Despite quarantine restrictions imposed around the country, Far Eastern University Department of Communication students used their time in isolation to create visual art projects and expand their artistic endeavors via an online exhibit to tackle the nation’s struggles in a pandemic.
MULAT 2.0 Visual Communication Exhibit inspired students to use art, not only as a creative outlet, but also in reaction to news of people dying, freedoms being curtailed, and vital resources running out during this time of crisis.
“Mulat” is a Filipino term, which literally means “eyes wide open” or “fully awake,” and figuratively means “educated” or “stay woke”—a term that the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).”
Herwin Cabasal, a professor at the Far Eastern University (FEU) Communication Department and MULAT adviser, explained that the second installment of the exhibit presents advocacy print ads, photo essays, movie posters and short films that deal with the theme “Visual Expressions of Quarantine,” with the goal of paving the way for “a fresher and more dynamic way of telling a story and discussing the pressing issues of today.”
Cabasal stressed that under the department’s program thrust, “students utilize their knowledge, talents, and skills for the greater good of this nation. That is why in everything we do in this field, we adhere to this mantra: may alam, may pakialam [conscious, concerned].”
idefend, Pahra
In the months of April and May, Cabasal organized a Virtual Exhibit under the FEU Department of Communication. The Department, in partnership with the In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND) and the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), held virtual, wide-ranging discussions of social issues as reflected in art.
Last June, Cabasal, together with iDEFEND and PAHRA launched KwaranSine: Mga Kwento sa Gitna ng Pandemya [KwaranSine: Stories in the midst of a pandemic].
Rose Trajano, PAHRA secretary-general, expressed hope that KwaranSine would serve as an inspiration for other artists and the public at large to see the need to address society’s ills.
Prof. Anansa Dijan, FEU DepComm program chair, has supported the VISCOM exhibit since its inception last year.
“Now more than ever, we find it very important that our students are aware of what’s happening around them. Mulat is one way where our students can showcase their creativity and more importantly how they see the value of their voices in the society,” Dijan said.
Virtual Awards
A virtual awards night was also held to cite the best creative media productions in this edition. Under the Advocacy Print Ad category, Sofia San Diego’s “Ang Bala ay Hindi Gamot [A Bullet is not a Cure]” won first prize and Audience Choice award. She said that the ad is based on her firm belief. “Now that we are in the midst of a health crisis, I stand with my advocacy: “Solusyong medikal, hindi military [Medical, not military solutions].”
Placing second and third are “Lunas, Hindi Dahas [Solution, not Violence]” by Jay Cenzon and “Bigas, Hindi Dahas [Rice, not Violence]” by Lovely Baylosis, respectively.
In “Lunas, Hindi Dahas,” Cenzon explained, “The hands that are reaching out for the mask signify how hard it is to get through our current situation due to the pandemic, especially that there is a threat of violence.”
Meanwhile, “Bigas, Hindi Dahas” is inspired by the arrest of 21 residents of Sitio San Roque, Quezon City who asked for food while carrying protest placards “Nagugutom na kami [We are hungry],” “Pagkain kailangan Namin [We need food],” and “Ibigay ninyo ang para sa amin [Give us what is our due],” last April 1.
“This is not a war on the poor; this is a war on coronavirus,” Baylosis emphasized.
Movie poster
Rosie Cerdiña’s “Tikom” [Shut] topped the Movie Poster category, followed by Matthew Zach Quinto’s “Panik” at second and Keziah Natividad’s “Quarantingz” at third. Drink Rivera’s “Tatay, Gusto Kong Tinapay [Father, I wang bread]” got the Audience Choice award.
For Cerdiña, “Tikom” means “to close one’s mouth, a word that comes to mind when thinking about the crisis we are currently facing. Being in quarantine has made some of us feel confined and restricted being in the space of our homes and a feeling of restriction to speak out.”
On the other hand, “Panik!” is a play of words on three things which Quinto thinks of every time he comes across Covid: “Panik” or panhik, which is a Tagalog term for umakyat or rise to refer to the increase in number of cases; panic, which is extremely prevalent during the pandemic, such as panic buying or panic attacks; and paniki or bat, which allegedly caused Covid-19.
Natividad’s movie poster is inspired by Dada or Dadaism “since the situation nowadays perfectly mirrors the war that we have now against the virus including all forms of oppression.”
In “Tatay, Gusto Kong Tinapay,” Rivera adapted the Pinoy game Nanay, Tatay [Mother, Father] from the point of view of the oppressed. It was inspired by the same video that Baylosis saw on the internet showing a group of Sitio San Roque residents asking for food before they were arrested.
Photo essay
Mark Bryan Seño won first place in the Photo Essay category for “2020 Calendar,” with Joanna Marie De Guzman bagging second for “No Safe Spaces” and Trixie Catindig getting the Audience Choice for “No Escape From Reality.”
Seño’s “2020 Calendar” is made up of photographs showing “our uncertain feelings and worries” with each passing day getting harder and harder to get by.
“As we enter the 2020 calendar, we can easily say that it is not a great year and up until now we are still fighting this pandemic and we don’t know when it will end,” Seño said.
Cineminuto
Nickey Zacate’s “Blue Zone” bagged first prize in the Cineminuto category. “To escape the blue zone while fighting the enemies is the only goal to survive and win in PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) which I want to relate in this pandemic. But in our case, we are in the blue zone. We are looking for a way to survive this crisis but as we get closer to get out from this zone, we are risking our lives and most of the people above us are blocking our way,” he explained.
Second place and Best Editing went to Marc Andrew Baldo’s “Kapalaran [Fate].” The short film zeroes in on the reality that when the pandemic happens, according to Baldo, “each of us now faces different problems, circumstances, fear, anxiety, etc. Our fight against this unseen enemy has never been too easy for us. We wake up every morning for another day of fight, another day to seek on how to end this thing and another day to make it until evening, the cycle continues.”
Neil Juliano’s “Ayuda-Me,” which bagged third, Best Screenplay and Audience Choice award, is an eye-opener yet entertaining piece that is relevant and resonant in these trying times. “I have thought of creating a short film that would capture the rawness, genuine sentiments of lower-class people, and the real situation of our community during the quarantine,” the director said.
Imran John Aquino won Best Director for “Hirap sa Harap, Harap sa Hirap [Suffering before us, Facing suffering],” which is taken from the perspective of a frontliner. He decided to highlight “the heroes who are facing this battle face-to-face. If staying at home can heavily affect us mentally, what more of those who are risking their lives to save those who are affected by the virus?”
Nina Gonzalez’s “Makabagong Darna [New Darna]” won Best Acting as well as Best Application of Art Movement, sharing the award with Karl Magboo’s “Contrast” and Prince Rodriguez’s movie poster “Ika-4 na Estado.”
In “Makabagong Darna,” what if the famous fictional heroine Darna, created by Mars Ravelo, is being harassed and abused at a time when another country is threatening to encroach us?
In “Contrast,” Magboo decided to “give the audience a glimpse of what are being served to the privileged and the marginalized during this quarantine. At these trying times, it is obvious how the former has more access to resources, as compared to the latter.”
“I think showing the difference between them would be a big help for people who still struggle to check their privileges and fail to sympathize for those in the outskirts of society, who are greatly affected by this pandemic,” Magboo added. He also won Best Visual Communicator, sharing the award with Cenzon and John Vernard Valiente.
“Ika-4 na Estado [The 4th Estate]” is inspired by the nonrenewal of a broadcast station’s franchise. “Shutting down a network like ABS-CBN is a clear attack on our press freedom and democracy. This is unacceptable especially now that we are currently facing this pandemic,” Rodriguez stressed.
Online talks
Selected MULAT student artists also held consecutive online talks in “Kwentuhang May Alam, May Pakialam [Conscious, concerned] Episode 1: Quarantine Stories,” organized by FEU DepComm, and “KwaranSINE: Mga Kwento sa Gitna ng Pandemya” co-hosted with the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates and In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (iDEFEND).
After the screening of “555” by Edel Hembrador, “Bantay [Guard]” by Regina Atenas, “Ingay [Noise]” by Melvin Rosetes, “Makabagong Darna [New Darna],” “Blue Zone” and “Ayuda-Me,” PAHRA Secretary General Rose Trajano moderated an online talkback with Cabasal and participating student filmmakers.
“555” is based on “a joke that canned sardines can solve our pandemic situation.” Hembrador asked, “Do you ever wonder why that joke circulated? Because all relief goods are filled with sardines, different brands, same old taste. I have reimagined in my film how it is today since we are all in quarantine.”
In “Bantay [Guard],” Regina Atenas tackles the role of the media as a watchdog in a democratic country. “We are given independence to speak of the truth, may it be against the government or not. After the recent shutdown of ABS-CBN, I have been greatly inspired to make a short film that depicts my views and feelings about the issue,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, “Ingay [Noise],” which won Best Cinematography for Rosetes, represents “voices inside your head every time you are struggling with anxiety attack.” He decided to make a short film with the perspective of those people who are affected not just because of this pandemic, but also because of the state of their mental health.
Platform for discourse
As a flexible medium, art provides people the opportunity to still be creative amid the quarantine. MULAT is a testament to the fact that the pandemic should not hinder artists, who are notorious for thriving even during the most uncertain times, to push on with their creative ventures and find inspiration, even in the most unexpected ways, Cabasal said.
He emphasized that MULAT “encourages viewers to read visuals with critical thinking. It is not enough that we just merely appreciate the aesthetics, but to perceive what it is really trying to convey. Most of the time, we must see these artworks outside the frame. It is by seeing outside the frame that we become critical and responsive to the diverse issues of society.”
MULAT has earned raves and gained significant engagements from netizens. From that alone, Cabasal believes that the online visual arts page has already achieved its main objective, “which is to serve as a platform for discourse and discussion about what matters in our society.”
As Aldous Huxley wrote in “The Art of Seeing,” “the more you know, the more you see.” For Cabasal and participating student artists, this sums up the visual communication experience.
The online MULAT exhibit can still be accessed via https://www.facebook.com/FEUMulat/.
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