IT’s hard not to notice how different they are. Especially compared to most people their age. They don’t dress differently—at least, not in the stereotypical way creative people are known to dress—nor do they act in any overtly strange or different manner. They seem comfortable enough around this writer, who only a day earlier, called them out of the blue to talk to them about the thesis exhibit they organized along with the rest of their graduating batch of Visual Communication and Industrial Design majors. They’re used to talking, it seems. And they certainly have a lot to say.
The four of them, Katrina, Jhoan, Conrad and Oliver—all graduating students from the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts—have a presence about them, a kind of worldliness and self-awareness that usually comes with age and experience. They are all majoring in Visual Communication, which is roughly the equivalent of Advertising, and have spared a few hours to be interviewed for what started out as a simple article about UP HERE!, the first UP Fine Arts thesis exhibit to be held outside the college in a long time.
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Advertising Campaign on Kape Isla
by Oliver Sarmiento
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"Our batch always tries to take things to another level," says Katrina Encanto, UP HERE! exhibit head. "The very act of bringing our exhibit out of the college and into the Podium’s Lounge, where it can easily be seen by the public, is an example of how we try to push ourselves further, how we take what is expected of us and bring it up to another level. And this also reflects in the name we chose for our exhibit." The term ‘up here,’ which is sort of the Filipino version of ‘high five,’ connotes victory, youth, and exuberance—and certainly does well to reflect their aim to go higher, do better, and accomplish more.
Their definition of taking things to another level, however, is not simply about showmanship or just creative excellence for this particular batch of artists. Excellence for them does not happen in a vacuum. It is not simply about creating exciting visuals and great designs, nor is it mere self-expression through a chosen medium. It is about creating art or design with a purpose, with an awareness of social and cultural issues, and with an understanding of the power of the visual language to address these issues.
"From the start, we were taught to create everything with a purpose," emphasizes Oliver Sarmiento, UP HERE! chairperson. "It’s possible that it’s because we’re from UP—and that our professors always make it a point to remind us to recognize and address the needs of society—that we all naturally choose to develop our thesis in this manner. In our exhibit, each one of us addressed an issue relevant to our society and culture."
Relevance and advocacy, they emphasized, can be anything from issues of the family and home to cultural and economic problems. Each of the projects in the six divisions of the exhibit—Moving Images, Visual Communication Campaigns, Publication and Illustration, Graphic Design, Digital Imaging and Hypermedia, and Industrial Design—addressed an issue relevant to Philippine society and culture. In the first semester of their graduating year, they select their topics, research, and produce full studies which they must defend to a panel that demands relevance as well as creative execution. And only when they pass this initial scrutiny are they allowed to begin work on their actual thesis in the second semester of the year.
Some students, such as Oliver, chose topics that promoted local industries and created awareness
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Si Kulot (Ang Batang Ampon),Illustrated
Children’s Book by Jhoan Medrano | |
for the potentials of several local industries and trade. "My thesis is Kape Isla Ad Campaign," Oliver explained. "There was a need to address the problem of depleting supply of coffee beans because of the misconception many farmers had that coffee was not a viable market. No one seems to know that the Philippines was once a leading and highly reputed producer of coffee, and that coffee has long been proven to be a huge potential dollar earner for the country." Oliver’s thesis promotes local coffee as a proud part of the Filipino heritage. "We’re not just promoting products, we connect them to people—to their values and emotions, to what’s important to us."
Others, such a Conrad Raquel, went back to the roots of culture. "My thesis is Ay, Aswang, an illustrated children’s book about aswangs," Conrad said. "Aside from my fascination with them, I’ve come to realize through research that children don’t know what an aswang is anymore. They think the white lady is an aswang, for example. Most kids don’t know what our myths and legends are anymore, and this is my attempt to reeducate them on the topic."
Others still, such as Jhoan Medrano, chose issues closer to home. "All of us chose topics that are close to are hearts, of course," Jhoan said. "It’s always personal on some level. My thesis is an illustrated children’s book entitled Si Kulot (Ang Batang Ampon). I have an adopted sibling, so I know this topic well—I know what it feels like to have an adopted member of the family."
"It’s important for us to really know the issues we tackle," said Katrina, whose topic, while initially not so close to home, was something she really took to heart. "I did a documentary on Plaza Miranda, and what I’d do to really know the place is to go there every weekend until it came to the point that I’d be emotionally involved just talking about it. I really wanted to show the history and culture of the place, and in order to do so I had to be more than just a casual observer or outsider."
Students created everything from advocacy ad campaigns on Cerebral Palsy and ADHD, to instructional videos on Sepak Takraw and CD-ROMs on Arnis, to designs for pediatric crutches and corrective shoes for club feet. In their creations, they consider cost, accessibility, and effectiveness, and they factor these into their designs. Indeed, while so many artists close themselves off from the world, these students immerse themselves in it. They seek to create for a purpose that’s bigger than themselves, and with an understanding of the importance of what they do.
"After all, we’re taught that visuals are a powerful means of communication," Katrina says. "It’s about getting our message across. This is so ingrained in us that, in fact, we chose our medium based on our topics. We want to make sure that we pick the best possible way—whether through a documentary or ad campaign or publication—to communicate the subject matter."
"One of our professors kept telling us, ‘first be clear, then be clever,’" Oliver continues. "We certainly don’t neglect design and art, but we make sure it follows our message, and we make sure our advocacies and causes are understood. And that’s ultimately what counts."
Certainly, there is a comfort in knowing that there are young artists who are not only genuinely creative and fiercely driven, but also remarkably perceptive and very much aware of what they can do in this changing world. And in a society and culture jaded and oblivious of its own demons, having people with such ideals and at the same time such keenness and capacity is a timely gift and an enormous grace.
