Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region III - Central Luzon
Schools Division of Olongapo City
REGIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL III
East Kalayaan Heights, Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Name
Section Date Accomplished

EL ARTE MORIBUNDO DE LA ENVOLTURA DE PAPEL:

A Reflection on Creating “Pabalat,” a Traditional x Contemporary Art Technique

Pabalat is a form of papercutting originating in the province of Bulacan. It involves creating intricate paper
cut designs from wrappers used in pastillas, usually papel de hapon or Japanese paper. Pabalat comes from the
Tagalog word “balat” meaning “skin” or “wrapper”. It is the art of wrapping candies with colorful Japanese paper
that have intricate designs. The wrapper can be used in different candies, but in Bulacan, it is solely used with their
milky pastillas. The word pabalat has also different levels of meaning. On a literal note, it pertains to the  pabalat as
a product (paper cut-outs). On a metaphorical level, it connotes the state-of-the-art practice (meaning it is not only a
wounded tradition, but it is a dying one). The art is not only a cultural product or an artistic expression but also cuts
through some cultural, social, even political discourses and issues. Pabalat is also a folk art or in Filipino
term, siningbayan. It is a folk art because it originated among the townsfolk reflecting their traditional culture. The
art practice has also been passed from generation to
generation and its creative elements and aesthetic
values mirror the people’s everyday life.
Making pabalat is really a tricky one. It
requires time and effort to create a very intricate and
detailed output. It also needs a keen eye on cutting
those very small details to have a creative result.
First, I prepare all the materials needed such as
Japanese paper, pair of scissors, cutter, pen or pencil,
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region III - Central Luzon
Schools Division of Olongapo City
REGIONAL SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL III
East Kalayaan Heights, Subic Bay Freeport Zone

and ruler. Then, draft your design in a paper wrapper. Using a pen or pencil, I drew the lines and figures of the
pattern to an attractively colored Japanese paper. Next, a pair of scissors was used to carefully separate art form
paper. Then, I used cutter to cut small details in the design. This part takes hours since the design I created includes
tiny and elaborate designs. Finally using my smartphone, I captured it as you can see on the first page of this paper.
Making pabalat is not an easy one. It takes a lot of patience and precision to perfectly cut the pattern. I was very
fortunate that I have experience making traditional pabalat. This experience was very therapeutic.

The term 'dying art' usually refers to some craft, a skill or some human activity that has become or is
becoming obsolete - not 'Art' as executed by anybody that wants to be an Artist. We humans think we are improving
things when we have an easier way or a cultural bias. In fact, many 'dying arts' are being reborn, with many people
turning to past skills in the face of overwhelming abuse by economically driven grabbing of our time, money, and
joy. Skills that used to have to be universal have become the specialty of expensive professionals.

The traditional art of making pabalat is now a dying art method in the Philippines. It is kept alive by only a
few Pabalat artists in Bulacan. Schools were no longer include this in their curriculum. Likewise, people do not have
the patience for tedious cutting that requires precision. Most of the people nowadays want immediate result. Hence,
the art of making pabalat maybe considered as an obsolete form of art in our country. As a citizen of this country, it
is very important to preserve our culture and heritage. It is our own pride and identity as a Filipino. One may start by
begin looking into our history. Reading articles and sharing it via online means is also a good way to preserve our
culture. Most importantly, having a curriculum that includes various art techniques is significantly important to
conserve our heritage and tradition.

My inspiration from my art design was family. Family is the most primary and fundamental social
institution. The family welcomes a child into the world and nurtures him into a social being. Family is a universal
institution found in every society. It is important to have a strong and harmonious relationship among family
members in our current situation. Many teenagers experience broken families at the very young age. They tend to
become rebellious and became juvenile since they experienced lack of family support. It might also to mental
depression which results to suicide. Also, due to the improvement of technology nowadays, socialization that dwells
inside home does not exist. Thus, technologies separate strong family ties that lead quarreling and much worse,
creating broken families. With this art design, this serves as a message to look for the beauty inside the four corners
of the house, realize that we are fortunate to have a family – family that always supports us through good and hard
times of our lives.

Making the traditional pabalat is very therapeutic. It lessens my worries, and stresses when I cut those
intricate designs. Even though it takes a lot of time, effort, and precision. I am very fortunate to experience this
traditional art method. This reminds me that our country has a rich culture, tradition, and heritage that should protect
and preserve and must be proud of as a Filipino citizen. This art technique must not die and should pass through
generations to generations.