“Art In Labor”
MAy 1, 2008
HCDC Museum
Sta. Anan Avenue, Davao City




Curatorial Notes:

“The artist must sacrifice to their art. Like the bees, they must put their lives into the sting they give.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Art comes from the Latin term “ars” which means skill. Art is a creation. If it is a creation it is a planned activity . It undergoes the 3 experiences of the artist; the subject, act of expressing and when the work is done or interaction.. Art is labor…in undergoes experience and it demands involvement.. it can be in a functional nor non-functional form.

The exhibition design is a concrete functional or interactive art, because it establishes a domestic, personal setting yet suggests social undertones. This is an extension and a profound manifestation of solidarity of contemporary art practitioner , bringing art not just in the confines of the artists’ world or art community but extending and intensifying it in school and community. Providing an alternative venue for students to understand the dynamism of Labor in the artist’s perspective.

All the works are juxtaposed to restructure dynamisms of labor practices.

Dhel Dilangalen’s work ;

1. “ Sapatos” (Installation Art, found objects- shoes and net) “Ang simbolismo sa sapatos kay ang mga tao nga gikan sa pagkagamay gihasa na sila sa pagmugna kung kinsa sila pagdako. Ang pukot simbolo sa lawak sa ilang pangandoy para sa kaugalingon ug pamilya ug sa uban.”

2. “Pin Cusion” ( Interactive Art, pin cusion, needles and thread)
- It talks about us choosing the right decisions. Sometimes people tend to choose the easier path, symbolized by the needles with bigger hole, in order to easily overcome their trials in life. Others think that life is more meaningful if they will choose difficult path, symbolized by the needles with smaller holes.

Ding dong Milgo’s work:
1. “Singot”- an installation art. A struggle of warships, years spent for survival. Attainment of her basic needs, carving for something couldn’t materialize. Each day, a heavy load placed in every shoulder in exchange for little amount to spend. Milgo’s work is a recent issue exhausted out from rice issues. His craftsmanship reflects his skill in instrument making(flute, percussion instruments), bracelet design and construction art précised and fit.


Paolo Sandalo’s works:
1. “Noontime Daydreaming”- the Piece combines two contrasting elements; fantasy and reality. It tries to display how these interact in the minds of the members of the working class.
2. ‘Small talk” Provides a perspective about the lifestyle of two very different working classes with the society. Ultimately, nature doesn’t have a definition of both rich and poor.
3. “Ramblings” – As rallies and protests are common occurrences, the poem attempts to capture the exhausted working man’s viewpoint about the same.
Reflecting on Sandalo’s work it tackles the issue on productivity, participation and citizenship responsibility. The poem(small talk) projects valuing, and determining between a fortunate rich man and an unfortunate man. It shows a disparity between choices and social conscience and consumption and importance and labor and leisure. Sandalo’s exposure in the community research and corporate exposure provided him a dynamism one one’s survival ,of productivity and of excellence.

Krishna Zabate’s work
Krishna Zabate is a socio college teacher, Her profound interests in Indigenous art and contemporary and her knowledge on sociology guided her on her studies on art in labor. Since, shes a performer and a teacher, she weave an art that would best suit her personal experience, utilizing art installation as to intensify her association to objects that reminded her on her profession.Her observations on the behavior of Pinoy is depicted on her works.

1. AlKANSYA” (coin bank) . This is an installation art composed of a collection of plastic bottles in different sizes and kind to represent the coin banks of a meager worker.
These are all disposable; plastic bottles as common savings are not lasting. There are bottles which had been stashed or whose slits have been opened to represent how money fluidity: it goes inside to be saved and eventually, forced out to be spent.
The bottles have different content to display the priorities of a worker’s budget.

2. Puga Oras- this is an installation art which shows the scant salary of weager workers no matter how hard they try to squeeze their effort and time in arduous labor.
3. Work a petit: an installation art which shows a pile of workload being feasted at the dining table. This depicts how the work invade the home and how it steals the sacred time of a person with the family.
Zabate’s depiction of a worker that brings her/his work /homework b( papers,quizzes) at home. No more time for interaction in the family. In the later part it becomes stress and tension.

Mae tautho’s work
1. “ Entabaldo sa pakigbisug” (stage of survival) (Construction art )
Nowadays, people are in survival dilemma, especially with the call of their starving stomach. Food is one of the basic needs for survival, but in reality food shortage is rampant. The prices of food increases but its production decreases.
The typical Filipino worker (parent) is working hard to provide the basic need of their family (food). But it is not enough. And so they will do everything to the extent that they become like robot workers in order to meet their needs.
Mae’s intention is grounded in Family. The food is basically one of the important element that binds family, as I quote this social commentary that a family that stays together, prays together, or a family that stays and dine (at least) in the evening are bound together…Mae is a performer and also into directing actors and into ,lights design. She was able to depict struggles of an artists personal , universal experience.

Noy Narciso’s Work;
1. “Kayud, Alingug-ngug” – chair, cd player, speakers, headphone,
- is an audio- performance/installation depicting daily routine.
- The contents are observations of a typical Pinoy worker
- Observations are presented through texts and are performed and presented through an installation/interactive/audio-performance
- The performance attempts to imitate the boring/dullness/repetitive noise, psychological effect of routinary work- that every time they sit and relax the mind is still working.
- It elevates patterns of household chores or domestic works repeated to project mechanical lifestyle. Mechanized noise.
2. “Post It Peso It”
- It is an interactive installation art wherein audience and viewers are invited to participate
- It calls to evaluate how Filipinos value a P100 bill
- It determines how the participants value the P100 bill
- It determines how people vary in their needs
- It attempts to remind people to be critical on the situation
- The process of this art developing patterns on space on or wall that symbolizes or represents importance and valuing.

It attempts to remind people to be critical on the situation;
The process of this art developing patterns on space on or wall that symbolizes or represents importance and valuing.

3. “Binugha” ( firewood) – Is an interactive/ performance art. Firewood is the most common source of fuel in barrios and town.The nature of drying and collecting firewood is a collaborative effort of the whole family. The daily ritual enables a family to work together; Father gathers and chops firewood, mother arranges them for drying with the children helping. This art challenges the audience to participate and be able to experience the ritual. Therapeutic indeed. The “binugha” is an interactive art and will be the ritual in the opening ceremony.

4. Bagahe - Construction work inspired by Personal buggage on his work as a teacher and the artists in him that needs space.
There are two works that are interactive / collaborative the “pahulay”. It is a depiction of rest between work, utilizing guitar and the helmet as art symbols, it is presented in elevation as to suggest tension and hope. The work imitates the Soldiers honorable burial symbolism, with the rifle half –buried and the helmet rests on top.
The colors of each object and its stillness of its texture are held as is to re-scratch the experience of the labor reality and to project somehow and retain the shadow of reality.
The ability of the Exhibition and the group on transforming concepts into installation/performance art/ conceptual art does not lessen art symbolisms nor weakens the attempt to define new symbolisms because of its in-animating objects into its still image but transformed and compose into new symbols, to incorporate the political and social undertones of labor.
Furthermore, their primary medium as performance art reflects on their work , as collaborative and interactive as possible. It never leave the reality and it does not stay in reality , it elevates something to a certain purpose.
The Theme “Art in labor” also depicts the name of the group Hikut hungihong. It is a coined word which means “tied whispers”.Hikut also refers to strings, tension, bonding, relationships, movement ,or the concrete object. hile hungihong comes from the Visayan term hunghu-ngihong which means murmurings or also refers to sound, essence, time or the soul.
This is a multi- discipline art group and its members are from teacher to a researcher , to a full-time artists. Dhel Dilangalen- an elementary and free-lance performer,Harvey “ding-dong” Milgo- a percussion and wind instrument maker, Norman “nonoy” Narciso – a full-time of ADDU teaching Humanities and a part-time teacher of HCDC handling Theatre arts and Humanties. Paolo Sandalo, a writer and a researcher, Mae Tautho an elementary teacher, performer and do technical productions too. Krishna Zabate – a part-time socio teacher of the ADDU and a sessional performer.
The hikut hungihong started with a Music Performance \focusing on peace music or brief encounters on September 15, 2005 at the Ateneo de Davao University. The hikut hungihong other disciplines; community theatre , basic visual, Theatre and writing workshops.hikut hungihong’s performances are usually school and comjunity based which is basically educational by nature, conductinglecture-demon-mini conerts and conducting talks and workshops ( GKK of Brgy. Bato Sta. Cruz , Entablado of AB Department/ Mass Comm/ MC 6 Holy Cross of Davao College , Teatro Humanidades of Ateneo de Davao University , Guest -Kuyaw GMA 7 ,Featured Muzika del sur)
Thus, it does not lessen the societal importance of the tableaux and corners, but rather complements the artist’s personal views and viewers’ experiences. It complements their primary expression which is theater/performances/literary/music/dance. The works become more interactive and it involves the audience.