BackBLISS MARKET: Public Space Art Project
Submitted by Jaime Jesus C. Pacena II
1 Aims / Objective / Goals of project
1.1 The project aims to create a public art exhibition with ‘Community’ as the main theme, community as a network, a foundation of common interest and belonging. Art Communities played an important role in the development of culture and history of most Asian and Southeast Asian countries, it develops bridges, solved many language barriers, conflicts and differences. Not just in art communities but communities in general, like towns and provinces or even schools or formed unions. These communities provide a venue in cultivating ones culture.
This project’s main objective is to build a large network among artist groups in one public art exhibition that will primarily focus with the use of UP Bliss, Diliman in Quezon City, Philippines as the space and invite/encourage local audiences to engage and experience art not in the confines of a gallery or a museum. UP Bliss, Diliman in the Philippines was a project of the late President Marcos during the 80’s. It was built for government employees as a low-cost housing project by the first lady Imelda Marcos. The proponent was born in UP Bliss in 1980 and his family still lives there up to now. All the residents in the UP Bliss Community have 21 years left to stay in UP Bliss before the Government claims the property again. After 30 years of staying in UP Bliss, the proponent saw the drastic changes it has gone through. For one, you see it in the playground; once the place where kids gathered to bond and challenge each other at various games. It is now dilapidated, perhaps of little use to the kids of today who are very much dependent on technology for their recreation. It is now very rare to see kids in the UP Bliss community playing outside and meeting new friends, or in other words, building a community of their own.
With this proposal, the proponent aims to use the housing project as a starting point: to strengthen connections among the young generation of today, and to help instill a more vital sense of community in the area with this public exhibition event. The project name “Bliss Market” was derived from a small supermarket inside UP Bliss Diliman that was demolished in 2008. When it was at its peak, UP Bliss Market or Bliss Mart was a place where the residents met and exchanged small talk and even items among themselves. It was a market of small things, and a market of pieces that bridge and build connections among the residents.
To use art as a means of uplifting the spirits of the local community. To invite intellectual and artistic dialogues between the curators, artists and local audience.
2 Brief description of project
The idea of “Bliss Market” started a year ago, as a concept proposal for the University of the Philippines Vargas Museum and Japan Foundation’s Curatorial Development Program Workshop. The idea of creating a Public Space Art Project that focuses on “UP Bliss, Diliman and its’ surrounding areas” (University of The Philippines Vargas Museum and San Vicente Elementary School) as the main exhibition space. One idea is to create a project that is out of the gallery or museum context. Another idea is to encourage collaboration between Artist Groups, Artist Communities, Schools and the local community around the “space”, the idea of communities working within a community. The proposal was chosen to be evaluated and discussed in order to develop young curators on how to start and realize their curatorial practices or curatorial potential. It was a 2 day workshop that was participated by young curators, art studies students and visual artists. Headed and mediated by Dr. Patrick Flores, the Director of UP Vargas Museum and was supported by the panels, Artist-Curator Jose Tence Ruiz, Artist-Curator Karen Ocampo-Flores who represent the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Curator Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez of the Lopez Museum, Independent Curator Joselina Cruz and Artist-Curator Sandra Palomar of Nova Gallery. After the workshop, one participant was chosen to further develop the idea of curatorial practices and was sent to Japan, supported by Japan Foundation and the Jenesys Programme for Creators 2010. The proponent was chosen to be the participant of this program and was sent to Japan and stayed there for 82 Days and immersed himself with their curatorial practices and also did some research on Contemporary Art scene in Japan. This residency grant gave the proponent much needed research on how he can further develop this proposal. One of the inspirations of this proposal was the Setouchi International Art Festival in Japan, wherein the main premise of the festival is look for the Art House Projects located at different islands along the Setouchi Sea. The proponent would like to create the similar experience in viewing art, but in a much smaller scale.
3 Methodology / Implementation of project
The project will invite selected Art Groups in the Philippines, Art Schools, Colleges, Galleries and Museums and the local community of UP Bliss Diliman to participate on this project, they will be called the micro-communities. Each micro-community will need at least 6 to 12 members or representatives. Each members or representatives of each group or micro-communities will then be separated and will be encouraged to form sub-groups composed of members from different micro-communities. This new formed group will then be encouraged to do a collaborative work, interactive installation pieces based on the idea of “Bliss.” The installation pieces will be based according to what area /space in UP Bliss Diliman and some areas around UP Diliman will suite their proposed installation piece. Part of the immersion is building a network among the groups and convergence of ideas. The whole exhibition space will be UP Bliss Diliman, every corners of it will be considered as a space, with the help of course of the UP Bliss Community. Some other places like the UP Vargas Museum and the San Vicente Elementary School will also be considered as extended spaces of this public art exhibition. A map and a catalogue will be the guide of the audience to the whole exhibition.
3.1 There will be one Head Curator or Project Director, in which the project proponent will be automatically be assigned to. His main task is to initiate the project and to handle the artistic direction that will be needed along the process of realizing this proposal. He will also be responsible for choosing all the sub-curators and participating groups that will be essential for this project.
3.2 The proponent will invite Sub-Curators for the project to handle each group. The sub-curators will be handling the necessary details that requires them to have or accomplished based on the proposed artistic projects of each groups.
3.3 The Head Curator, Sub-Curators and the Participating groups will then have Occasional meetings and planning prior to the exhibition event that is targeted to be realized on January 2012. The meetings and planning will start as early as May of 2011.
3.4 Technical Directors will be assigned on the second half of the project, during the month of November to December to prepare for installation of works and securing all public art pieces during the exhibition.
4 Time frame of project
2011
April to May – Finalization of Permits, Local meetings, Funding and Sponsorships
May – Initial Meetings for Curators and Participating Groups and developing the sub-groups
June to August – Curatorial Meetings and Finalization of Artistic Projects
September to November – Working on the actual Art Pieces for the Public Space Art Exhibition
October- Start of Cataloguing and Exhibition Collaterals including the text and the map
November to December – Installation and finalization of the space
2012
January – Exhibition Starts with a 3 day Event, including performance art, live installations and concert
February to March – Workshops and Forums
April – Exhibition Closed
5 Projected output of project
5.1 The Main output will be Twelve (12) Artistic Projects conceived, formulated, and finalized by the Head Curator, Sub Curator and Participating Groups. This artist Project should be considered as a Public Art Piece that may also cover multimedia and cross disciplinary aspects like video screenings, live performances, live sound recordings, as well as other forms of dialogues, immersions and interventions.
5.2 A catalogue and a Map will also be produced in order for the audience to full y understand the whole context of the exhibition and the artistic projects
5.3 Workshops and Forums will also be an integral part of this event. To fully encourage the local audience about the aims and objectives of the project
6 Who is your target audience for your project?
6.1 The local people of UP Bliss, Diliman and the nearby communities
6.2 Schools and Students, Universities and School Organizations
6.3 Artists, Galleries and Museums and their support groups and audiences
7 How do you propose to disseminate information about the project to your target audience?
7.1 One main way to effectively market this exhibition is through Internet, involving Bloggers, to blog about the event and twitters to disseminate information prior to the exhibition and also to the exhibition proper itself.
7.2 Another means is to create posters, both printed and a data file for digital posters, To be distributed prior to the exhibition at Universities, Schools, Public offices, galleries and UP Vargas Museum
7.3 Using The MYX Music Channel, a local television program found in the Philippines that mainly caters to musicians, enthusiasts, artists, poets and even local communities that supports the art, video and music industry of the Philippines
7.4 Radio, Local radio interviews and press releases
7.5 Art Talk, prior to the event itself
8 How do you think your project will create impact on the art communities/the cultures that you want to engage with?
Hopefully this project will be seen as a project that aims to promote art, collaboration and building/enriching a community, breaking the boundaries between artists, artworks and viewers. It is about focusing on the idea of collaboration, rather than just showcasing art pieces made for public viewing in a public space. During the old times, community engagement plays a vital role in each individuals, this validates your sense of belonging. But now, with the fast-phase technology and computer age, community became just a network, an online reality. But in a real world, they tend to lack the ability to communicate, to engage in person. More and more individuals are much careless because their reality became their identities online. Less and less go to natural parks because they rather go to malls or stay home or work because that’s what the society dictates them to do. Less and less parks are created to give way to businesses and malls to consume money and time.
Majority of the artists in the Philippines don’t really have enough resources to support their art or to create art. I believe this project will invite them to think of other ways of creating art and other ways in which they can involve the local community with their art projects. Artists in the Philippines still tend to alienate the majority of the Filipinos who focuses in living their lives without really knowing art at all or being familiar what art is. This project will hopefully invite the viewers to look beyond each art pieces and get to understand the process of these projects and how it can uplift the community by means of collaboration and art. Art as a universal language, a visual connection, that may trigger positive responses or engage dialogues between concepts and ideas presented in each work.
Putting it outside the context of a museum or a gallery and making it more engaging with the use of a map, will surely build interests among the Filipinos.
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Proponent Contact Details:
Jaime Jesus C. Pacena II
Proponent/ Curator
63‐927-771-4818
j.pacena@gmail.com
www.blissmarket.wordpress.com