KM1: What Remains What Disappears
PINOY FORTRESS by Manny Montelibano
Oct. 27- Nov. 27, 2012
Rajah Sulayman Theater, Fort Santiago
Intramuros, Manila
KM1 is presented by the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Alliance Francaise de Manille
Organized with the Quezon City Government, Department of Tourism - Intramuros Administration, musee Nicephore Niepce, and the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
Pinoy Fortress is inspired by the words of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal.
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| KM1: What Remains What Disappers - Pinoy Fortress |
‘Man ought to die for his duty and his
convictions. I maintain all the ideas that I have expressed concerning the
state and the future of my country and gladly I’ll die for her, nay, to obtain
justice and tranquility for you. I have always loved my poor country and I’m
sure I shall love her until my last moment, should men prove unjust to me. I
shall die happy, satisfied with the thought that I have suffered, my life, my
loves, my joys, my everything I have sacrificed for the love of her.
I wish to show those who deny us patriotism
that we know how to die for our duty and convictions. To foretell the destiny
of a nation, it is necessary to open the book that tells of her past.’
Jose Rizal
The
Filipino National Hero Jose Rizal understood that physical death could not kill
the soul, what he stood for and what his legacy could possibly mean to his
people. This optimism is characteristic
of Filipino strength that is repeatedly manifested in the course of a history
of violence. Pinoy Fortress is a video installation which highlights the trace
of a smile in a Filipino face which is the manifestation of this invincible
core of Filipino sensibility. The indefatigable Filipino spirit is known to
prevail against oppression and suppression with a courageous smile. Wherever
Filipinos are, be they big or small, in whatever state of crisis or economy,
they never lose sight of their own importance and significance. Such spirit has
allowed a nation to rise among the ashes of loss to recoup and rebuild. This is the
inspiration of the work and the artist aims to communicate what he felt when he
revisited Fort Santiago.
A
sentinel of sorrow and conviction, Intramuros remains to be the oldest district
and considered the historic heart of Manila. Even now, it stands guard over the
Philippines’ symbol of liberation dearly paid for with blood and courage. This is a perfect venue for Pinoy Fortress, art in a public
place. The work attempts to describe the profile of the present Filipino who
persists to be a searching soul in a continuing political and cultural struggle for
liberation. Through
the Rajah
Sulayman Theater, a part of the Filipino fortress, the work is embodied
in two dimensions that showcases the uniqueness of the Filipino through installation
art involving video images on the tv monitors inside a box mounted on the heads
of a human structure.
The
Videos: A montage of disasters and series of events that happened in the
history of the Philippines with inserts of Filipino faces smiling.
KM1 also features the photographs of MM Yu and Lea Euozan in the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Another part of the project extends to the Metropolitan Museum of Manila which features a series of photographs and a single channel video.
KM1 is curated by Francois Cheval of the Niepce Museum of France.
This project is possible with Rustans and Franco Phil Sponsors: Bank of the Philippine Islands, Pernod Richard Philippines, Le Cellier ( French Wine Selection) and Mandarin Oriental Manila, Business World and Business World Highlife.
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