Living spaces in harmony with Original Pilipino Music

To live in harmony with your surroundings is the underlying principle of feng shui. And while non-believers will scoff at the practice as a tradition that is chock full of superstition, they cannot deny that well-planned surroundings are a boon towards enhancing creativity, productivity and a feeling of well-being. However, the Philippine School of Interior Design’s (PSID) graduating class of 2013 gives new meaning and unique local flavor to the concept of “living in harmony.” By interpreting popular Filipino songs through well-designed spaces in an exhibit called Obra Para sa Musika, they have created areas that range from meditative, serene and introspective to fun, upbeat and quirky.

“For PSID, this exhibit is unique since it is the first ever to join interior design and music,” said Rosario Cancio-Yujuico, PSID president and administrator in her message. “Sight and sound are the major modalities by which we gain awareness about ourselves and our environment. Interpreting music to visuals is no easy feat but when done beautifully, it is indeed a captivating combination.” 

Surely the challenge to create spaces inspired by OPM (original Pilipino music) has resulted in some rather pleasing and surprising interpretations. The exhibit was one where the literal and palpable translations complemented more thoughtful, subtle takes on the meaning of the songs.

Kumukutikutitap, a Christmas song written and popularized by Ryan Cayabyab, is interpreted as a candy store that is expectedly aglitter and festive with colorful displays of confectionery and a Christmas tree. The Mamang Sorbetero booth (a song made famous by Celeste Legaspi) is a gaily-painted ice cream shop, and Awit ng Barkada (Apo Hiking Society) is a “barkada” room for friends. Awitin Mo at Isasayaw Ko (VST and Company) is designed as a club lounge space ideal for sing-along get-togethers. 

For Katawan (by Hagibis), group members Chester Punzalan, Vernalyn Sanchez, Matt Manlapig, Cherie Dizon, Melwym Arrubo and Hanna Pilpil turned the space into a health spa  — a veritable temple to rejuvenate the body (katawan in Filipino), and Himala (Rivermaya) is a meditation room where one can quietly give thanksgiving or pray for miracles. Incidentally, Himala is furnished with a lone cushion where one can kneel or sit. This can be inverted and hidden in a built-in space underneath the floor so that floor space is easily cleared. Partly in jest, we mentioned that the feature is ideal if the space for prayer is shared with others who prefer to worship through dance or movement. 

As a counterpoint, Sarah Jane Garcia, Gian Cham, Arjay Arcenas and Kristin Jane Capulong interpreted the song Saan Ka Man Naroroon into a well-appointed and cozy room with memorabilia (including a painting of a lost love) as accent pieces. While the song is admittedly not one of our favorites, as we’ve heard it played too many times at funerals, we appreciate that the designers have somehow lessened the song’s sad associations by saying, in effect, that memory and nostalgia bring comfort, too.

The lyrics of Noypi (Bamboo) say “Hoy, Pinoy ako!/ Buo aking loob/ May agimat ang dugo ko/ Hoy, oh, Pinoy ako! May agimat ang dugo ko.” Group members Angelica Libongco, Erika Gegato, Andree Martinez, Ezra Romero, Morris Uy and Diana Tan used bamboo and Cordilleran weaves as design elements in a spa. “The Noypi spa is a celebration of Filipino pride and their resilience as a people,” explains Libongco, spokesperson of the group. “We used varying shades of wood for a sense of relaxation and a natural feel; and Ifugao wooden pieces and weaves as accents. The use of red, blue and yellow provides touches of color for visual highlights, and green bamboo brings in freshness. Fabric on the ceiling and ingenuous lighting of light green panels with a rice stalk design soften the look of the spa.” Certainly, the graceful Kohler bathtub contemporizes the spa experience and Libongco shares that someone has already offered to buy their entire display for a private spa.

We loved the fact that some old songs were interpreted into contemporary interior design. Bituing Marikit, written by Nicanor Abelardo in 1937, was interpreted by group members with soft lighting, a floating bed and a ceiling design that “represents dreaming and getting lost in the stars.” The soothing lullaby Ugoy ng Duyan was turned into nursery without the stereotypical crib for a timeless look that even an older girl or young adult will adore.

A favorite song that speaks of nostalgia is Kanlungan (Noel Cabangon). We appreciated its interpretation that had beautiful cutwork with calado patterns on the wall of a sitting room. The area is a sitting area or family room where photographs of good times may be displayed but, more importantly, group members Justine Vizmonte, Patrick Zaldivar, Theressa Asis and Anna Liwanag demonstrated the possibility of preserving cherished old trees by building around these. “The tree serves as the focal point. It is enclosed in glass where all can admire it,” they say.

Of course, the upbeat songs were represented, too. There’s Bongga Ka Day (Hotdog), fittingly a vanity area with enough storage space for the fashionable woman of the world, and Growing Up (Gary V), which is designed as a musically inclined teenager’s room. A standout element of the latter is the storage space for a collection of magazines built into one wall, which together with trompe l’oeil gives the illusion of wall-to-wall stacks of reading material — really irresistible for pack rats like us who are constantly looking for a creative way to store our book hoards. Likewise, Hari ng Sablay (Sugarfree) is designed as a teenage boy’s room, and is best described as organized and attractive clutter. The focal point of the design is a hanging bed at the center of the room.

“It has been quite a challenge,” relates PSID graduating student Ileana Garcia, who guided us as we viewed the exhibits. “We listened to the songs until the music was constantly playing in our heads. We tried to interview the artists to find out what their songs really mean.” With group mates Jes Chuan, Mitch Tiu, Ina Bautista and Aislinn Kee, she designed a coffee and wine bar inspired by Urbandub’s A New Tattoo. “This is our tribute to beautiful ironies,” says Ileana about their combination of tailored furniture pieces with highly industrialized items.

My top favorite at the PSID exhibit this year, however, would have to be the room inspired by Ang Huling El Bimbo (Eraserheads), a dance studio designed as “a straightforward representation of the song.” Creating a distinctive space that is necessarily bare is a definite challenge but the group successfully surmounted the design dilemma by using varying shades of floor planks, resulting in a pattern appropriately reminiscent of Mondrian art. This, along with images of dancers painted on the walls, shows an intelligent and well-rounded design ethic and indicates that the young designers did their homework and research well. Otherwise they would have been unable to make the “art-design-music” associations. After all, Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, whose abstract art is distinctive for its parallel and perpendicular lines, was also known as “The Dancing Madonna” in the 1920s because of his passion for dance. 

Likewise, I loved the nursery inspired by Ugoy ng Duyan for its beautiful, flowing curves and timeless look. Also, the cashier’s counter of the novelty store inspired by Narda (Kamikazee) that is shaped like the Filipino comics super-heroine Darna’s cuff — that playful addition just has to be the ultimate bling!

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“Obra Para Sa Musika,” the graduation exhibit of PSID’s class of 2013, runs until Oct. 31 on the third level of Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.