THE fortnightly webcast series of non-profit organization The Climate Reality Project Philippines, titled Klimatotohanan, joins the celebration of National Arts Month this February by centering its most recent episode on one question: “Can art help save the planet from the prevailing climate emergency?”
The episode, titled “Can Art Help Save the Planet? Pinoy Artivists Stepping Up the Fight Against Climate Change,” gathered Filipino artists to talk about their experiences from dedicating their works to raising awareness and forwarding the discourse about the climate crisis.
For multi-awarded muralist and activist AG Saño, art indeed has the capacity to spark action that could change the course of history. “Art has changed the world,” he said, “There are a lot of freedoms we enjoy now, not just as Filipinos, but as human beings because of art.”
Saño’s oeuvre includes more than 900 murals worldwide that depict peace and nature. He is also deeply involved in art movements that utilize art for the benefit of the environment, including “Dolphins Love Freedom” and “Climate Pilgrimage.” The latter is dedicated to walking thousands of kilometers across Asia-Pacific and Europe to connect with communities to create dialogues and grassroots actions.
“The best results after a decade of doing this are that I would find out that some of the young people I painted with pursued marine biology, fine arts, etc.,” Saño said. “They were able to translate that spark or inspiration into really concrete things that they could use as fuel for this fight.”
Part of the discussion as well was digital artist and educator Bricx Martillo Dumas. He considers the arts as the easiest way to make people understand what’s happening in the environment and the world.
Dumas talked about his winning entry in the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference art competition “Digital Art 4 Climate,” titled Nexus. The piece features a bright red background and a hand holding a cigarette between its fingers, while clutching on its palm a plastic bag with a straw. On the end of the plastic, however, is a blue tail of a fish.
“This is to emphasize plastic pollution in our ocean waters,” he said.
Meanwhile, OPM legend Noel Cabangon talked about the ability of music to promote awareness on key societal issues such as human rights and the environment. His hit song “Kanlungan,” for example, poignantly narrates the decline of the environment through the years.
“Music is not just for entertainment,” Cabangon said. “It’s a tool to bring forward our causes. Every generation should be able to produce artists that will continue this [climate] advocacy.”
Contemporary and experimental filmmaker and visual artist Martha Atienza believes Filipino artists have a lot to uncover, should they choose to talk about local environmental issues. She cited herself as an example, having witnessed coastal areas change and coastlines disappear.
Atienza has done several projects that focus on environmental issues. Gilubong ang Akong Pusod sa Dagat is a film that follows the lives of local seafarers to initiate dialogue on environmental and socio-economic realities in their communities. Another is Our Islands 11°16’58.4″N 123°45’07.0″E, which pushes the audience to confront climate change as seen in the seabed of dead corals.
Creating these films inspired Atienza to launch the GoodLand Association, an initiative that aims to provide more sustainable battery solutions to compressor divers, and to set up a Bantayan Protected Area that will also generate alternative livelihood opportunities.
Lastly, the webinar featured multi-awarded theatre director Dr. Dennis Gupa, who emphasized the need to cultivate a discourse on human and non-human relationships, where humans are not located at the apex of power.
“We have inherited so much from this capitalist society, neoliberal society in which we position human-centric the idea of materiality and money. But we don’t question where things are created from,” he said. “Art can deconstruct that idea of possession by generating new questions so that we can elevate our consciousness into something more critical.”
The last portion of the episode asked the speakers about the best ways to engage fellow artists, especially the younger ones, in climate action.
“We should start with ourselves,” said Dumas. “If there’s time, go out and see the problems we face.”
For Saño, it’s by creating opportunities, especially for younger artists who feel they are not empowered to make initiatives.
“We could also give them the projected truths that scientists say we should expect in the near future, dahil sila haharap sa mga ginawa ng mga naunang henerasyon, mga korporasyon,” he said. “There’s not enough time and choice but to step up. It sounds unfair but it’s the reality and we have to step up to the plate and take charge.”
Klimatotohanan’s celebration of National Arts Month continues tomorrow in an episode, titled “Never Too Young to Lead: Emerging Pinoy Artists Reimagining Climate Action”. It will feature youth Filipino activists who are “using visual artworks, literary pieces, performances, and other forms of creative work to communicate the climate crisis and mobilize solutions within their networks.”
The episode will air tomorrow, February 23, at 5 pm, on Facebook Live via www.facebook.com/climaterealityphilippines/.