Baler, Aurora: The exhibit at the Bulwagan ng Dangal, UP Diliman’s University Heritage Museum, is largely an ethnographic exhibit that foregrounds the town of Baler in Aurora. Curated by Prof. Ruben D.F. Defeo, it opens February 15 and runs until March 31.
For the exhibit, the siege fo Baler is chosen because of its impact in the life of the people of Baler. A major area of the Bulwagan simulates the Baler church interior where the action took place. A looped version of the documentary film on the siege of Baler entitled Los Ultimos de Filipinas is screened on a set schedule every day of the exhibit.
The exhibit also presents the community of Ilongot through vintage photographs of this fast vanishing tradition.
A special segment of the exhibit focuses on the various creative ways where Baler is depicted in art. A formal presentation, this section features diverse artworks that portray musings on Baler by artists from the UP College of Fine Arts Leo Abaya and Denes Dasco. The installative sitework of Junyee uses coco coir and other materials extracted from the coconut tree, thus providing an apt preview of the current state of industries in Baler.
Write-up from What’s UP? (January-February 2010 Issue)