Art Deco Restores Met

Restoration transpires in different entities, both in the living and the non-living. The films I’ve watched recently and the Sunday’s Gospel about the rise of Lazarus were indications that restoration, a return to an earlier condition, usually a better one, was a dominant theme present in my life the past days.

Amid a tight schedule, I found time to look for a Filipino architectural work I can critique. It didn’t turn out as difficult as I expected, thanks to a colleague who brought up the idea of probing the once flourishing setting of Metropolitan Theater (Met) in Manila. How fitting it was for my life’s restoration theme since the city government of Manila planned to relive the glory of Met which came to a halt 12 years ago.

Built in 1931 by Juan Arellano, Met is considered as an Art Deco construction. Art Deco, a popular design movement from 1920 to 1939 is a mélange of various styles in the early 20th century such as Art Nouveau, Bauhaus and Futurism.

Considered as a form of neo-classical structure with an application of exotic ornaments arranged in geometric patterns, Art Deco buildings embraced modernity during the time of their establishment.

The façade of Met boasts of a symmetric geometrical outline evident in most Art Deco buildings. At the same time, circular shapes forming a vertical pattern give dynamics to the structure’s outer wall even as the tiles adorning the façade exhibit rhythmic floral geometrical patterns that grant a dramatic aura to Met.

The curve and zigzag details surrounding edifice lend Met a theatrical atmosphere that played a significant role to visitors who used to watch plays, zarzuelas and vaudevilles in the theater.
Ornaments are striking characteristics of an Art Deco building. In Met, one outstanding embellishment is the Siamese Dancer, a statue created by Italian sculpture Francesco Riccardo Monti.

The move of Manila city Mayor Alfredo Lim to restore Met as a venue for zarzuelas, plays and vaudevilles is a daring act that would enrich the Filipinos’ awareness about our country’s culture.
Theater at most times caters only the elite class of the society. But Lim’s proposal of restoring Met, comes with an aim of creating a socio-cultural avenue for the Filipino masses who do not have enough money to watch expensive plays and performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. - ANA MAE ROA

Photograph Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Metropolitan_Theater

Manila Chinese Cemetery

In one of my Manila travels, Manila Chinese Cemetery is a place I would never ever forget. Manila is basically a busy district, a bustling city of industry and businesses. For many people, Manila is just another spot on the map, a place where snatchers thrive and pirated DVDs spread all throughout the metro. But on the other part of this busy Manila district is a quiet place which is the home of the Chinese-Filipino residents. And in this area, an architectural "subdivision" can be found---the Manila Chinese Cemetery.

"Magnificently Chinese"

Being in the Manila Chinese Cemetery was a new experience to me, and it was like being transported from the Philippines to the China itself, wherein modern Chinese architectural designs which were distinctly Filipino thrive. The octagonal land area that the cemetery encompasses is home to the dead relatives of the Chinese citizens in the Philippines. But what was surprising was that the Manila Chinese Cemetery is not just another cemetery where "apartments" and graves are, but it is a full-fledged ghost subdivision where no living soul walk down the streets, save for the maintainers of the Cemetery. By the word subdivision, I meant the carefully designed and constructed "condo units" for dead Chinese relatives, one of which is a three-storey high mausoleum with a metal gate and a patriarchal bust on the side.

The Chinese Architecture

The mausoleum was tastefully done in a typically Chinese architectural design. Typically, Chinese architecture is keener in emphasizing the horizontality of a structure but the mausoleum was tall and imposing in, a clear deviation from the "horizontal emphasis". Horizontal emphasis has basically three characteristics: heavy platform, large roof and unemphasized vertical walls. But in this case, the vertical walls were emphasized although there was the presence of the heavy platform and large roof.

The roof, on the other hand, can be called the sweeping, multi-inclined roof wherein there are two inclined roofs for the three floors of the structure, with these roofs characterized by the curvature at the corners of the roof.

In addition, "enclosure" was also present, which is defined by the "taking up of an entire property but encloses open spaces within itself". Despite the limited space the mausoleum occupies, there is nevertheless little space in which a bust is strategically placed to complete the ownership and architecture of the mausoleum. The presence of a low fence is an evidence to this "enclosed" characteristic in which the fence also emphasizes the balanced design of the mausoleum. What you see on the right side is also present on the left side. Even the chairs and tables present at the left side of the 1st floor of the structure.

From what I remembered in my Manila Chinese cemetery visit, the inside of this mausoleum is particularly detailed and consistent, with green and red dotting most of the designs. There were four huge wooden columns which were painted in plain green which basically supports the whole three floors of the structure. - ALEXIS LAURA FELICIANO

Truly Rizalian

My family used to visit Rizal almost every week in my younger days in search of some property down south and besides the subdivision where I live is practically located at Taytay, Rizal already. Even when I was young, I enjoyed travelling and went places I really wanted to explore. And among the places I would never ever forget was Nemiranda's home in Angono.

I used to hear Nemiranda's name from my tito who was also an artist and when we drove up to Angono and Morong to check on potential property sites, we passed by the Balaw-Balaw restaurant that stands beside a "museum", which apparently turned out to be Nemiranda's home. The only thing I remembered from Nemiranda's home was that it was made of wood, entirely of wood, with huge carved designs on the entrance. This is typical of Rizal, where sculpted dinosaurs would seem to be trudging along some vacant lot for the pleasure of the visitors. But what is not so typical about Nemiranda's home was that the sculpted images can be found on their home entrance and not on the ground. I admit Rizal is a fascinating provice where artists unconsciously thrive everywhere, not just painters but also sculptors who do sculpting just for fun.

Among the images I remember seeing were dinosaur heads which fascinated me for I have never seen a home as weird or as interesting as Nemiranda's home. There was a blue mermaid reclining romantically over the entrance of the Miranda home and although it was a little bit modern and contemporary for a Filipino architectural design, it was still distinctly Filipino with the use of wood for its floor and ceiling and concrete for the walls.

At the same time, it was a bold decision for Nemi Miranda Jr. to use his sculptures as his architectural design as can be seen in his cafe, his home and his family museum. It was both primitive and modern, in terms of architectural design, and primitive with his use of native materials like wood and sawali for the parts of his home. In a society where bricks and cement are used for the appearance and strength of a house, Nemi Miranda Jr. has used his own tricks not only to ensure home safety but also to beautify it. - ALEXIS LAURA FELICIANO

Santo Domingo Church: The Dominican Home In The Philippines

Santo Domingo Church is known as the home of the richly robed and beautiful image of the Virgin Mary called 'Nuestra Senora de La Naval' or Our Lady of La Naval. After almost four centuries of residing inside the walls of Intramuros, the church and the main home of the Dominican Order had to move to Quezon City where it stands today. It was because of the destruction of the original structure during World War II that the Dominican fathers decided to relocate the church into another place.

The church that can be found in Quezon City is actually the sixth Santo Domingo Church. The first one was erected in 1588 out of nipa and cogon but this was ravaged by fire. The next few churches got toppled by earthquakes and other natural calamities which had made the Dominicans to outdo the last structure by building an even more magnificent church each time.

After the war, a new church was built in Quezon City. It was inaugurated on October 10, 1954 during the La Naval feast and procession. The La Naval image was taken to this church and Santo Domingo was canonically erected as the National Shrine of the Holy Rosary in the Philippines.

The new church was commissioned to architect Jose Ma. Zaragoza, an architecture student from the University of Santo Tomas. He built the church according to the Moderne style which was prevalent in the 1930s and 40s.

The Moderne or Art Moderne style is identified with Art Deco. They differ in overall appearance but both styles share stripped down forms and geometric-based ornaments. Art Moderne has a distinctive streamlined or wind-tunnel look. This effect is emphasized by the use of curved window glass that wraps around corners.

The Moderne style is a radical choice because it is mainly used in residential structures whereas Art Deco is used for tall structures like commercial buildings. Another distinct component is their orientation. Art Deco has a vertical orientation while the Art Moderne is horizontal. Thus, Moderne style is used for short structures.

Santo Domingo is anything but short. Like any church structure, it has an initial thrust in an upward direction in order to pay tribute to the magnificence of the heavens. But because it has the horizontal orientation of a Moderne structure, Santo Domingo appears box-like and massive.

The important innovation in the church’s structure relied on Zaragoza’s decision to combine Moderne style with Spanish colonial architecture. He designed it in accordance with the Spanish Catholic mission style wherein the priory of the Dominicans was attached to the church. This made Santo Domingo Church the headquarters of the Dominicans in the Philippines.

This new Santo Domingo is considered as the biggest because compared to its predecessors this church is 18 feet wider, 13 feet longer, and 28 feet higher. Moreover, the church is regarded as one of the largest churches in the Philippines measuring 85 meters in length, 40 meters in width and 25 meters in height. The church is spacious wherein the total floor area is 3,400 square meters, enough to accommodate more than 7,000 people.

The width of the church gives it a cavernous and magnificent appearance. It has two lateral naves or the main gathering area for the faithful, each with a five-meter width. But there is no column at the center for support which is considered a construction feat even today.

The façade of the church has notable appearance because of its massiveness and clean lines. There is a relief of St. Dominic at the foot of the 44-meter tower which was carved by Italian sculptor Francesco Monti. He also did another bas-relief at the top of the entrance which depicted the Battle of La Naval.

The inside of the church is lined with beautiful stained-glass windows by Galo Ocampo. They depict the old 15 mysteries of the rosary. The windows measure some 21 square meters. Another series of windows consist of pictures of the leading saints of the Dominican order can be found. This includes St. Vicente Liem de la Paz, the protomartyr of Vietnam and an alumnus of Santo Tomas and Letran, and the Dominican martyrs of Indo-China, Japan and China.

There is also a huge mosaic of St. Dominic which constitutes the simple but imposing altar of Santo Domingo. This mosaic is composed of colored stones imported from Italy.

Santo Domingo has a cupola or the dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome. This copula is often used as a lookout or as a source of ventilation. It has depictions in colorful murals of important incidents in the life of St. Dominic done by late National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco. There are eight murals all in all and they measure 3 meters wide by 9 meters long. On the corners of the cupola are the figures of the four evangelists, done in vivid brown tones by Antonio Garcia Llamas.

Aside from the main altar dedicated to St. Dominic, there is an altar house for the La Naval on one wing and another altar for St. Martin de Porres, the mulatto saint of the poor.

The Santo Domingo Church to this day with its history and majesty is seen as a timeless showcase of artistry and spirituality as seen in the structure and the various important artifacts that are housed inside the religious institution. - JOANNA NICOLE BATAC

Information Source: http://supplements.inquirer.net/wowfest/display.php?fld=whats&art=83.htm

Photograph Source:
http://flickr.com/people/bigberto