was pioneered by Paete local, Maria Piday. During Christmas, Piday was in
charge of the church's decorations. The wooden angels and cherub was heavy causing
the carvings to fall. Piday devised the lightweight taka paper mache as an alternative
to the wooden sculptures.
Piday was also a maker of local toys such as the yoyo and the small acrobat hand
puppet. Taka eventually became folk art and was sold to nearby towns for festivals.
In the 1970s, Tere Afuang, a knowledgeable practitioner of the craft, popularized the
craft
•Subjects of Taka : Common and traditional subjects of taka include the manok,
kabayo, kalabaw, dalaga (chicken, horse, carabao, maiden) which is made primarily
for local use. Due to exposure and migration of Paete residents to Manila and
abroad, European-influenced paper mache toys began to be made for export to other
countries, such as Germany.
•Taka making became more popular during the American colonization period when
there was an excess of newsprint. And because Pinoys hate wasting anything, the
people of Paete decided to create more takas and even diversified into different
animals and not just the traditional red horse.
•The Paeteños believe that the idea originated in Mexico with a significant difference
to what we have in Paete. While the Mexican “pinata” is decorated with cut-off colored
paper, the Paete’s takas are hand-painted and are sometimes small enough for little
girls to use as dolls.
•Takas have indeed become the epitome of folk art. They exist in every possible bright
and happy color combination, simplified curvilinear forms, flora & fauna motifs, sweet
innocence, and delectable charm. These designs change rapidly as time goes by. The
development of the taka and takaan (and any cultural norm for that matter) usually
spread in an outward path from its source. The present generation seems to have
forgotten where the taka originated.
Video clips to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHreiIuX0CY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_jyN4kOHmA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbx6tTlb5zg
 Pagbuburda (Taal, Lumban, Laguna)
 In the highlights of Philippine history, Taal embroidery has always
made an exquisite presence. Former presidents Diosdado Macapagal
and Ferdinand Marcos were usually seen in Taal-embroidered
Barongs.  A number of former First Lady Imelda Marcos’ fabulous
ternos were Taal-embroidered.
 Taal embroidery has also adorned garment accessories and home
décor items. Although the embroidery looks exquisite on jusi and
piña fabric, it’s also dainty on cotton, linen and ramie.
 Dolores Landicho, 79, said: “The people now do not buy the original
because of its cost.”
Original Taal-embroidery costs about  P75,000 to P100,000 and waiting time of
three months.
Ninety-three -year-old Remedios Reyes, who started her Taal embroidery business in
1947, after World War II, worries about the dwindling market for their products. She
has handed down management of her business to her daughter, Chona, who points to
other reasons that led to the diminishing demand for the real Burdang Taal: “Five
years ago, the exporters stopped exporting our products. Also, instead of buying an
original Burdang Taal gown, many just rent
The embroiderer would have to slightly dampen the textile and separate thread by
thread, and then stitch them together to achieve the dainty netted look
of calado embroidery. Truly mad props to embroidery artisans of Lumban for this
feat.
Video clips to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTDau1GdQiw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgCnk6T9i5o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOCykqvac_c
 
1. What local and recyclable materials are used in creating artworks?

2. Do you know any place where we could find examples of these artworks?

3. What would the young generation learn in this kind of artworks mentioned in this
lesson?

OUTPUT NO. 1

IN a GROUP OF FIVE, CHOOSE AMONG THE LOCAL MATERIALS MENTIONED

ABOVE AND PRESENT IT TO THE CLASS
END
ARTISTIC SKILLS AND
TECHNIQUES
 Many artists learn their craft on their own through practice,
study, and experimentation. What is required to become an
artist? Skill and technique are one of the hallmarks that we
often value in a work of art. Becoming skilled means a
continual repetition of a craft or procedure until it becomes
second nature. And technique is the manner how the
materials are used of having a remarkable work of art.
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. apply artistic skills and techniques in the process

of creation (CAR11/12AP-0f-h-15);
In this lesson, we will learn the meaning of “artistic skill”
and “technique” through actual and hands-on activities.
We will also learn that artists’ choice of material and how
they use these materials are at the heart of making art,
and that these involves process and transformation.
 We were able to study the attire, textiles,etc created by B’laan,
Bagobos, T’boli, Maranaos and Yakan groups. We also
recognized some Mindananoan contemporary artists and their
masterpieces.
These artists shared some of their techniques in making
contemporary artworks. These artistic skills and techniques will
be elaborated in this lesson.
 Many contemporary artists do not have formal studies in the
fine arts. Many of them are self-taught. Concerned with the
development of their talent and skills in artmaking, they study on
their own, interact with artists and read a lot about lives of artists
and their artworks.
They also explore the materials in hardware stores, experiment
with chemical reactions on their base material. Some hire resin
makers, house painters and materials fabricators to help them in
constructing artworks.
ACTIVITY 1: OBSERVE
Observe the photo below. Write five (5) sentences on what
you have observed.
1. _____________________________
2. _____________________________
3. _____________________________
4. _____________________________
5. _____________________________
ARTISTIC SKILLS
With the broadening of the art world, many people are getting
confused about what qualifies as an artistic skill. Artistic skills are
abilities that are possessed by artists who operate within a fine art
capacity.
Each artist uses different mediums to develop their artistic skills. A
medium is defined as the material, or the substance out of which a
work is made. Through these materials, the artists express and
communicate feelings and ideas.

The medium also defines the nature of the art form as follows:

1. The sculptor uses metal, wood, stone, clay, and glass. Sculptures fall
within the category of “three-dimensional” arts because they occupy
space and have volume.
Pottery is a form of sculpture. Other examples are nudes or figures
such as Guillermo Tolentino’s Oblation, ritual objects such as bulul
wood carvings in the cordillera, or the santos or carvings of saints in
Christian churches.
2. The architect uses wood, bamboo, bricks, stone, concrete and
various building materials. Buildings are also called “three-dimensional”.
However, architecture has the added element of time since we move
into structures.
3. The painter uses pigments (e. g. watercolor, oil, tempera, textile
paint, acrylic, ink, etc.) on a usually flat ground (wood, canvas, paper,
stone wall such as cave paintings.)
4. The printmaker uses ink printed or transferred on a surface (wood, metal
plates, or silk screen) that is keeping with a duplicating or reproducing
process. Prints and paintings are further classified as “two-dimensional” arts,
because they include the surface or ground on which coloring substances are
applied.
 However, while paintings are unique and one-of-a kind, prints can be
reproduced in several pre-determined editions
5. The musician uses sound and instruments (including human voice),
while the dancers use the body. A T’boli chanter sings creation stories in
a way that is different from a classical singer or pop music influenced by
the Western music scale.
6. The dancer uses his body and its movement. Dance is often
accompanied by music, but there are dances that do not rely on musical
accompaniment to be realized. Dance can tell stories, but the other
times, they convey abstract ideas that do not rely on a narrative.
7. The theater artist integrates all the arts and uses the stage,
production design, performance elements, and script to enable the
visual, musical, dance and other aspects to come together as a whole
work.
8. The photographer and filmmaker use the camera to record the
outside world. The filmmaker uses the cinematographic camera to
record and put together production design, sound engineering,
performance, and screenplay. In digital photography and film, the
images can be assimilated into the computer, thus eliminating the need
for celluloid or negatives, processing chemicals, or print.
9. The writer of a novel, poetry, nonfiction, and fiction uses words. The
designer, the performance artist and installation artist combine use of
the range or materials above.
TECHNIQUE
Technique is the way artists use and manipulate materials to achieve
the desired formal effect, and communicate the desired concept, or
meaning, according to his or her personal style (modern, Neoclassic,
etc.). The distinctive character or nature of the medium determines the
technique.
Technique involves tools and technology, ranging from most traditional
(for example carving, silkscreen, analog photography, and filmmaking)
to the most contemporary (digital photography, digital filmmaking, music
production, industrial design, and robotics). Here are some of art
techniques used by artists.
1. Collage – is the technique of an art production used in the visual arts
where the artwork is made from on assemblage of different forms, thus
creating a new whole.
 Collage may sometimes include magazines and newspaper clippings,
ribbons, paints, bits of colored or handmade papers, portions of other
artwork or texts, photographs, and other found objects, glued to a piece of
paper or canvas.

2. Decollage – is the opposite of collage; instead of an image is being built up

all or parts of existing images, it is created by cutting, treating away or
otherwise removing pieces of an original image. The French word “Decollage”
in English means “Take-off” or “To become Unglued” or “To become
unstuck”. Example of decollage include cut-up technique. Similar technique is
the lacerated poster, a poster in which one has been over another.
COLLAGE
DECOLLAGE
3. Graffiti – are writing or drawings that have been scribed, scratched,
or painted illicitly on a wall or other surface, often in a public space.
Graffiti range from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings.
Graffiti may express underlying social and political messages, and a
whole genre of artistic expression is based spray paint graffiti styles.
4. Land Art – earth works, or earth arts is an art movement in which
landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked. It is also an art
form that is created in nature, using natural materials such as soil,
rock (bed rock, bolders, stones), organic media (logs, branches,
leaves), and water which introduced materials such as concrete,
metal asphalt, or mineral pigments.
5. Digital Arts – is an artistic work or practice that uses digital
technology as an essential part of the creative or presentation
process.
GRAFFITI ART
LAND ART
DIGITAL ARTS
Digital art is work made with digital technology or presented on digital
technology. This includes images done completely on computer or hand-
drawn images scanned into a computer and finished using a software
program like Adobe Illustrator. Digital art can also involve animation and
3D virtual sculpture renderings as well as projects that combine several
technologies.
6. Mixed Media – It refers to a work of visual art that combines
various traditionally distinct visual art. For example, work on
canvas that combines paint, ink and collage. When creating a
painted or photograph work using mixed media, it is important to
choose the layers carefully and allow enough dying time between
the layers to ensure the final work will have structural integrity, if
many different layers are imposed. Many effects can be achieved
by using mixed media.
Found objects can be used in conjunction with the traditional artist
to attain a wide range of self-expression.
Some digital art involves manipulation of video images. After some
resistance, the impact of digital technology has transformed activities
such as paintings, drawing, sculpture, and music/sound art, while new
form such as net art.
7. Print Making – is the process of making artworks by painting,
normally in the paper. Prints are created by transforming ink from a
matrix ink from a matrix or through a prepared screen to a sheet of
paper or other material. Common types of matrices include metal
plates, usually copper or zinc, or polymer plates for engraving or
etching; stone aluminum of polymer for lithography; blocks of wood
crafts and wood graving; and linoleum for linocuts. Screen made of silk
or synthetic fabrics are used for the screen-printing process
8. Frottage – is the technique of rubbing with crayon on a piece
of paper which has been placed over an object or an image.
The impression of the image can be created using leaves,
woods, wire screen, or metal with embossed image or words.
9. Decalcomania – is the process of applying gouache to paper
or glass then transferring a reversal of the image onto canvas
or other flat materials.
10. Decoupage – is done by adhering cut-outs of paper and
then coating these with one or transparent coating of varnish.
11. Eggshell mosaic - is an artistic technique that uses tiny parts
of eggshell to create a whole image or object. Mosaics are
usually assembled using small tiles that are square, but they can
also be round or randomly shaped.
12. Trapunto painting – is the technique used by Pacita Abad where
her canvases are padded, sewn, and often filled with sequins, beads,
shell, buttons, tiny mirrors, bits of glass, rickrack, swatches of precious
textiles and other things that she picks up from her travels and journey.

Art is considered an “artifact’ when it is directly experienced and

perceived. It can be spatial and static or unmoving (e.g., a painting or
building, or a novel) or time based and in motion (e.g., a live theater
production, mobile sculpture).
To know the full meaning of a work, it is also necessary to study the
material from which it is made and how it is made.
Decalcomania, from the French décalcomanie, is the technique of placing
paint between two sheets of paper or between paper and some other
material and pressing down and spreading the paint. This produces a
random pattern over which the artist has no control. 

DECALCOMANIA ART
PRINT MAKING
PRINT MAKING
MIXED MEDIA
FROTTAGE ART
DECOUPAGE ART
EGG SHELL MOSAIC
TRAPUNTO PAINTING