On Sculptures

I went to the Banglos Sculptors’ gallery exhibit this afternoon. It was a showcase of sculptures made from the hundreds of driftwood pieces that ravaged Barangay Banglos in General Nakar, Quezon when this small fishing village was hit by a succession of typhoons that also devastated most of the Luzon island of the Philippines last December 2004. These people literally went from fishnets to chisels as, under the tutelage of artist Rey Paz Contreras, they took to rebuilding their lives and homes by making art out of what had caused them to lose their village: the illegally logged wood that pummeled everything in their path as hundreds of it were carried by the water. Instead of turning the driftwood into charcoal and selling it for a mere pittance ($1 per sack), the people of that small village made sculptures that now ranges from $60-$450.

Purchasing a sculpture helps them rebuild their scarred lives and village with a large portion of the revenues going to the artist. It is with the help of SMART Telecommunications (contributed also the SMART Amazing Village) and Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church.

“Banglos” is a name of a species of fish from that area. It is also the name of the devastated village. And also, it means “bangon” and “kilos,” Filipino words that means “to rise up” and “to do something constructive” respectively. Bangon + kilos = banglos. Which is exactly what the villagers have done.

Here are some pictures from the event.

The ones I liked best: horses and a teddy bear.

Left: what my uncle liked. Right: what my aunt liked. They bought the right one. Haha.