POST MODERN in MANILA

Sevilla, Jan Kenneth S.                                                                                                                                    THEDES2

“HOW POSTMODERN BUILT THE CITY OF MANILA?”

Can manila achieve its fullest potential at this point of time? Can there be a change in the way the people see manila today. Metro Manila is one of the largest cities in Asia. With more than 10 million people living on it. After roaming the streets of manila to take some pictures. I can say that the city manila has become one of the most chaotic city in the world, also a fact. Because of the different building that composes it. The mixed of building types of almost everything. Metro Manila is a city that might have been one of the greatest city that can be built into our current time. It is once consider as the jewel of harbour. Now what has happen? The suburbs of manila now surrounded by squatter areas.  Air filled with pollution and a fact that many people lived on garbage dumps. Metro manila has many people surpassing it maximum capacity. Resulting to many residences of metro manila to squat basically anywhere. Now where is the architecture there? Basically metro manila is like a compilation of all styles of architectures. It’s somewhat good and somewhat bad. Living in manila for as long as I can remember I have seen many buildings. Manila is called once as the cosmopolitan heart of Southeast Asia. Now many residents here built house simply just to have a house to live in. They apply the styles they see from anywhere. That’s the reason why it has become like a fruit salad. Mixed with every ingredient they see. This kind of thinking spread to the city of manila and basically it has become one of the characteristics of manila until today.  But in a way Metro Manila is in a way finding a way not to be left out by other countries. They are finding a way to make new landscapes similar to other places in other countries. It is very depressing to see that the potential of manila has not been not been achieve to its fullest. It is such a waste seeing the spaces looking like that when basically it can look a lot better. It really has the potential to be one of the most successful cities in the world. The Roads that used to be beautiful is now nothing but a memory. The bay’s that used to have that beautiful view of the clean water and fresh air now filled with garbage and squatter settlers. EDSA is also a very historic place in manila. It used to be one of the most beautiful spot in metro manila before but now all of that was gone with its concrete overpasses and traffics everywhere. It is such a waste. The fresh air that used to come from the river now smells like crap because of the garbage of the unwanted settlers there.  The places where once consider to be beautiful in manila now a distant memory. The city of manila supposedly was designed to have wide spaces for boulevards and green spaces and neo-colonial architecture. Who would have thought that? Right? The buildings in Ortigas and Makati is filled with post modern buildings. With its colourful buildings. With its columns and massive volumes. Its amazing actually how they cope somehow the cityscape of Singapore somehow. With Its skyscrapers and all that. You could see that the Architects really strive to not be left out. But also one of the reasons why many buildings in Metro manila are post modern, Is could be because of the architects. Architects during post modernism era acquired this   kind of style. Until this time Architects somehow applies this kind of postmodernism design. Streets that used to have many trees beside it was design in classical style. Even if it is surrounded by many tall building and most of the trees are gone and replaced by city lights somehow It shows that metro manila in some way has improved. There is also the Manila metropolitan theatre. It showed an art-deco piece with gilded statues, grillwork of birds of paradise and stained glass. There is also as Mehan garden, a botanical garden during the Spanish colonial period. There is the rizal park is the only standing park from the past until the present time also this is where the Filipino national hero was executed, Dr. Jose Rizal. Many of the people appreciates this kind of architecture.  Metro Manila is truly a museum. The resident in manila unconsciously is adopting the post modern characteristics in their own house or buildings. Their expressing what they like and adopting what they see from different places and adding this features to their own making their house or building post moder-ish. It is kind of convenient for them I think because they have the freedom to do whatever to their house not caring about what their neighbours would say. Manila is really filled with post modern buildings.  Many buildings have come and go. I’ve remember what john L. Silva said that every building destroyed to build new one loses one part of its history. We lose something that explains who we are as a nation, who we are from the past. Where we came from and where we are going. How we live, how we adopt and more.  Some also until today remain standing but its natural purpose today was not used. But it is just for tourist and historical purposes. That also adds the post modern effect to the city of manila. Old remains and new enters. They were mixed together. After the destruction of World War II. The manila kind of started from the beginning. In order to save money the used of used materials became prominent throughout all the building also to save money that is why they recycled the materials. It’s quite impressive for the architects to think in that way. When everything is down they found a way, a solution to their problems. That is also I think why post modern spread into the city of manila until today. I think until today they used recyclable materials to save money all what is needed is creativity.

Well of course roaming and observing the metro manila is a different experience. Seeing the catastrophe that has happen to the city of manila. But it’s not all bad.  I think that is the reason why we are here.  That is the reason why we, students of architecture are here. We are studying the –isms. Of architecture. The styles so that we could fix what has been destroyed and end this chaotic way of architecture. I’m not saying it’s bad but I believe we can do better. We can make this city to achieve its fullest potential. Of course it will be hard and it takes time but We can. Now at our time which everything is possible. If you ask me if I love Metro Manila? I think with its museum like landscape. It’s alright. I love it. Because even if our building is mostly post modern I can see that the Filipino architects is trying their best to cope to new ways to make it better. They realize that Metro manila has that potential, as I was keep repeating from the start, to be the best or at least one of the best cities. We can have our own style of architecture. I think we have the capability to have one. Post Modernism is not a bad thing. I think it is made especially for freedom of expression and the wants for self satisfaction.

Doing this critique made me see what I don’t see. It made me appreciate what we once have, what we have and what we can have. It made me realize how lucky we are to have a city like metro manila but we did not appreciate what we have until its gone. Now we are in a city full of post modern building. We are in a city were all styles are used. We are the ones to blame why this catastrophe happened to our city but this also made me realize that we can also be the solution to our problem. We should think about what we build and just not for the sake of building but to the sake of contributing what we learn to our natural practice as architects. I am proud to those architects whose trying their best to fix what has been broken, to regain what has been lost. I also took ten photographs of building and house in which  I think is a post modern in a sense that it shows different styles of architecture. In a way it shows the freedom of expression on it. And shows that it has used many colours. It may have been very literal but I think that is what post modernism is.  I only took ten pictures but the city of metro manila is filled with many post modern buildings surrounding its environment. I can say this really helps me.

THEDES SCULPTURE

THEDES1

My most unforgettable experience is when the Storm Ondoy hits our place. Although it did not do that much harm in our house, but the damage that it has cause our neighbourhood was horrifying.

Our house was located in Malabon City. That is the reason why flooding occurs when heavy storms like Ondoy strikes. We were very fortunate because our house was high enough to endure the rapid increase of water. But unfortunately some of our neighbours were not that fortunate. Our house suddenly became like an evacuation centre, which is fine with us because they are also our friends. We experience brownouts and everything its funny because for a second there we felt like we were refugees. It’s the first time that I myself experience that kind of disaster. Everywhere you look, basically is water. We were very scared at that time. The Flood stayed for like 2 to 3 days. It’s really not a joke when nature strikes back to us. It teaches me that we all should care of our environment, our nature so that we will not experience that again.

HI-TECH SCULPTURE

I made it to look like this because I applied three emotions namely calmness and worried. The maze like base shows the calmness with its consistency. The support like standing at the four sides is like my emotions slowly I’m getting kind of worried. The last was the lines bursting inside. It shows that I am kind of scared and worried. For me it looked more hi-tech like this because it’s like I used materials that are thin making the sculpture thin.

BRUTALIST SCULPTURE

I made it like the first; I used the same emotions that I applied to the first. The small 3d square at the base shows calmness. The smaller square with smaller squares at the side above it are my worries I’m trying to hide. The straight line inside and out kind of shows my growing emotion it’s like I’m getting worried. The slanted line shows that I am scared a little. I made it not as many as the straight because I don’t want to show the others that I am scared. I made this look like this because I for me brutalism mostly has big masses and has many characteristics most likely 3 to 4.

MODERNIST SCULPTURE

I also based my design for this sculpture from my three emotions. The big square as the base shows my calmness it’s like I’m not worried at all because i know it’s not that serious of a rain. The tiny squares shows that it’s like the big squares are like breaking into pieces. Its shows that I beginning to worry a little and the lines on top show that I am scared because it is not whole it’s like many pieces. I chose this form because for me modernism is simplicity. It has no ornamentation or whatever. It’s like less is more.

CCP Critique .

Critique Paper of the Cultural Center of the Philippines ( CCP )

I am Jan Kenneth Santos Sevilla. A student of  De la Salle-College of Saint Benilde. I am taking the course Bachelor of Science in Architecture. In School of Design and Art, as I said earlier of the De la Salle College of Saint benilde. In my course we are required to take design classes wgich includes ADESPRN, also known as Architectural design principles. AESTHETA, also known as Architectural Esthetics. And now I am currently taking my THEDES1, also known as Theory of Design one. In our thedes class we were given an opportunity to critique one of the most known buildings. Not only in manila, but in the Philippines. The Cultural Center of the Philippines or the “Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas” as define in wikipedia is located in the busy place of Pasay city.It was open to promote and preserve the Filipino arts and culture. It is a place where you can find the true essence of being a true Filipino. It is shows the colorful history of the Philippines in the past years . It makes me proud to be a Filipino in many ways. It is basically the home of Philippine arts and culture. The Cultural Center of the Philippines has different venues for different kinds of event. It has its main building namely the Tanghalang Pambansa. It also has different kinds of theatre known as The Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). It is equipped to meet the requirements of large theatrical productions such as ballets, operas, symphonic concerts, and other musicals. Next is the Tanghalang Huseng Batute (Studio Theater). It is designed for experimental production and has two levels; the upper level serves as a Gallery, the lower level as a Studio which features a variable stage. Then there is the Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas, , this covered proscenium amphitheater is where popular concerts are usually staged. Then Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas, used as a site of different religious groups. After that there is Tanghalang Manuel Conde (Dream Theater), also known as the Audio Visual Room.  There are many more to mention by the way. As we critique the Cultural Center of the Philippines, We are required to take photographs outside and inside it. To show that we came there to experience to see not only its cultural characteristics but also to appreciate its beautiful architecture. When we got there I was excited because it’s not every day we got to go there. Although We have only been there for like less than an hour because we have to go back to school, because of our next class, I myself was really excited. While were there we saw some people taking some video for some events and they were so good. I they are promoting the cultural week or something like that. The we go to the information area because we do not know if it is fine to take photographs inside. They said that we have to get a permit to freely document the place. They told us where to get the permit which is the second floor of the building. So we got up to the second floor hoping to get a permit. As we enter the Room where we can get the permit we were kind of disappointed because they said that we should have a note regarding of the reason why we came there and it should have a signature. I said to myself that the security there is so tight. This for me is not a bad thing in fact it is a good thing because it shows discipline and everything. So instead of going back to school and having to accomplish nothing, we decided to around some places there. And seeing the building from inside rather than looking it from the outside. I must say that it is a big difference because if you are looking at it from the outside you will just see that it is just a rectangular building and you will suspect that it is very small inside because of the floating effect of it becsause of the fountain before it, which is by the way very beautiful at night because it has a floating effect. It is like magic if you thought of it. It  is very well thought of. Well of course it is made by one of the great Filipino architect but enough of the architect. As I was saying, when you looked at it in different perspective, which is from the inside rather from the outside, you will see that it is like the opposite from the outside because it really look classy and grand not only because it has a grand staircase and you will just feel the filipino air from the inside. When you see it from inside you will see some posters of the plays there which is very filipino and you will just be amazed. It looked so big and very spacious inside it is like you were going to think where can the different theatre be placed in such a small building but I guess it’s the power of architecture. You just got to love it. We took some stolen shots for my critique we were very careful it is very exciting because we were like spies because we do not have the permit to take pictures it is very intense. If I thought of what we did there, taking stolen pictures and stuff, it just makes me laugh. Back to the cultural center of the Philippines, When were roaming around the place personally I was impress because everywhere I look it is like there is a thing or an object that reminds you of being a filipino. It is like a history book because in ways it evokes you the culture of the filipinos not only from the past but as well as the present time. It is a very different world from the outside. Very different world from the busy high-ways of Pasay city. And fortunately when we were about to leave the place because

It is almost time for our class we saw some celebrities which I think just finished rehearsing for a play at the cultural center of the philippines. It is really awesome. When were at the outside I noticed the curved sides from the walls just right down of the rectangular building. It is like waves of water that supports the entire structure. Which really blend to the floating building effect with the help of the fountains and lights in front of it. I saw that effect in the afternoon. It is very beautiful and magical. I really wish I could stay until the open up the lights so I can see the full effect of the fountain. I can just imagine it. The beautiful fountain plus the lighting plus the cultural center of the Philippines equals art. The mere fact that outside looks like a beautiful art piece in a way it kind of tells you to go in it because inside you will see more art just waiting to be appreciated. My idea of the cultural center of the Philippines was totally changed because I thought that if you say CCP the first that pops into my mind is it is a boring place, it is just a museum where all the boring thing is. It is just a waste of time being there and all. But now that I am fully aware of what truly the Cultural center of the Philippines is, It made me realize that the cultural center of the Philippines is more than what I think it is. It is a place where the filipino culture and arts lives and never dies. After making this critique about the cultural center of the Philippines or more commonly known as the CCP in Pasay city. I learned how to appreciate it more. I am proud to be a filipino having this kind of structure built here in the philippines. I know that filipino architects can compete with foreign architects because if one can built this beautiful kind of building then so can others. I think from now on I will try more to visit the cultural center of the philippines more often and if there is a chance watch some plays so that I can say that I am supporting our own culture and arts but I think that its more than that. I will try my best to finished my course and be a licensed architect so that I too can contribute to our nation and I can help our people to realize that Philippines can be as beautiful as other country all what is needed is discipline and patience. I try my best to build new structures promoting filipino culture, filipino art, and filipino nationality in that way we will have not only the cultural center of the philippines to be proud of but more.

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