A Creative City That's Intolerant Towards Certain Creatives

You don't like their songs? Then don't listen to their songs. You don't like their music genre? Then ignore their music genre. You don't like their messaging and branding? Then ignore everything about them. You don't have to pay attention to them.

You don't want to go to the band's concerts? Then don't go to the band's concerts. You don't want to go to the band's events? Then don't go to the band's events.

You don't want to support the band and their kind of art? Then don't support them and their kind of art.

You can hate their music and their art all you want. That's cool, that's okay, that's perfectly fine. Everyone has his/her personal taste when it comes to music.

Again, you can hate the band. You can hate their music. You can hate their way of artistic expression.

But...

But don't trample on the rights of others who want to listen to their songs or their music genre or their art.

Going out of your way to prohibit the band from playing and even attempt to declare them as persona-non-grata in the city reeks of intolerance.

To each his own.

You're bending to the whims and demands of one group while being intolerant to another group. You call yourself a creative city pero you prevent certain artists/musicians from expressing their art?

Just because a band and their music offends you doesn't give you the right to prohibit them from expressing their art. Being offensive especially within the confines of art is not a crime. You can't just ban an author because his book offends you. You can't just ban a filmmaker because his movie offends you. You can't just ban an actor because he appears in offensive movies.

A city that keeps on announcing itself to be a "creative city" should be more tolerant to all types of creatives and artists and their brand of artistic expression.

Lastly...

Do I Iisten to black metal music? No, I don't. It's not my cup of tea.

Am I a fan of the band that was prohibited from performing? No, I'm not.

So why am I defending the band and the organizers of the music event/gig? Because at the end of the day, they are artists and there are people who like their brand of artistic expression and who would like to see them perform live.

That's it.

Let people listen to the songs they want to hear. Let people support artists they want to support. Let people choose the music genres they want to listen to.

FOR CONTEXT:

Deiphago, a black metal band, was supposed to hold a concert/gig at a bar in Baguio City next week. Some "faith-based leaders and representatives from the academe" went to the Baguio City council to complain about the upcoming concert. They wanted to stop the concert as well as declare the members of the band persona-non-grata in Baguio City.

The city council then passed a resolution prohibiting the event. However, they rejected the request of the complainants to declare the band members persona-non-grata in the city.

The Roofless Arts Studio Of Artist Jordan Mang-osan In La Trinidad, Benguet

Tucked within the close-knit community in Bayabas, La Trinidad, Benguet is a unique three-story building. It stands out from the rest of the landscape. Colorful banners fly on its rooftop. Totem poles adorned with animal skulls and dreamcatchers stick out to meet the cloudy Cordilleran sky. If you enter the building and take the dozens of steps to the roof, you’ll find a replica of a “dap-ay.”

The building is home to artist Jordan Mang-osan and his Roofless Arts Studio. Inside is a huge collection of his works (completed paintings and those still in progress). Down-to-earth and hospitable almost to a fault, Mang-osan welcomes his visitors with a ready smile and cups of brewed coffee.

Mang-osan is mostly well-known for his meticulously rendered solar paintings. His subjects and themes usually revolve around Cordillera landscapes, Igorot culture, Igorot public figures, and national celebrities. Adorning the walls of the studio are portraits of Whang-od, Dulag Macliing, Carrot Man, martial artists of Team Lakay, Pia Wurtzbach, Manny Pacquiao, and President Rodrigo Duterte.

Also inside the studio are Mang-osan’s work tables and the tools of his trade. Hanging on a wall at the roof are the various glass lenses he uses to create his unique art. Sitting idly nearby is a huge block of plywood featuring a yet to be completed landscape painting.

Mang-osan says that he isn’t always at his Roofless Arts Studio. Groups who want to visit will have to make an appointment to make sure that he’ll be there when they visit.

Baguio City Designated as a CREATIVE CITY by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

Consider this as yet another feather in Baguio City's ever colorful cap. In a much-awaited announcement, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Baguio City, along with 64 other cities from 44 countries, as a "Creative City". With the designation, Baguio City is officially joining UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. Established in 2004, this network promotes "cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development".

In their statement which was released on Tuesday (October 31), UNESCO said that the Creative Cities Network is at the frontline of the agency's "efforts to foster innovation and creativity as key drivers for a more sustainable and inclusive urban development". UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova added that the new additions to the network "showcase an enhanced diversity in city profiles and geographical balance, with 19 cities from countries not previously represented in the network".

Baguio City is the first urban center in the Philippines to join the network. To become a member, interested cities must "submit an application that clearly demonstrates their willingness, commitment and capacity to contribute to the objectives of the network". The call for applications for this year was launched back in February. Baguio City was short-listed just last month (September). The network is composed of seven fields: Music, Media Arts, Literature, Gastronomy, Film, Design, and Crafts & Folk Art. Baguio City was designated as a "creative city" under the Crafts & Folk Art field.

Photo by Daniel Feliciano

The Goals of the Creative Cities Network [Source: CCN website]

By joining the Network, cities commit to sharing their best practices and developing partnerships involving the public and private sectors as well as civil society in order to:

1) strengthen the creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services;
2) develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector;
3) improve access to and participation in cultural life, in particular for marginalized or vulnerable groups and individuals;
4) fully integrate culture and creativity into sustainable development plans.

Quick Thoughts: Anatomy Of An Octopus Woman (Written And Directed By Angelo Aurelio)

Friends and kailyans, I’m encouraging you to go see this stage play at the Baguio City Women’s Jail. I watched it with friends on its first showing yesterday and it was fantastic. I can’t even fathom the level of creativity and imagination that went into the show. I don’t know much about theater and stage plays but I’ll tell you this: Anatomy of an Octopus Woman had me captivated from start to finish. It’s a roller-coaster of scenes involving the beautiful, the weird, the strange, and the alluring.

And yes, majority of the cast of the play are inmates at the Baguio City Jail. That I think is one of the most interesting things about the show. In a different place and scenario, I would’ve just seen actors and actresses doing a great job. At the jail, however, I have to keep reminding myself that the excellent performances unfolding in front of me are coming from women who have never done theater before. I’d also like to think that the stories they’re trying to tell cut them a bit deeper given the current circumstance they’re in and the themes of the play. Maybe this attachment to the stories is among the catalysts that made the performances more honest, more urgent, more surreal, and more emotional.

The play can be very emotional to the audience as well. You can fully relate to it. You can fully feel the connection. I found this a bit strange (in a good way) because there's really no concrete story around the play. I mean this in a way that it doesn't start and end like a standard story. I can only describe it this way: it's more of a cerebral and visual portrayal of an idea (or ideas). And serving as a subtle backdrop for the play are the individual stories of the performers. This makes the play as real as it gets. You are literally watching incarcerated women bare their souls and their dreams just a few feet away from you. This is how art becomes real.

I can go on and on but there's nothing I can say here that can justify the surreal experience of watching Anatomy of an Octopus Woman. You have to see it and decide for yourself. You can still catch it on June 11 and 12 at 5:30 PM at the Baguio City Women's Jail. Tickets are priced at Php200 (regular) and Php150 (students, senior citizens, persons with disabilities).

Credits: [Source: Our Daily Abyss]
Written and Directed by Angelo Aurelio
Produced by Hiromi Meguro
Costumes and Set by Tara LalaineNatividad
Additional Text by Baguio Women's Jail Residents
In cooperation with the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Baguio City Chapter
Under the Wardenship of S/INSP April Rose Ayangwa
In partnership with Ms. Nonnette C. Bennett of the Bishop Carlito Cenzon Foundation

Documentary On Kalinga Tattoo Artist Whang-od Makes It To The Cannes Film Festival In France

Whang-od Oggay's stock as one of the foremost traditional tattoo artists in Asia will likely rise with the inclusion of a short documentary about her in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in France. The 15-minute documentary aptly titled Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta) will be among the hundreds of short films to be screened during the prestigious festival which will run from May 17 to May 28, 2017. Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta) will be part of the festival's Short Film Corner. It's worth noting here that the Short Film Corner is a film market and not part of the festival's competition section.

Directed by Jill Damatac Futter, Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta) merges the story of the beloved traditional tattoo artist with that of the budding filmmaker who just returned to her home country (Philippines) after spending 22 years as an illegal/undocumented immigrant in the United States. Futter made the film while studying at the University of the Arts London - London College of Communication. She submitted it to the university as part of her Master of Arts thesis.

In the words of the filmmaker, Blood and Ink (Dugo at Tinta) was conceived as a portrait documentary but it evolved into a meditation on identity as her re-connection with her roots significantly influenced the direction and overall theme of the film.

A large-than-life portrait of Whang-od at an art exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada last year. Photo courtesy of Kayleen Kwet.

Here's the synopsis for the film: "Conceived as a portrait documentary about a 97-year-old indigenous tribal tattooist in the Philippine mountains, this film evolved into an intimately subjective essay documentary as the filmmaker recognized that the personal catharsis of discovering her paternal roots inevitably influenced the film's shape. Blood + Ink (Dugo at Tinta) explores identity, both personal and national, through the story of Apo Whang-Od Oggay and through director Jill Damatac Futter's own story after 22 years away from the Philippines as an illegal immigrant in the United States."

Just a quick note: I've seen news stories and articles about Whang-od referring to her as the last Kalinga traditional tattoo artist. No, that is not the case at all. A lot of those in her tribe (Butbut) know the craft. In fact, Whang-od has taught the art to some of the girls in her village (a few of them in their teens). She has taught them the way she was taught when she was their age. So the claim that Whang-od is the last traditional Kalinga tatto artist is simply false and completely misinformed.

Related stories:
1. A Quick Guide For Those Planning To Visit Whang-od In Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga
2. Kalinga Tattoo Artist Whang-od Likely To Receive National Living Treasures Award
3. Bid To Declare Kalinga Tattoo Artist Whang-od As A National Artist Gains Momentum
4. Kalinga Tattoo Artist Apo Whang-od Featured In An Art Exhibit In Toronto, Canada

The Museo Kordilyera In Baguio City Is Now Open To The Public

Culture evolves with the passage of time. In the manner of the scientific theory of evolution, we add and subtract to our culture and traditions depending on the prevailing situations of the current age. With that said, the Cordilleran culture of today is vastly different from the prevailing culture 10 years, 50 years, 150 years, or 200 years ago. There are activities that we performed ages ago (i.e. headhunting) that's virtually non-existent today. The pieces of clothing that our ancestors wore on a daily basis are now semi-permanent inhabitants of our "bauls", taken out and worn only during certain occasions.

For someone like me and others who were born in a time wherein the Cordillera people's cultural assimilation with that of outside cultures has long been completed, our best chance in learning about what our culture looked and felt like in another time is through the works of artists, researchers, and academics. These are people who made it their mission to study and record Cordilleran culture and history. This brings us to the recent opening of Museo Kordilyera inside University of the Philippines (Baguio). Categorized as an ethnographic museum, it "conserves, displays, and contextualizes items relevant to the field of ethnography which is the systematic study of people and cultures."

It's apt that the museum's inaugural exhibits feature mostly visual items of Cordilleran culture: tattoos, photographs of various rituals, clothing, trinkets, weapons, and furniture. Even the most avid student of Cordilleran culture will find something new in the beautiful displays. The academics credited with the exhibits are Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores, Roland Rabang, and Jules de Raedt. These were curated by Professor Emeritus Delfin Tolentino, Jr., Prof. Victoria Diaz, archivist Cristina Villanueva and Dr. Salvador-Amores.

The exhibits are as follows:
1. Batok: Body as an Archive: by Dr. Salvador-Amores
2. Ethnographic Photographs by Roland Rabang
3. The Works of the Late Anthropologist Jules de Raedt

Some of the items on display came from various sources including the BenCab Museum, Saint Louis University Museum, Diocese of Baguio Museum, and the UP Baguio Library and Archives. According to the museum's Facebook page, their mission is to "cultivate an understanding of and respect for the identity and culture of the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera and Northern Luzon as an integral part of the evolving Filipino culture."

Museo Kordilyera is open from 9:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon. There's an entrance fee of 25 pesos for non-UP students and 50 pesos for non-UP adults. The museum also has a gift shop where you can purchase books, magazines, post cards, t-shirts, and mugs.

A Quick Guide For Those Planning To Visit Whang-od In Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga

I've had the privilege of joining some friends to visit Apo Whang-od in the village of Buscalan a few days ago. Buscalan is a community of a few dozen houses and is one of the barangays of Tinglayan in the province of Kalinga. It's most well-known as the home village of Whang-od Oggay, the 97-year-old woman who still practices the ancient art of Kalinga tattooing. Hordes of people travel to the sleepy town every month to get inked.

It was a culturally enriching experience. Although I grew up in a place that's very similar to Buscalan, I've amassed a few nuggets of new wisdom during our visit and our interactions with the locals. In many ways, the village reminded me of home. From the old men having a chit-chat in the doorsteps of a house to the rice paddies surrounding the village, they made me feel........at home.

How To Get To Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga

Whether you're coming from Manila, Baguio City, Banaue, or Sagada, there's only one entry point. And that is the capital town of Bontoc in Mountain Province. There are jeeps there that will take you to Tinglayan. Bontoc isn't a huge town so finding the jeep station shouldn't be that difficult. Just flag a tricycle and tell the driver to take you to the Tinglayan jeep station. I'm not sure if there are regular trips going to Buscalan from Bontoc. It's advisable that you plan your itinerary in advance to make sure that you get to the village without any hang-ups. It's also worth mentioning here that the road doesn't reach Buscalan. You have to hike a trail that's about two to three kilometers long. Locals often complete the trail between 45 minutes to an hour. If you're physically fit, you can probably keep up. If you're not used to hiking mountains, it will likely take you one to two hours.

How To Conduct Yourself In The Village

Always keep in mind that the residents of Buscalan still practice a lot of their cultural traditions. Suffice it to say that you show respect to these traditions whether you agree with them or not. If you're doubtful about something, there's always a tourist guide who can help you. There's a poster inside the village that says, "Please observe and respect the privacy, personal time, and traditions of the artists and the community." Heed it.

What To Do With Your Waste And Garbage

There are no garbage collectors in the village. You are responsible for disposing your own garbage. Of course, you can always seek the help of the locals but ask permission first before you dump your waste in their bins. For your non-biodegradable wastes like plastic, it's best that you stuff them in your backpack and dispose of them properly when you're out of the village.

Where To Stay And Spend The Night In Buscalan

Some of the houses in the village offer home-stay services. That is you live with the occupants for the duration of your stay for a fee. Tell your guide that you are planning to stay the night so they can arrange if there's a home available for you. Or you can talk with other travelers if they would like to take you in for the night.

Where To Get Food

There are at least two sari-sari stores in the village. They sell mostly pre-packed food like canned goods, noodles, snacks, and biscuits. If you are staying in a home-stay, you can request for a home-cooked meal as long as your hosts are able to oblige. There's an abundance of chickens and pigs in the village if you are in a protein diet.

Getting A Tattoo

Getting inked by Whang-od is on a first-come, first-served basis. When you enter the village, you will be asked by your guide if you're getting a tattoo. If your answer is in the affirmative, you will be added to the waiting list. Furthermore, there's no guarantee that Whang-od will be the one to tattoo you. She's old and she needs her rest every now and then. That's why there are two young women who also ink visitors in the same tattoo hut as Whang-od's. You also have the option of getting inked by other Kalinga artists in a tattoo hut further up the village. Look for Renalyn if you want one of the more experienced ones.

There you go, have fun in Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga.

A lone house made of cogon grass in Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga. Photo: Daniel Feliciano/The Cordilleran Sun