Stations of the Cross, Stations of a Nation

MANILA, Philippines — Influenced by their Catholic education, aware of the world they live in and possessing the burning desire to be involved and the passionate yearning for inclusion, a number of students have realized that they must act and innovate.

Inspired by the Stations of the Cross, the Stations of a Nation is a collaborative, permanent collection of 14 commissioned artworks that revolve around concepts in the journey of nation building.

The pieces, which are centered on the Filipino context and based on the country’s history and current state, are displayed at permanent sections around the campus of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

The first tranche of four installations will be unveiled on Holy Monday, March 26 with a Way of the Cross procession from the 14th floor of the School of Design and Arts Building to the Chapel of the Lasallian Martyrs at the Mezzanine level.

Multimedia student Borcy Mecate’s Bahala Na Si Batman paints a portrait of passers-by who don the mask of the vigilante superhero, and asks why we hinge our lives depending on sponsors and patrons.

Digital Film major Brent Michael Ignacio produces a silent movie titled Felipe, the millennial Filipino, and the son of the iconic Juan de la Cruz. The screening illustrates the pressures and conflicts that young graduates face in the modern world of today.

Production Design apprentice Lauriz Seachon and her group Purok 1 presents Sala, a commentary on the issues of housing for the urban poor through a true-to-life model of residence found under a bridge near campus.

Interior Design undergraduate Windy Jarloc and her team Purok 2 showcase the daily struggle of commuters in Train, which likewise reflects the conditions of the governance of our towns and our cities.

The succeeding 10 obras will continually be revealed until all 14 art pieces are completed by July 2018.

The project is under the tutelage of Manny Montelibano, the director of the Institute of the Moving Image at the University of St. La Salle Bacolod, whose work focuses on the psychology, contemporary socio-political, economic and religious structures.

Stations of a Nation is made possible through the Center for Campus Art headed by its director, Architect Gerry Torres.