Terra Cotta town rises in Dumaguete http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec_phe/2005/may/11-01.htm By Dessa Quesada Inquirer News Service CONSIDER the earthly terra cotta. It's one of the most time- and labor-intensive mediums for an artist. Its outcome is virtually unpredictable, and cracks almost inevitable. It has been brushed off, literally and figuratively, simply as dirt, or even more to the point, "putik lang yan!" (that's just mud). The medium in focus is the humble clay, commonly associated with flower pots and huge water jars, and certainly one that engenders a roster of challenges to those it beckons. The challenge of terra cotta has led to a recent convergence of artists in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, dipping their creative hands into shaping mud, and transforming the enchanting Mariyah Gallery into a virtual fort of mammoth and medium-size sculptural works, to be exhibited in time for the opening of the First Dumaguete Open Biennial Terra Cotta Arts on May 14. Heralded as the first of its kind in the country, perhaps even the world, the forthcoming Terra Cotta Arts Festival will be a major event drawing participants from various parts of the Philippines. The festival has become a much-anticipated addition to the mosaic of cultural initiatives gestated, born and nurtured in the city of Dumaguete, and the buzz has reverberated from north to south. Festival director and multimedia artist Danni Sollesta, who in the last year spearheaded with widely acclaimed Kitty Taniguchi, Dula sa Lapuk (Playing with Mud) terra cotta workshops in Dumaguete and San Carlos cities, says things just fell into place for the unfolding of this festival. But the project also emerged due to a collective yearning of potters, artists, and others like myself who occasionally cross artistic

disciplines, to address the disintegration of what was once a thriving and vibrant community of backyard potters in Dumaguete.

Claytown

Through the years, an area of the city known as Claytown, now Daro, had the unique distinction of being the source of an assortment of clay items for both kitchen and garden use. Today, the area is swiftly being displaced by residential and commercial buildings, and the community of potters, lacking in incentive and support, are sadly stuck in antiquated and lackluster molds of design, leading toward a degenerating local industry. The First Dumaguete Open Biennial Terra Cotta Art Festival envisions an event that will contribute to a renewed appreciation of terra cotta through the uplifting of awareness among people in the local community about the potential and rich value of terra cotta, an indigenous resource found in abundance in various parts of the Negros island. The festival seeks to push the boundaries of work with terra cotta beyond the limits of traditional interpretations of craft and art by creating an evocative venue for experimentation with ideas, materials and processes, consequently infusing new creative energy into the local terra cotta industry. Danni and Kitty, the tireless sibling-team and core movers of the festival, explained: "We want to ingrain the need to work with aesthetic beauty as one of the goals in the craft. We need to shake off the notion that terra cotta cannot be developed for high art." Danni's "Apples and Women" (part of a series called "Untitled Mythology"), and Kitty's "Chakra" and "Flight of the Wingless Crow," which includes a towering 9-ft tall crow's head, are some of the works foregrounding the exhibit. Several other artists are drawn to the festival, adopting terra cotta as medium for their creative renderings.

Tagbilaran-based artist Nelia Lungay, whose knowledge about terra cotta came during her stint at the Design Center of the Philippines, explains that the attraction to terra cotta for her hinges on the repetitiveness of the process, especially the kneading. "It is soothing, quieting, introspective, a good time to think about thoughts you normally don't think about," Lungay said. "It also has an intimate feel, sinking your hands into the earth, it's so primal. The process involves all the elements -- earth, water, wind and fire -- making it so close to nature." Inspired by women's experiences, Lungay's works include "In the Beginning Was the Void," sculptures of several half-bodied women with open torsos, the artist's tribute to women, especially mothers who are often taken for granted. "The Nurturer" is another beautiful piece depicting the goddess Mebuyan.

Industrial strength

Touted by Manila curator Bobi Valenzuela as "one of the brightest discoveries of the Visayan art scene," Mark Valenzuela, once an engineering major at the Silliman University, wrote a thesis on the industrial strength of terra cotta years ago. "The medium is interesting because it is a long process. Unlike the flat surface of painting, three-dimensional figures have a special appeal," Valenzuela said. "It is very exciting because you cannot predict the outcome, you might think it is done after making the figures, but it will still be transformed after the firing. The accidental elements become an integral part of the artwork." His work is titled "War Games" -- musings on the soldiers' life, especially non-commissioned officers whom he says are unable to use their own reason, acting out like mere puppets. Mark hopes the festival will also give local artists a rare chance to be recognized outside Dumaguete. Though much of the creative energy resonates at the Mariyah Gallery, the whole city is conspiring to make the Terra Cotta Arts Festival a success. The project earned the nod and sponsorship from

the City Government of Dumaguete, with backing from Mayor Agustin Perdices and the chair of the City Tourism Council, Glynda Descuatan, who agreed to serve as the executive director and chair of the festival. Silliman University will provide the venue for the competition and exhibition, as well as board and lodging for some of the contestants. Foundation University will offer fully equipped space for the lectures as well as accommodations for participants. Support from the Provincial Cultural Committee of Negros Oriental allows for artists to fly in, including National Artist Napoleon Abueva, who heads the team of jurors for the May 13 competition and will grace the grand opening on May 14 as speaker. The Cultural Heritage Foundation of the Philippines has included the festival in its calendar of arts festivals in the country, while the city's illustrious Spanish Heritage has organized an exhibition of traditional works of Daro potters. Ultimately, this endeavor is about leaving a legacy in our culture. For who knows, like the most significant archeological 20th-century excavations in China that unearthed life-size terra cotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations, dating as early as 211 BC, these sculptures may very well outlive this generation to reveal, centuries later, the persistence of an aesthetic imperative that transformed terra cotta on the island of Negros Oriental.

For more information, call +63 35 2251687, or e-mail Christina_Taniguchi@yahoo.com or kittymariyah@lycos.com.