CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS IN THE REGIONS

LESSON 9 – MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUE

OBJECTIVES

At the end of the chapter, the students will be able to

1. discuss the various media and techniques employed in contemporary arts

2. identify local materials used in creating art in their community

3. critique available materials and appropriate techniques

4. justify the use of materials and the application of techniques

THE VISUAL ARTS

Pottery

Pottery is the oldest art form due to the fact that its medium, earth, is abundant. Clay gathered
from dry soil is first pulverized, removing lumps, pebbles, and stones. Water is added slowly,
kneading it for even moisture and smooth consistency. Terra cotta refers to earthenware that is
typically reddish brown, fired porous, and kept unglazed.

Ceramics refer to clay formed with other elements, fired at a higher temperature to harden the
material, and glazed to make it non-porous. Glaze is a coating of a glass-like substance fused
with clay material to make a ceramic piece waterproof. There are three basic pottery techniques:
(1) free modelling, where shapes are formed on a ball of clay using bare hands; (2) hand-
construction in parts of coil or slab and pinching these together; and (3) potter's wheel, where a
rotating platform is used to hollow out a ball of clay from the center in order to shape a vessel.
The first two methods can be supplemented

Contemporary Studio Pottery

It is amazing how the lowly material for making pots and jars can turn into unique pieces of art.
Clay artists who do functional pieces are called potters, while those who use the same medium
for sheer expression are referred to as sculptors. Often, ceramicists do both.

Stoneware refers to ceramics made from vitreous (having qualities of glass) or semi vitreous
clay fired at high temperatures. It may or may not be glazed. The Southern Tagalog region has
outstanding studio potters who teach their craft to communities. Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn, of
Pansol, Calamba, Laguna, are well known for having formulated their own glazes of celadon and
tenmoku. Celadon is a glaze in pale greyish shade of green used on stoneware, associated with
the Song dynasty of the 13th century. Tenmoku is a dark glaze with a surface that resembles oil
spotting, found in Chinese and Japanese ceramics. A material most ceramicists and artists
experimented with was the volcanic ash from the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. On the other
hand, Barangay Bulua in Cagayan de Oro City is a good source of red clay.

Weaving

Weaving is a general method of producing a surface or an object by entwining a strip or strand

that is longitudinal called warp with a horizontal one called weft at right angles or at an
obliquely perpendicular direction. Related methods are knitting, braiding, and plaiting, which
affect the texture and quality of the object being formed. Three outstanding traditional forms of
weaving without a loom are: palaspas (palm-leaf frond), basketry, and banig (mat). Textile is of
course the finest and most sophisticated form of weaving that requires a loom, a machine for
interweaving threads. Related to the art of textile are crocheting, embroidery, applique, and
calado (fretwork).

The palaspas, a primeval form of palm leaf weaving, is called such because of its association
with the Catholic ritual of Palm Sunday. It actually originated in indigenous worship rituals [see
Gallery, Image 9.4]. Method involves the use of ibus or unopened coconut palm leaves. To make
a ritual palaspas, an unopened palm leaf is first cut

Basketry is the process of weaving pliant materials into a casing. Plants endemic to the
craftsman's surroundings are the source of materials. Plant parts are gathered, cut into strips or
straw, sun-dried, boiled, dyed, and sometimes oiled. Horizontal strands are called weaver;
supporting vertical strands are called spokes. The four basic types of basket weaves are coiled
ribbons, twine grasses, plaited nd crossed soft fiber, and wicker reed or cane. The parts of a
basket are the base, walls, rim, and handle. Covers and accessories may also be included.

Banig is a mat woven from leaves or grass. To make a banig, sedge or grass are first gathered
from nearby swamps, mangroves, or flood plains. These are then sun-dried and cooked. After
dyeing in different colors, these are flattened, trimmed to size, and dried again until ready to be
woven. Vegetable dyes and coconut oil are used to keep the straws more pliant and durable.
Banig can be grouped according to weaving method: (1) the over-and under weave found in most
simple mats, (2) the sawali or floating straws weave for making "woven in” designs and panels,
(3) the open-work weaves such as in Romblon buri mats, (4) the circular mats which are
employed in hat weaving, (5) the hexagonal weave, and (6) the embroidery method wherein
designs are later added to a mat.

Textile art among indigenous communities is primarily done through back strap weaving. This
uses a back strap loom which consists of two basic timber limbs, the first suspended by cords
onto a post or a tree, where warp (vertical) threads are stretched all the way to other end with
another timber limb, which is strapped to the weaver's back to keep the tension. At the upper end,
a lease cord holds the correct spacing of the warp threads so that weft (horizontal) threads from
the shed roll can be inserted. The shed roll, commonly made of bamboo, divides the weft in two.
Below it are heddle sticks which spirally wrap the threads that hold the warp threads, enabling
patterns of design to be integrated into the order of threads. Horizontal threads are inserted
between the warp by means of a bobbin, then the weft is forced down with a wide beater before
adding another strand.

Pagburda or embroidery is the process of sewing by hand ornamental designs or patterns to

decorate a fabric or garment. Basic embroidery techniques are chain stitch, buttonhole stitch,
blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, and cross stitch. Calado is a refined technique of
embroidery wherein threads are pulled off from the textile to create gaps, then sewing them in
intricate patterns of lacework. An appliqué is a small piece or patch of textile pattern that is sewn
onto a fabric or garment to decorate it.

Inaul is a Maguindanaon textile hand-loom woven from abaca, cotton, or silk. They are made
into tubular skirts called malong that is worn by both men and women. Women in Datu Odin
Sinsuat, Maguindanao province, as well as in Cotabato City, weave them in striking colors
yellow and orange for royalty, red for bravery, green for tranquillity, and black for dignity.
Patterns are often interspersed with gold or silver threads. Most popular designs are the plain
weave with binaludo (rainbow), makbimban (stripes), and panigabi (taro). Ornamental weaves
are also added over the cloth. The Maguindanao batek (color) and design process is basically
resist-dyeing or ikat. Also used is the ikat method locally called binaludan. A common design is
the eight-pointed star.

Piña and jusi are the traditional fabrics used by the bordadoras of barong. Piña is a soft, fine,
translucent, and durable off-white fabric made from fibers of pineapple mixed with silk. In
Aklan, the red Spanish variety of pineapple are grown for their mature leaves, and mixed with
silk. Silk fiber is derived from fibroin produced by insect larvae forming cocoons. Aklan is the
traditional center of piña fiber production. Mangrove forests in the towns of Libacao, Malinao,
and Madalag towns are the sources of fibers for sinamay, abaca, and raffia. In recent years,
pineapple plant for fibers are also being grown in Negros Oriental and Palawan.

Painting

Painting normally refers to the process of applying color or pigment suspended in binder onto a
flat or two-dimensional surface, such as paper, wood, or cloth. Indigenous coloring was mainly
applied to pottery and weaving painting in the academic tradition was inherited from the West.
Common paints include acrylic paint, oil paint, watercolor, tempera, enamel, and latex.
Commercial pigments are made of various oxides, but many other materials can be used as
pigment. For example, resourceful artists have used coffee grounds as pigment, where coffee is
abundant. Meanwhile, some artists near the sea have used squid ink.

Sculpture

Sculpture is the art of making three dimensional forms. There are three basic methods of
creating sculpture: (1) modelling or addition in the use of clay; (2) subtraction in carving of hard
materials like stone or wood; and (3) construction by assembling parts by adhesion or welding.
In modern and contemporary times, artists enjoy an almost complete freedom of materials and
processes, both hard or soft, permanent or impermanent, depending on use and intention.

Ukit or Woodcarving

Woodcarving is a form of craft on wood by means of incising designs with a knife, or

subtracting parts of the material wood with a chisel, or mallet on chisel for hard type. The
challenge of the medium lies in the softness or hardness of the material, and chipping away
makes little or no remedy for mistakes. The material is highly vulnerable to decay, insect
damage, and fire.

The bulul was originally carved for rites of ancestral worship and intercession, but today it also
serves as a mere souvenir or ornament. A Tagbanua wood carving on softwood is a common
souvenir item from Coron, Palawan. Carvers use singilo (ironwood), narra, and mahogany from
their surroundings, or from nearby woods in Pangasinan and La Union. The Ifugao are known to
be the best carvers, many of whom now live and work in Barangay Asin, just outside Baguio
City.

Metal Craft

Metal forging uses the traditional Southeast Asian double-bellows forge, and employs traditional
tools. Other forms of metalwork include hand shaping and pounding of metal sheets, a laborious
method which transforms flat metal sheets into sturdy, solid objects such as the Maranao
kulintang ensemble and gong instruments.

Casting is a process of forming three dimensional duplicates by using molten material to solidify
in a mold made from an original art. "Lost-wax" is a method often used in metal such as bronze
for sculptures or in silver and gold for jewelry. It involves heat to replace the wax with the final
metal material of the finished object. The process is based on first creating an original artwork or
object and producing a negative mold wherein a liquefied material is used to copy it. Depending
on the sculptor's skills, intricate works can be achieved by this method. Maranao foundries
employ the lost-wax method to produce various types of bronze or brass products which follow
traditional forms such as batidor; a tea kettle, such as the gador, and ornate brass urns.
Maranaos were known to be the largest manufacturers of hand-made brassware in the country.

Cold-casting is a process of mixing a variety of powder with a binder resin and applying the
mixture into a mold. The finished casting gives the appearance and weight of either solid marble
o solid metal. The metal cold-cast process is faster and much less expensive when compared with
foundry casting of molten metal.

The Graphic Arts

Graphic means "to write or to illustrate" with line on a two-dimensional surface. It includes
calligraphy, lettering or typography, and layout of architectural design and plans, often with a
pen or sometimes brush. Printmaking and printing are encompassed in the graphic arts.

Printmaking, not to be confused with commercial or machine printing, is the process of making
an art image by hand on a flat-surfaced plate and inking this to transfer its image onto paper.

Conceptual Art

Conceptual art is a philosophical form of fine arts referring to creation where an idea or process
is more important than a finished object made by hand. It originated as a questioning of the
nature of art and a protest against the commodification of fine arts.

Found objects refer to machine-produced articles for daily use that are transformed simply by
removing it from its original context to signify a different message.
LESSON 10 – THEMES OF CONTEMPORARY ART

A theme is an overall idea that carries through a work or a series of works. The expression and
elaboration of the theme may be the goal of the artist in producing the work. In other cases,
themes emerge as the artist pursues other ideas or ambitions. Themes are often supported by
motifs - repeated elements that can have both symbolic and structural value.

CULTURAL CONNECTIONS

DREAMS AND VISIONS

Art is about ways of seeing. But it is not always about representing the world as it exists in real
life, and sometimes it can allow us to see with more than our eyes. From artists of indigenous
societies who paint or weave the unseen forces of the universe, to surrealists who looked into the
recesses of the unconscious mind for inspiration,

HISTORY AND MEMORY

CEREMONY AND SOCIETY
COSMOLOGY AND BELIEF
POWER
DEATH
DOMESTIC LIFE
WRITING
PORTRAITS AND IDENTITY
THE NATURAL WORLD
THE URBAN EXPERIENCE
CONFLICT AND RESISTANCE
THE BODY
PLACE AND LOCATION
HUMOR