CEBU, Philippines — Interior designers have long talked about the dangers in blindly cramming several thematic motifs into a single space, citing that there’s a difference between being tacky and being creatively eclectic in decorating.
A recent exhibit featured tasteful multi-motif amalgamations, exemplifying the timeless aesthetics of modernist motifs. Titled “Tanyag: The 43rd Annual Students’ Exhibition of the College of Communication, Art and Design Week of the University of the Philippines Cebu” and held at the atrium of Robinsons Galleria Cebu recently, the exhibit was a design-oriented exhibit that featured furniture pieces, artworks and home accessories made by students of the University of the Philippines Cebu’s design courses.
The exhibit showcased Bauhaus-themed dressers, art deco-infused home accent pieces, art nouveau-inspired table centerpieces and macramé-covered chairs, among many others. A bookcase inspired by the minimalist ethos of visual artist Piet Mondrian, a chandelier made from up-cycled PET plastics and home accent pieces crafted via advanced 3D printing technologies were among the standout pieces of the show.
The design exhibit also featured items that are heavily steeped in illustrations and graphic design – samples of marketing and branding collaterals and creatively-designed board games being among the many.
A lead-up highlight to the centennial celebration of the University of the Philippines Cebu (which was celebrated on May 3), the exhibit’s theme reflected the Modernist Movement’s popularity in the late 1800s through the mid-1900s.
By embracing the inimitable markers of modernist themes, the exhibit alluded to the creative shifts and trends that were happening when the university was established in 1918.
Though not exactly a furniture expo, “Tanyag” might as well have been one, as it presented the dynamism of old school-yet-in-the-now themes as interpreted by students.
Simply put, it was a student exhibit wherein its exhibitors might as well have been pros.