Art has been known to take on many forms. One of these forms is called moving image—a presentation of art which greatly resembles film and video, and presents the artist’s message as short snippets. To understand this more, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design’s (MCAD) ongoing exhibit titled Constructions of Truths, was coupled with a panel discussion on Feb. 27 that tackled the restoration, exhibition, and collection of moving image art pieces within the Philippines.
The panel discussion titled “Insight: Moving Image, Philippines,” held at MCAD’s Multimedia Room, featured some of the most impactful moving image projects in the country. The discussion began with artist introductions by the moderator, starting with Ricky Orellana, MOWELFUND audiovisual archives head and Southeast-Asia Pacific Audio Visual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA) council member who is best known for his 1989 documentary film, “Sa Maynila.”
Exhibiting moving image
The panel was composed of artists whose projects had a hand in promoting and upholding moving image as an art form within the country, including Visual Pond—a nonprofit organization which held the first Philippine video art festival in 2006 titled “End Frame Video Art Project.” Curator for the National Gallery Singapore Lisa Chikiamco, Vice President of the Association of Greater Manila Area Museums Rica Estrada, and Tenten Mina, a senior researcher for the Ayala Museum, spoke about how Visual Pond had stemmed from their love for contemporary visual arts.
In an interview with The Benildean, Estrada recounted the organization’s humble beginnings.
“When we started End Frame in 2006, it wasn’t as common to see video art in public. At most you’ll see it sporadically in exhibitions and galleries, but since then there’s been more exposure and accessibility to the medium like, [now] you see it on streets, they have video art projections,” she said.
Estrada also shared that the moving image has now become more accessible to audiences. With audiences’ different ways of appreciating and understanding the art, she believes that there’s a two-dimensional work experience with it.
Collecting regional sights
When it comes to collecting and archiving some of the greatest Philippine moving image art, University of St. La Salle’s Director of the Institute of the Moving Image Manny Montelibano spoke about his experience in seeking out copies of moving image art, particularly those which were created by local artists from regions such as the Visayas, and creating an archive of these pieces for the local art scene’s audiences.
Based in Bacolod, Montelibano is also a practicing visual artist and cultural worker, whose work centers on commentary on contemporary societal situations, presented through inter-media and video. However, he gave more emphasis on his collecting of moving image art with the Institute of the Moving Image.
Montelibano also spoke greatly about collecting regional films and moving images, particularly from the Visayas. He reiterated that while many Filipino artists have received international recognition, with their work being exhibited and archived around the world, there are still instances of no copies of the work left—within the Philippines—to be exhibited and archived for the local art scene’s audiences.
From restoration to experimentation
Many of the country’s moving image pieces were created before the dawn of the digital age. To keep earlier forms of moving image alive, the Kalampag Tracking Agency was founded in 2014 by artist, researcher, and curator, Merv Espina and 2018 Thirteen Artists Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines recipient Shireen Seno. The agency seeks out film and moving image work which was produced using formats such as 8mm or 16mm film, restores, and holds screenings for these pieces to reach a wider audience.
Educating is also a significant part of the agency. Along with the screenings, they also hold workshops on film restoration and have also opened doors to encourage a larger audience to partake in moving image production and experimental filmmaking.
Espina believes that people are at the “juncture in history” for having all the access. “Technology keeps developing. I think people will just keep pushing the envelope further. There will always be newer ways to present and create work, and they could be contemporaneous.”
Furthermore, the scope of moving images within the Philippines brings forth a great intersection of art. It is the place where traditional meets contemporary; where global recognition brings Filipino artists’ work home. This is the intersection between the “truthiness” of what art was, what it is, and what it can become—maintaining history while pursuing the art of the future.
Construction of Truths exhibit is open to the public until April 1, 2020, at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD) along Dominga St., Malate, Manila.
Photos by Enrique Bejar
