The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), in partnership with the British Council, Davies Paints, San Miguel Holdings Corp., and One Redesign Manila will be launching the completion of the ‘Pasig River Art for Urban Change’ project through a river cruise on Wednesday.
Murals painted on nine pumping stations can now be viewed by the public. They can be seen by riding the river ferry or going around roads and bridges along the Pasig River. Art maps can be found at ferry stations and online through MMDA and British Council Philippines’ websites.
Participating artists include Archie Oclos, Cristina Lina and Malarko Hernandez, Ged Alangui, Julius Sebastian, Kris Abrigo, Luigi Almuena, Ralph Eya and Team Manila Graphic Design Studio. Lina and Hernandez are both based in the United Kingdom and traveled to Manila specifically for the project. Leeroy New and Janno Abenoja of LABNEW were earlier commissioned to kickstart the initiative last November.
The nine sites include Arroceros, Aviles, Binondo, Escolta, San Francisco, Makati, Paco, Quiapo, and Valenzuela.
Over 100 people, including volunteers and MMDA employees, were also part of the art production.
Last October, Manila-based filmmaker Janus Victoria received an award from the MegaCities ShortDocs Film Festival in Paris for her short documentary on the project. It features community artist, Ralph Eya and his collaboration with the children of Hospicio de San Jose, an orphanage by the Pasig River. The film won the ‘Urban Planning and Landscape’ category.
This project is one of MMDA’s efforts to create more liveable and inclusive cities through the regeneration of urban waterways and likewise to encourage the public to reconsider the ferry as a mode of transportation to decongest road traffic,” says MMDA Assistant General Manager for Operations, Roberto Almadin.
Pasig River Art for Urban Change is a platform for artistic creation and collaboration around the regeneration of the river. It aims to create more liveable and inclusive cities by inviting artists to use the façade of pumping stations as blank canvases for creative expression. It enables the access of public spaces for artistic expression while raising awareness on the importance of rivers among city dwellers.
Additionally, the project brings attention to the pumping stations, which are often overlooked as common infrastructures in Metro Manila but are vital facilities to address the massive flooding in the metropolis especially during the rainy season.
Pasig River is historically an important transportation route and water source in Metro Manila but has since been declared overly-polluted by ecologists.
Through initiatives like Pasig River Art for Urban Change, the river can once again be Metro Manila’s primary corridor for transportation and cultural activities.
An Advisory Group headed by MMDA along with artist Leeroy New; Patrick Flores, UP Vargas Museum Director; and Lai del Rosario, British Council Head of Arts and Creative Industries, selected the artists from the 75 proposals submitted from an open call last May. (MMDA)
