Jaime Zobel puts art in the open

Only in Ayala, folks. Only in Ayala. Upon entering the tunnel leading to Greenbelt, motorists get a glimpse of a posse of butterfly photos — a gaggle of shapes, colors and wings in mid-flutter. A metaphor, perhaps, of what Ayala and its prime movers have set out to do for their beloved city. Fitting the epigram that goes with it. If there were no change, there would be no butterflies.

“In Ayala we are never afraid of change,” says Jaime Zobel de Ayala, chairman emeritus of Ayala Corporation and the lensman responsible for the “Butterflies” artwork in the Greenbelt Tunnel.

Jaime Zobel recently spent one afternoon with journalists explaining about the genesis of the butterfly collective, and how he painstakingly took photos of those fragile-looking, motley-colored winged wonders from artist Tiny Nuyda’s collection. About how Ayala mallers would pose beside the tunnel artwork and have their pictures taken either for posterity or for Facebook. And about the company’s plans with regard to the newly reopened Ayala Triangle Gardens. Expect a constellation of large-scale sculptures and kinetic installations to punctuate the area by the likes of sculptors Ovvian Castrillo-Hill and Ral Arogante, light designer Voltaire de Jesus, and sound designer Jethro Joaquin. New works by National Artist Arturo Luz will be installed in the gardens by February.     

“Public art is fun,” Zobel enthuses. “There’s tremendous freedom of expression involved, and it is so varied. There is so much to express in the Filipino way.”

Zobel remembers being in New York and seeing how Gucci covered four floors of the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue with one huge poster-like art piece depicting the colors of autumn. “I was in the hotel next door looking and thinking how powerful that was. It did two functions: It advertised Gucci, and at the same time it covered the ongoing construction work in the building with something beautiful.”

He adds, “It is fun to get together with people and talk about how to jazz up our malls with artworks, music, and anything that spells the Pinoy spirit — and to recognize it for what it is.”

Let’s take a walk down re-memory lane. As early as the ’80s Filipino visual artists and photographers held major exhibitions at the Ayala Museum. More and more exhibitions were mounted in the ’90s and 2000s. The redevelopment of the Greenbelt complex “allowed for a smooth integration of art into the landscape, and demonstrated how art can be a regular feature of daily life.” True, true. More and more sculptures sprouted at the Greenbelt Park (last year metal works by Luz and architect Lor Calma began counter-pointing the surrounding greens and boutiques), and the Greenbelt Tunnel itself became a gallery of sorts. Art glimpsed in motion — something conceptually edgy about that.

In the Ayala Triangle near the Filipinas Heritage Library, Zobel wants to bring back the vibe of Fridays in the park where people can take a stroll on grassy spaces, sit under a tree and listen to live music, conjured preferably by acoustic instruments. Reminiscent of Hyde Park with its gazebos where people can sit, have picnics and listen to marching bands. (Remember, Hyde Park is where the Rolling Stones played a concert in 1969 as a tribute to the fallen Brian Jones, and with Mick Jagger, right after reading a Shelley poem, releasing thousands of — those white gorgeous flutterers — butterflies. Coincidentally Jaime Zobel’s recent subject.)

Shower the mallers with butterflies and flood the malls and open areas with art of different plumage. This is Ayala Corporation’s mantra for the Year of Our Lord 2010.

“Our theme for this year is ‘Living with Art,’” says Zobel, concluding his talk sagely. “(We are talking about) abstracts, graphics, sculptures, music, literature, and poetry readings. We have been through so many catastrophes last year. (We need) a bit of a breather to lift our spirits. The Filipino soul is so incredible joyful. (All we need to do is) bring out the best.”