Tumbling dice and strokes of light at Solaire

She’s here somewhere.

Lady Luck, I mean. I bet you’d want her to be nearby — swigging a bottle of beer or sipping her ninth coffee of the evening, listening to Tom Waits on her iPod — for every roll of the dice, every turn of the card. Although she could be quite moody, mysterious even. Sometimes she doesn’t show up at all. But the Muse, well, she’s omnipresent. She’s in the house. We’re here at Solaire Resort & Casino, the first integrated resort in PAGCOR’s Entertainment City along Manila Bay, and the Muse is also here on every swathe of colors in those galactic liquid resin abstracts by Matthew James, in that hulking heavy metal BenCab sculpture, in Tom Epperson’s all-engulfing black-and-white frozen bubble Zen graphics, and other works by artists who hit the jackpot of inspiration. 

Solaire vice president for operations and general manager Adrian Ort says the integrated resort’s contemporary art collection is a reflection of the taste of Enrique Razon Jr., who is the chairman and CEO of Bloomberry Resorts Corporation and the brains behind the entire enterprise.

“We had a very competitive art consultant in Teresa Herrera, but Mr. Razon selected all the artworks for Solaire,” informs Ort. “It has the owner’s signature all over it. Casinos have a history with art — Mr. Wynn has his own gallery in Las Vegas. In Solaire, we have a very good collection of Filipino and international artists.”     

Katrina Razon, who is taking a break from school to help her dad Enrique with the launch of the premium gaming resort, says, “Solaire as a Filipino company wants to celebrate Filipino art and (its status) in the world market.”

She shares Solaire’s philosophy when it comes to art: “Solaire is where artists and designers create a dialogue in each unique space, and where they can push the boundaries in hospitality art.”

Ort explains, “The artworks give character to this property, make it very unique. This is an entertainment place. It should be beautiful to the eyes. You should have quite an experience when you walk into Solaire, so you’d want to keep coming back. And it has to be a total experience. That’s why we don’t want to be called a casino. Solaire is really an ‘integrated resort,’ because it is more than just a place you would visit in order to gamble. We’re much more than that. We believe we’re setting a new benchmark for entertainment in the Philippines.”

He adds that Solaire is something experiential. It is all about soaking in visual delights because of the artworks and décor (more on Solaire’s Czech-crafted lightscapes and other déco gustatory delights (from buffet feasts featuring ethnic cuisines to Asian delights and comfort food with a twist); aural delights (the Entertainment Lounge accommodates 150 seats and showcases live performances); and 18 months from now there will be retail — well, basically whatever rocks your world.

“It’s an integrated experience,” he points out.

Ort is a Swiss executive who first set foot in Manila in 1983. He was based in Hong Kong at that time, doing hotel projects in Tientsin, Beijing and Tsingtao, China. He himself relaxes with friends by playing a Swiss card game called jass, which uses a different set of cards that one would normally use in poker or blackjack. And the object of the game?

“Well,” pauses Ort. “To make money (laughs). Any card game is like that.”

 He stresses that Solaire is about being entertained: “You can be with friends — do a bit of shopping, do a bit of gaming.” Or do a bit of looking at Matthew James paintings.

We take a tour of Solaire and its galaxy of artworks. First stop is Team Manila’s “Animae” murals at Noodle Restaurant. Ort points out, “We even incorporated the tentacles of the octopus of the painting into the design of our chinaware. The tentacles are reaching out into your plate (laughs).” 

In one area of Solaire is a 3D installation consisting of paper and wood shaped into cones to form origami-like pieces. In another area is a digital print lifted from a video by British graphic design group Burn Everything. Popping up in spots are cool pop sculptures by Rich Creations, fabricators based in Hong Kong.

“I like harmony,” Ort explains. “I like pieces that are calming. When colors go well together. When they’re not too striking.”

And harmony tells the entire Solaire story of art.

There are graphic prints and paintings by Carmel Lim and Bojo Torres, 3D wall art by Antonio Arcellana (“Fortune Teller Waffle” is boss), and at the VIP villas are artworks by Fernando Zobel, Edgar Doctor, Rico Lascano and Maya Muñoz, among others. In the hotel are artworks by Rex Dasig and Zeus Bascon.  

But Matthew James dominates Solaire with 46 artworks. The American artist lived in Manila for three months, working on the cosmic pieces.

In his website, James states, “I am interested in utilizing modern materials and techniques to create art inspired by the increased exposure to information that I believe is unique for my generation. Never before in the history of mankind has access to information been more readily available and in such vast quantity. I believe that it is my role as an artist to pull these ideas out of the chaos of digital media where everything seems so blasé and re-conceptualize them in such a way as to allow people space to ruminate over the wonder of the ideas that they represent.”

Adrian Ort goes to his favorite Matthew James and poses for a photo. “I like the color combination of this piece. It has harmony.”

The lights are just right. And for a moment there are very few passersby in the halls of the casino. He’s in luck.

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Solaire Resort & Casinos is at 1 Solaire Boulevard, Entertainment City, Metro Manila.