07282012: 300 Years of Philippine Maps @ Metropolitan Museum of Manila

Last July 28 (Saturday), despite the rains and fears of being stranded due to flooding in one of Manila's flood prone areas, my friend and I attended the lecture by Dr. Benito Legarda Jr. on the life of Fr. Pedro Murillo Velarde at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Boulevard. Dr. Legarda also talked about the Filipino engraver Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay, among other things like the problems encountered in map-creation during those times, and also the differences between the 1734 and 1744 maps of the Philippines.

We were surprised to find out that Dr Legarda's talk was supposed to be held a week before our visit but due to bad weather, it was moved to July 28. In the afternoon, Florentina Colayco of UP College of Fine Arts talked about the artistic aspect involved in mapmaking, thus shifting the discourse from the scientific to the artistic. She gave examples of artworks associated with spatial identities, dislocation, utopian visions, protest against war, technology, and uprisings.

After this, Metropolitan Museum Director Sandra Palomar Quan hosted the guided tour upstairs where different artworks were on display. I especially find the exhibit on bottles interesting. In it, the artist turned regular bottles of ketchup, cheese spreads, and the like into works of art. Also, a post with many signs ubiquitous in the cities of Metro Manila, while considered an eyesore, here triumphs in calling the attention of visitors. Chunks of painted cement, on the other hand, may cause eyebrows to raise and may make one question if it is art. It's always interesting to know how artists create their works and where they derive ideas, and when you do understand why something is made the way it is, you appreciate it better.

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This post would include my first photo for the mere reason that the museum acknowledged my help with the exhibit. I volunteered as translator of the texts accompanying the maps from English to Filipino.

Japan: Kingdom of Characters @ Metropolitan Museum

This is a late write up of Japan Foundation's exhibit JAPAN: KINGDOM OF CHARACTERS at the Metropolitan Museum in Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex. The exhibit was from July 7 to August 20. I went there last August 13 (Saturday) armed with just a piece of Choco Banana cupcake for lunch and water of course.

"In recent years, a subculture related to Japanese anime and manga has rapidly attracted worldwide attention. To make the most of this trend, the Japan Foundation has organized this traveling exhibition called "JAPAN: Kingdom of Characters" which examines characters as one radical aspect of subculture.

"Used unhesitatingly by both adults and children in private and public spaces, before we realize it, these characters have become a part of our daily landscape. One finds, for example, characters printed on bank passbooks and train commutation passes, and as indicated by the regular and seemingly natural presence of stuffed mascots at local police boxes, they have permeated everyday life in Japan to a degree that would be unthinkable in most other countries.

"What exactly is a character? Why are they so popular? What kind of society do these characters reflect and what kind of influence do they exert on that society? And finally, where is Japanese culture headed In this exhibition, as we introduce the intimate relationship between characters and Japanese people, we hope that the visitors will gain a better understanding of teh cultural and historical background behind the Japanese love of characters as well as the future of characters in contemporary Japan."

(cited from the flyer)

The P100 I paid for the entrance is so worth it. I was given a small pamphlet, a souvenir methinks of the exhibit. It contains pictures of the exhibit so I guess it's okay when the staff forbade visitors to take pictures inside the museum.

Some anime included are Pokemon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Doraemon (my love), Gundam, Mazinger Z, Galaxy Express 999, Astroboy, Urusei Yatsura, Chibi Maruko Chan, Magical DoReMi, Haruhi Suzumiya no Yuutsu, Sergeant Keroro, and of course Hello Kitty.

Sentai series are also featured, with Masked Rider being the most prominent. Sexy female characters are literally put on glass cases on pedestals, which include characters from Dead or Alive, Positive Penguin Life, Bunny Girl, Heartful Memories~ Little Witch Parfait, Gunbuster, Tenjou Tenge, Otaku no Video, and Fate/Stay Knight.

Together with the on-going exhibit Manga Realities at Ayala Museum, this just proves that anime exerts a strong influence on the Filipinos. One cannot also dismiss the fact that every year, thousands flock to anime conventions which are held in different parts of the country in different times of the year. It is this phenomenon, usually termed as "anime explosion" that sparked my interest in studying anime as a media form that can influence and produce a new subculture.