Summary
Highlights
In Marikina City, the shoe capital of the Philippines, local leather, canvas, wood, and abaca are primarily used. In San Juan City, “Palayok,” an earthenware pot, is a known artwork used for slow cooking over charcoal.
Bulacan is famous for its pastillas wrapper art, known as "Babalat" or "Borlas de Pastillas." This involves intricate paper-cut designs on wrappers, often laminated as bookmarks, and typically made from papel de japon or Japanese paper.
The video introduces the importance of choosing art materials and defines contemporary art as any artwork with an original concept. It then delves into local materials used in creating art, starting with indigenous and local art materials.
Abaca, also known as Manila hemp, is extracted from the leaf petioles of the abaca plant (Musa textilis), a relative of the banana plant. Initially used for rope, abaca is now used in art, grown in the Bicol region and Mindanao.
Coconut shells, from the scientific name Corpus Nucifera, are used for wood carving, cooking utensils, and many other purposes. Laminated coconut shells resemble tortoise shells or ivory and are abundant in areas with coconut palm trees.
Bamboo (Kawayan), mistakenly identified as a tree, is actually a type of grass. It's found throughout the Philippines, and its stem has numerous uses, particularly in art creation.
Capiz shells, from windowpane oysters, are marine mollusks abundant in the Philippines' coastal waters. Cleaned and processed, they are used for artistic applications like windows, lanterns, and wallings.
Rattan is a naturally renewable palm belonging to the climbing palms family. It is widely used for furniture, handicraft, and building materials, cultivated in Western Visayas and Mindanao.
Cowrie shells, scientifically known as Cypraea, are small shells often used in jewelry and shell craft. They are popular for their vibrant colors and are found on sandy sea floors around the Philippine islands.
Junk refers to old or discarded articles considered useless. However, for creative artists, these materials are essential in creating a well-known art form called junk art. Discarded materials often include plastic, wood, and metal.
Dried leaves, ranging from pale yellow to dark brown, are an inexhaustible resource available year-round. Dried leaf art is considered a craft of its own. Plant seeds, acquired from farms or commercially, like corn, sorghum, and sunflower, are used in distinctive and colorful seed art.
Various types of rocks and sands are abundant, varying in size and color, allowing for diverse art forms.
Local art materials are classified as traditional, such as crayons, oil pastels, and watercolors (bought in stores), and non-traditional, like coffee, plastic bottles, and recyclable materials (similar to junk art).