Exhibit interiors inspired by OPM classics

MANILA, Philippines - The ongoing exhibit at the third level of Glorietta 3 in Ayala, Makati offers not just the snappy craftsmanship of topnotch interior designing students. It also allows visitors for a trip down memory lane as the designs themselves are inspired by classic pieces of Pinoy music.

The exhibit, aptly called OPM: Obra Para sa Musika, showcases 21 home and commercial spaces carefully designed to represent a particularly acclaimed Filipino-penned song. Students comprising this year’s advanced class from the Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) are behind the creations.

“Lahat sila maganda. I wasn’t expecting the designs to be this good,” praised the outspoken Hotdog frontman Rene Garcia when interviewed by The STAR.

The Manila Sound stalwart went around the exhibit with his naked eyes when he attended a special gathering prior to the public opening. One of his band’s hits, Bongga Ka ‘Day, was chosen and translated into a vanity room, admittedly to his delight.

Though the songs enlisted to serve as inspiration for the students more or less include a few from as recent as the last decade, most come from eras further back, like Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko (VST & Co.), Awit Ng Barkada (APO Hiking Society), Growing Up (Gary Valenciano) and Ugoy Ng Duyan (Lea Salonga).

Visitors are likely to be amused by how intuitive the designs have turned out in relation to the songs. Hagibis’ hit Katawan is rendered into a spa; Tillie Romero and Ray-An Fuentes’ Umagang Kay Ganda becomes a beachfront room; Francis M.’s Kaleidoscope World is interpreted as a learning center; and Rivermaya’s Himala is reflected as a meditation room. Others were more direct like Mamang Sorbetero (Celeste Legaspi) was fashioned into an ice cream store. 

Batch adviser Edwin Enriquez related, “Songwriters have been known to get inspiration for their music from their surroundings whether it be a landscape, an enclosed space, a visit to a place or space where they grew up and other life events. I believe most in the design field have music and design on top of their list of things they love.” 

The Obra Para sa Musika exhibit ends on Oct. 31. 

In a separate music-related story, five upcoming bands, or probably the future of OPM, are set to unleash their brand of music as they battle it out for the grand prize and bragging rights to be called the first-ever Get Loud champ. 

Get Loud is a battle of the bands campaign put up by Converse which picked five semi-pro acts from key regions in the country for a rock slugfest, with the winner taking home P150,000 worth of cash and Converse products. The first and second runner-up, and the bottom two finalists will get less amounts of cash-product package worth P100,000, P60,000 and P40,000, respectively. The finals is slated on Nov. 9 at a venue yet to be announced. 

The participating bands are Even (North Luzon), Brisom (NCR), Kissbone (South Luzon), Bethany (Visayas) and Jad Montenegro (Mindanao). 

Eli Bonsol, Converse Philippines advertising and marketing manager, stated, “These bands represent the best of the alternative scene. Based on the strength of their original song submissions and performance, they represent the best values of musicians in the industry.” 

Listeners can vote for the bands they’re rooting for by liking www.facebook./ConversePhilippines and clicking on the Get Loud tab. Twenty percent of each group’s final score will come from fan votes. 

Francis Reyes, former lead guitarist of The Dawn who saw all five bands perform during a presscon, told the competitors, “It all boils down to how you’re gonna attack it. Stand by your song.”