It’s more fun to sit in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Amid a rapidly growing international interest spurred by furniture design wunderkinds Kenneth Cobonpue and Vito Selma, and set in a vibrant backdrop of positive economic and tourism outlook, the state of Philippine design has surely come full circle. From being the “Milan of Asia” in its heyday to mere professional design exporters to China, Vietnam, and Thailand in more recent years, the Philippines gears up for a more robust and rewarding furniture industry. This time, with an image all its own.
It is in this spirit that the Furniture Design Class of 2012 of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ College of Interior Design showcases its distinct take on the Filipino chair, with “Bangkultura: One Nation, Seats For Juan,” at the SM North EDSA Interior Zone. As hinted from the rather ambiguous exhibit title, the display aims to reveal the successful pairing of the Filipino bangko, or chair, with the varied vernacular culture across the archipelago, but it too could very well be the relatively young, 12-year-old PUP BSID program’s move to invest in the identity, diversity, and impeccable ingenuity of Philippine furniture’s future. With 14 accent chairs on display, each one representing a distinct region of the Philippines, as inspired by the locale’s cultural, religious, architectural, and even agricultural heritage, 43 of the College’s Interior Design Junior students teamed up in developing chairs, chaises, lounges, and thrones that find their place in the country’s design map.
The quirky, bulbous shape of the Bawang Chair represents Region 1, aptly inspired by the area’s vast harvest of the celebrated vegetable. Fashioned out of crazy-weave rattan and bent yantok, designers Jennifer Bisnar, Ann Bernadeth Baltero, and Pamela Valencia unveils a dome-like sitting that adds a zesty flavor to any modern living space. “We like the rustic look of the garlic, and we took it on as inspiration for its textured, modern shape,” explains Valencia, who, herself is an Ilocano.
On to the next chair, the Ivatan-inspired Vakul, designers Kathleen Maranda, Nina Guiritan, and Jomar Cruz’s take on the traditional Batanes headgear as a seat. With its suspended, swing-like design fashioned out of naturally-finished wicker, the seat offers a lulling experience further enhanced by its punchy-hued cushion. “The Vakul is traditionally used as protection from the elements, and the comforting quality of the design makes it perfect for restful spaces,” shares Cruz.
The Igorot chair, representing the Cordillera Administrative Region, is a multi-faceted design fashioned from traditional sulihiya weave for its extensive backrest, set on a tasteful geometric cane framework finished in black, evoking the tribal patterns distinctly of the area. Designers Aerolyn Adaron, Rana Red, and Michaela Aquino finished it off with a striped upholstered cushion in the traditional tones of the Igorot fabric.
Olongapo’s Sibit-Sibit Festival, on the other hand, becomes the drawing point for the group of designers Melchor Mangahas, John Robert Trinidad, and Genesis Tejada, with their resort-type seating that invokes the sculptural appeal of the traditional sailboat. With a foldable overhead anchored in side bars reminiscent of bamboo fishing boats, the Sibit-Sibit chair, this time, made of core-woven abaca, presents a piece of seaside paradise in even the most urban of abodes. “Our group values function over form, so we made the overhead roof foldable so it can be enjoyed under the sun, or without, when not needed,” explains Tejada on the chair’s ingenious and surprising mechanism.  
The rock and roll appeal of a religious relic is the ironic statement that emanates from the Morion chair, Region 4’s representation in the exhibition’s roster of seats. Mimicking the centurion visor, a trademark costume off Marinduque’s Moriones festival, the chair designed by Glenneth Malunes, Marie Genuino, and Mark Caigas plays on the rich color-way and texture of the island’s Lenten spectacle cleverly set in curved rattan, while reserving enough welcoming room for a weekend of reading.
Also keen on starkness and style is the Maharangon chair, “super spicy” in the Bicolano vernacular, appropriating the designers Melanie Golosino, Mary Crizele Nonifara, and Alwin Bornalo’s siling labuyo-inspired chaise lounge. Peppered with sex appeal from its sinuous curves to its clever contrast of textures, the red and black wrought-iron and bangkuang rope settee features an extended backrest curving at the roof and a rather thoughtful footrest set in the organic shape of the Philippine spice that makes it all the more tempting.
Aklan, home province of the famed Boracay Island and the annual parade of the Ati-Atihan, is the backdrop for Fatima Penaflor, Felina Erquiza, and Christian Servando’s Ati Chair. Inspired by the province’s innate joie de vivre, the Ati Chair is an amalgam of weave texture—from wide-open sulhiya at the base, cross-hatch weave on the stool, fine diagonal woven backrest, and a delectable burst of splayed rattan as crown—all rendered in the festival colors of orange, yellow, white, and black, the chair is a festive celebration in itself.
In contrast, the Crown chair, representing Region 7’s Queen City of the South, is a more reserved observance of religious — and aesthetic ardor. Taking inspiration from the Sto. Nino’s crown, revered by the Cebuanos in the yearly Sinulog Festival, the feminine trio of Hanilyn Ramos, Wennie Jen Olino, and Desiree Jacob unveils a daybed fitted out of fine silk brocade set in a commanding display of golden wicker jutting out in crown-like detail; a seat truly fit for royalty.
And perhaps a standout, due to its modernist take in shape, construction, and ingenuity, just like the famed landmark that inspires it, is the San Juanico Bridge chair. The designers Camille Balmes, Gilda Carmona, and Gian Estrella present the engineering fete in a wonderful display of geometric proportions. Set in blackened brushed-steel showcasing a style that is cubic, curvilinear, and dynamic at once, the chair displays perfect, understated symmetry. But the group, despite its innovations, did not stray far from the indigenous theme collectively invoked by the exhibition; through the use of natural raffia as seating fabric, the feature adds a calculated stroke of genius to the already revolutionary chair.
Not to be outdone in sculptural appeal, though, is the Vinta chair, a thoughtful exercise practiced by its designers Joevie Tuquib, John Francisco, and Peter John Montecerin in visual execution, as an ode to Region 9. A surprising departure from its muse’s colorful nature, the details of the famed Badjao boats are seen on the chair’s sculptural elements, made more commanding by its raised backrest echoing the boat’s monolithic sail. “We veered away from the colorful imagery of the Vinta to provide a chair that has the characteristics of the boat, but could be used in any environment — most especially set against a colored wall,” explains Montecerin on the group’s tactful practice of design restraint. But what they lacked in color, they sure made up for in function, by adding a Vintanilla, or the group’s clever foot and storage stool.
And yet, a refreshing bit of lounge or poolside furniture, the curiously named Anasas Comosus Chair is a burst of tropical-sweet sunshine in any living space. Conceptualized by Grace de Guzman, Tricia Ganados, and Jessica Ramirez, this pineapple-inspired daybed, as imagined for Bukidnon and the rest of Region 10, presents a slice of design kitsch with its color, its playfully cut and patterned upholstery, and its intricate wrought iron and abaca weaving serving as base. The group solicited the help of EG Design Company in achieving and utilizing the patented weave, named after its developer, Zion Foz, and used generously for the chair’s base and back support.
Another fruity piece of furniture in the mix, this time, imitating the king of all fruits — the durian — designers Carla Agorilla, Rhomina Clemente, Lyra Balazon, and Conrado de Jesus envisioned the famed Davao staple’s sculptural skin, its soft fruit, and its long-lasting impact in taste and palette for the group’s Na-I-Rud Chair. Set in golden wicker-weave rattan, the durian’s crowning spike is featured in repetitive patterns all across the chair’s outer wall, while a smooth sweep provides a welcoming backrest, topped off by a cushioned pullout in the hue of the fruit’s intriguing meat; certainly a tasteful rendition of the palate challenging produce.
A benchmark of our nation’s mercantile and nomadic history, the Balangay, also known as the Butuan boat, becomes the design expedition for creators Merrie Alano, Mary Jasmin Castillo, and Alan Jomar de Mesa, producing a chair that is as monumental and functional as its inspiration. “Like how the air made the boats move, we wanted an airy ambiance to envelop our chair,” explains Castillo on the chair’s curiously wrapped yet welcomingly open feel. It features wide-weave rattan sulihiya set in steel framed segments that take off on the boat’s eaves. Also inspired by its nautical counterpart, the chair features a single foot base that extends to the top, signaling a boat’s hull. And as an additional feature in aesthetic and ergonomic soundness, a sidebar called the katig is added, which could perhaps double neatly as a hat stand.
And, lastly, through Christ’s suffering, passion, and salvation, the trio of Abegail Argente, Camille Rodriguez, and Lea Mae Faderson created, rather piously, the Nazarene Chair. Inspired by the Quiapo Church’s Black Nazarene, the trio invoked the most essential feature of the famed catholic icon, the crown of thorns, and crafted a chair so comforting off a rather painful subject. “We designed it for people who want sanctuary in their homes,” explains Rodriguez, noting the generous use of white in its upholstered areas such as the chair’s rounded back and seat. The Nazarene chair, with its glorious display of bent rattan, understatedly elegant seating, and its reassuring design subject, could very well be the must-have Metro throne.
“I believe that the identity that the PUP design students possess reflect the identity of every Filipino. They are competitive, they are resourceful, they are resilient, and they are open to criticism because they want to elevate their own stature. They improve to prove,” proudly explains Billie Jean Dumlao-dela Cruz, Interior Designer and PUP’s faculty adviser on furniture design, as she rounds up her exhibiting class. “This has been an annual event that the PUP promotes for five years now, but we have always remained loyal to one mission, and it is to advocate the best in Filipino design and craftsmanship. With so many external influences today, we just want our students to remain true and never forget how it is to be a Filipino designer.”
From our confident seats of power to our lounges under the sun, our nurturing nooks of comfort or our fine chaises crafted out of dreams, to quote the PUP’s vice president for Academic Affairs, Samuel M. Salvador, “It’s more fun to sit in the Philippines,” and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Furniture Design Class of 2012 certainly shows us why.
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The “Bangkultura: One Nation, Seats for Juan!” furniture design exhibit is on display at the SM North EDSA Interior Zone until Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.