Bringing Bacolod Art to a new level

CEBU, Philippines - Six colorful three-dimensional art installations mounted on sculpted paper boats, floating in the fountain area of the Bacolod City Government Center, are among the newest attractions for MassKara Festival revelers.

Dubbed the “Dreamer’s Floating Carousel,” it is the eighth installation of Majica MassKara, an annual major art event, launched in 2004, of the MassKara Festival that showcases works of outstanding Bacolod visual artists.

It is the work of Charlie Co, a leading Filipino artist based in Bacolod, in collaboration with a group of local artists lead by artist and production designer Neil Benavente.

As one of the three landmarks designed for the 32nd MassKara Festival, the “floating carousel” has brought the art works of Bacolod artists to a new level that many people, even children, can relate to, festival director Eli F. J. Tajanlangit said.

“One thing that makes this relevant in the Philippine art scene is that this is an example of an art work that goes down to the level of entertainment without compromising its artistic values. This is art that the people—the masses, even the unschooled, and the children—can understand,” Tajanlangit said.

Co said the “Dreamer’s Floating Carousel” was an idea from the paper boats one created when one was still small, but unlike the merry-go-round that revolves in its place, it is the people this time who should go around the fountain area to enjoy the 8x 8 feet art works.

The art works took about two months to be completed, starting with conceptualizing it on the second week of August, he said.

“The ‘Dreamer’s Floating Carousel’ is to challenge people to think out of the box. They should dream.  Anything is possible. The power of dreams and the power of the arts can change things, can make the world better,” Co said.

“Last week, everywhere there is flooding. We Filipinos are survivors. Despite the bad situations that happen, we still move on. The rains cannot dampen the power of the arts,” Co said at the launching Oct. 7, which was raining shortly before it opened.

Through his art works, Co said, he wants people of all ages to come to the Bacolod City Government Center and “smile,” alluding to the tag line of Bacolod as “The City of Smiles.”

Tajanlangit added, “Hopefully this work is going to go a long way in art appreciation and art education among our people. It is also something that we can lay our claim on as the art capital of the Philippines after Manila considering this kind of work. It’s something new; it’s something that hasn’t been done before in a scale as big as this.”

This is a milestone not only for Bacoleño and Negrense art but also for the Filipino art. I know the (art community in the) Philippines is looking at us now, he said.

Co hopes this idea would be nurtured into something more permanent, and that somebody will invest on it so it will become another tourist attraction in Bacolod. 

Tajanlangit said, “The MassKara Festival is a celebration of the best of Bacolod and everything its people hold dear. And that can be delivered most dramatically by artists.”

“We are happy that Bacolod has an artists’ community that actively contributes to the affairs of the city such as the MassKara Festival. The Majica Masskara is an artists’ gift to the city,” Tajanlangit said.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia, for his part, said, “The major reason MassKara continued to become so big is because we have talents and artists in Bacolod who have contributed so much in making the MassKara festival what it is today.”

“Tonight is another special event in our MassKara history because we are effectively launching a new concept in Philippine art. Together we celebrate the festival and this particular day we salute Co and all his fellow artists,” he said.

“Masskara is MassKara because our people had embraced this festival and take the MassKara as part of our life and culture in Bacolod,” Leonardia added.