Teks: Ibrahim Soetomo

Exciting. Energetic. Full of potential. Inilah tiga hal yang dapat mencirikan skena kreatif Filipina. Kini, banyak kreator muda Filipina yang terjun ke dalam skena lokal dengan karya yang menjanjikan. Geliat ini didukung oleh banyaknya industri yang berkolaborasi dengan berbagai disiplin kreatif, serta perusahaan-perusahaan yang mulai peka untuk berinvestasi di ranah desain dan branding.

Pemerintah Filipina juga menyadari pentingnya ekonomi kreatif dengan membentuk Creative Economy Council of the Philippines. Ke depannya, industri kreatif dapat berkontribusi memajukan Filipina sebagai negara yang sedang tumbuh kembang ini.

Dari sutradara terkemuka, komposisi musik termutakhir, hingga kawasan paling hip di kota Makati, kali ini kita akan menelusuri skena kreatif Filipina menurut sudut pandang mentor kompetisi Ubisum, Dan Matituna dari Plus63 Design Co. dan Hydra Design Group, dan Raymond Ang dari CNN Philippines Life.

Notable People: Sosok Kreatif di Berbagai Penjuru Skena

Filipina memiliki banyak pelaku kreatif dengan karya yang impresif. Di ranah musik, ada UDD. Unit yang dibentuk pada 2004 ini dikenal telah menghasilkan musik yang sangat thoughtful. Album terakhirnya, UDD (2019), menggabungkan ragam cita rasa mulai dari disco hingga city pop.

Sedangkan di ranah fotografi ada Hannah Reyes Morales. Ia merupakan seorang photojournalist yang melalui lensanya memotret diaspora warga Filipina serta membicarakan ketimpangan kelas. Fotonya yang meliput para tenaga kerja Filipina di berbagai belahan globe masuk dalam salah satu artikel National Geographic. 

Sosok selanjutnya adalah Antoinette Jadaone. Ia merupakan seorang sutradara prolific yang telah menembus festival film independen juga box office. Sosok di balik film Love You to The Stars and Back (2017) dan Alone/Together (2019) ini memiliki sense yang kuat dalam bercerita melalui filmnya.

Selain itu, Carl Jan Cruz merupakan salah satu pelaku fashion yang telah meraih sorotan internasional. Bersama brand-nya, Carl Jan Cruz, ia telah menggelar trunk show di beberapa lokasi di London, Paris, New York, dan karyanya telah masuk feature media dari i-D hingga New York Times.

Mari bergeser ke kuliner. Sosok lokal yang patut disimak adalah Jordy Navarra dari Toyo Eatery. Menurut Raymond Ang, “Ia telah menjembatani gap antara kuliner Filipina lokal dengan yang kelas global.” Tak heran, karena pemilik restoran yang masuk dalam daftar Asia’s Best Restaurants 2019 ini pernah membuat satu hidangan salad dengan 18 variasi sayuran yang disebut dalam lagu folk Filipina, “Bahay Kubo”.

Notable Works: Deretan Karya Impresif Bukti Gairah Para Sosok Kreatif

Salah satu karya notable di bidang fotografi adalah seri “We are Like Air” oleh Xyza Cruz Bacani. Seri hitam putih ini memotret kehidupan para pekerja imigran Filipina dan bagaimana kehidupan mereka terdisrupsi karenanya. 

Sedangkan salah satu komposisi musik termutakhir adalah (pa)-ba-ya-(a)n-ko oleh komponis Alexander John Villanueva. Pada karya ini, “sang komponis berkolaborasi dengan desainer, musisi dan performer dalam satu pertunjukan yang menggunakan instrumen-instrumen musik eksperimental,” menurut Dan Matituna. Kalian dapat menonton salah satu karyanya yang lain dan menilik jejeran karya sang komponis di sini.

Jika ingin melihat sejarah terbentuknya Filipina dengan cara yang colorful, maka, novel grafis Dead Balagtas Tomo 1: Mga Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa adalah karya yang patut disimak. Novel grafis buah tangan ilustrator Emiliana Kampilan ini mengisahkan sejarah terciptanya semesta dan Filipina melalui kisah mitologi Visaya, Filipina.

Ada pula karya video instalasi Super Woman KTV oleh Eisa Jocson, seniman yang memenangkan Hugo Boss Asia Art Prize 2019. Karya ini merupakan video karaoke bercampur performance yang terinspirasi dari ritual-ritual lokal, tradisi-tradisi lisan, hingga musik pop masa kini, dalam perspektif feminis.

Notable Places: Creative Hub, Kawasan Historis dan Lanskap Kota Lainnya

Filipina memiliki beberapa pusat kreatif di dalam kota. Yang pertama adalah Karrivin Plaza yang berada di Makati, salah satu kota financial hub Filipina. Karrivin Plaza merupakan kawasan hip dalam kota yang terdiri dari galeri seni, restoran, kedai kopi hingga creative office. Ada pula Cubao X, sebuah creative hub di Quezon City bernuansa vintage ketemu youthful dan telah menjadi melting pot bagi seniman, desainer, musisi, skaters, hingga foodies.

Selain itu, ada Escolta, suatu kawasan bersejarah yang kini menjadi pusat kreatif sejak kolektif 98B Collaboratory pindah ke First United Building dan menghidupkan skena kreatifnya. Kini, lokasi Escolta memiliki ruang-ruang kreatif, co-working space hingga toko-toko, dan menjadi tempat bagi The Escolta Block Festival.

Ada pula Poblacion. “Dulunya [kawasan ini] merupakan red light district, Poblacion kini telah menjadi pusat suasana malam Manila,” kata Raymond Ang. Di sini, kita bisa menikmati berbagai independent shops, restoran, bar hingga ruang seni dengan semangat punk, Limbo.

Kalian juga dapat mengunjungi Aguirre St. untuk melihat suasana retail shop kota. Ada beberapa concept store seperti Hoodwink dan Archives, hingga butik dengan kurasi ketat seperti Carl Jan Cruz hingga Halo Halo Store.

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Skena kreatif Filipina begitu hidup, bergairah dan sangat potensial. Melihat jajaran nama di atas, tak heran kiranya jika skena kreatif Filipina sangat menjanjikan. Artikel ini merupakan kerja sama dengan Ubies, sebuah platform bagi para kreator Asia lintas disiplin, dalam rangka ubisum by ubies, sebuah turnamen kreatif online bagi para kreator se-Asia yang mengundang 100 influencer kreatif sebagai mentor yang nantinya akan bekerja dan mendukung para kreator pilihannya. 

ENGLISH VERSION

Exciting. Energetic. Full of potential. The three phrases that can characterize the creative scene of the Philippines. Lately, many young Filipino creators plunged into the local scene with some range of promising work. This movement is supported by many industries collaborating with various creative disciplines, as well as companies that are beginning to invest in the realm of design and branding.

The Philippine government has also realized the growing importance of the creative economy by forming the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines. Going forward, the creative industry can contribute to advance the Philippines as a developing country.

From reputable directors, cutting-edge musical compositions, to the most hip areas in the city of Makati, we will explore the Philippine creative scene from the point of view of the Ubisum competition mentor, Dan Matituna from Plus63 Design Co and Hydra Design Group, and Raymond Ang from CNN Philippines Life. 

Notable People: Creative Figures from Various Scenes 

The Philippines has many creative figures with impressive works. In music, there’s UDD. Formed in 2004, the unit is known to have produced very thoughtful music. Their latest album, UDD (2019), combines a variety of genres ranging from disco to city pop.

While in the realm of photography, there’s Hannah Reyes Morales. She’s a photojournalist who through her lens portrays the Philippines diaspora and discusses class inequality. Her work covering Filipino workers in various parts of the world was also included in a National Geographic article. 

The next figure is Antoinette Jadaone. She’s a prolific director who has successfully penetrated independent film festivals as well as the box office. This person behind “Love You to The Stars and Back” (2017) and “Alone / Together” (2019) has a strong sense of storytelling in her films.

In addition, Carl Jan Cruz is one of the Philippines fashion creatives who has gained international spotlight. With his brand, “Carl Jan Cruz”, he held trunk shows in several locations in London, Paris, New York, and his work has been featured in various media from i-D to The New York Times.

Let’s shift to culinary. A local culinary figure worth mentioning is Jordy Navarra from Toyo Eatery. According to Raymond Ang, “He has bridged the gap between local Filipino culinary and the global standards.” No wonder, this chef whose restaurant was included in Asia’s Best Restaurants 2019 list had once made a salad dish with 18 variations of vegetables mentioned in the Filipino folk song, “Bahay Kubo”.

 Notable Works: An Array of Impressive Works, Proof of Creative Workers’ Passion

One notable work in the field of photography is the “We are Like Air” series by Xyza Cruz Bacani. This black and white series portrayed the lives of Filipino immigrant workers and how their lives have been disrupted by it.

While one of the most sophisticated musical compositions is (pa)-ba-ya-(a)n-ko by composer Alexander John Villanueva. In this creation, “the composer collaborates with designers, musicians and performers in a single performance using experimental musical instruments,” according to Dan Matituna. You can watch one of his other works and view the composer’s line of works here.

If you’re interested to learn about the history of the Philippines in a colorful way, graphic novel Dead Balagtas Tomo 1: Mga Sayaw ng Dagat at Lupa is a work worth reading. This graphic novel by illustrator Emiliana Kampilan tells the history of the creation of the universe and the Philippines through a mythological story of Visaya, Philippines.

There’s also Super Woman KTV, a video installation by Eisa Jocson, an artist who won the Hugo Boss Asia Art Prize 2019. This installation is a karaoke video mixed with performances inspired by local rituals, oral traditions, and contemporary pop music, told in a feminist perspective.

 Notable Places: Creative Hubs, Historical Areas and Other City Landscapes

The Philippines has several creative centers within the city. The first is Karrivin Plaza, located in Makati, one of the Philippines’ financial hub cities. Karrivin Plaza is a hip area consisting of art galleries, restaurants, coffee shops, and creative offices. There’s also Cubao X, a creative hub in Quezon City with a vintage but youthful touch that has become a melting pot for artists, designers, musicians, skaters, and foodies.

 In addition, there’s Escolta, a historical area that has become a creative center since the collective 98B Collaboratory moved into its First United Building and enlivened its creative scene. Now, the Escolta is home to creative spaces, co-working spaces to shops, and is host to The Escolta Block Festival.

There’s also Poblacion. “Formerly [this region] was a red light district, Poblacion has now become the center of Manila’s nightlife entertainment,” said Raymond Ang. Here, we can enjoy a variety of independent shops, restaurants, bars and art spaces with the spirit of punk, Limbo.

You can also visit Aguirre St. to see the atmosphere of the city’s retail shop. There, we can find several concept stores such as Hoodwink and Archives, to boutiques with tight curation like Carl Jan Cruz to Halo Halo Store.

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The Filipino creative scene is lively, passionate and filled with potential. Looking at the ranks above, it’s no wonder that the creative scene of the Philippines is highly promising.

This article is a collaboration with Ubies, a platform for interdisciplinary Asian creators, in relation to ubisum by ubies, an online creative tournament for creators in Asia that invites 100 creative influencers as mentors who will work and support their chosen creators.