River I
by Angelo Mendoza
Water and lahar weaving together to form this serene landscape as photographed from above a braided river in Botolon, Zambales.
Agos I and Agos II
by Sara Erasmo
Agos I and II are inspired by the simple way water distorts objects and refracts light. These works show the tiny worlds that exist within our world, and the inescapable ebb and flow of life.
Guardian of the Marsh
by Gab Meija
The Manobo indigenous leaders, the guardians of the sacred Lake Panlabuhan, have coexisted with this wetland complex of lakes, rivers, and peatswamp forests adapting to the rise and fall of water. A changing landscape threatened by our changing climate and society.
Our Sacred River
by Pau Villanueva
Manobo children are playing in an abandoned boat beside the Pulangi river. The river is considered the longest river in Bukidnon, Mindano and see the river as their cultural identity and source of livelihood. The US state-funded Pulangi V project has been protested by local leaders to campaign against the adverse environmental impacts the project brings. Environmental activists have been harassed and killed, whereas militarization has been heavily implemented in regions with large corporate investment to exploit natural resources.
Kingfisher
by Ivan Torres
A White Collared kingfisher patiently waits for a meal in the mangroves of Caramoan as morning dawns.
Pangalay sa Papan
by Alagá at Sining
The original concept of the Pangalay is based on the pre-Islamic and Buddhist concept of male and female celestial angels. Among Philippine indigenous dances, the Pangalay dance style has the richest movement vocabulary inspired by nature. For nature, through illustration and biomimicry in drag, reveres the queerness and the choreography of Papan integrated into Pangalay, on how they move and impact wetland ecosystems.
Cordilleras I
by Angelo Mendoza
A lonesome house in the midst of a vast, winding mountain range with growing vegetable terraces dappled in sunrise hues.
Tariktik
by Ivan Torres
A portrait of a Luzon tarictic hornbill taken in Caramoan. These large and vibrant birds are more commonly known as Luzon hornbills, and they thrive in the lush forests of Luzon, Polillo, and nearby islands. One of the smallest of the hornbill family in the Philippines, this endemic bird is now threatened due to the destruction of its forest habitat.
Our Sacred Land
by Pau Villanueva
An Aeta elder gazes at an ongoing construction site that was once their own cultivated ancestral land to make way for the New Clark City in Sitio Alli, Capaz, Tarlac City. The development project, estimated to be as big as half of the entire Metropolitan Manila, is envisioned by the Philippines government to be the first ‘climate-change resilient’ city in the country. The change in landscape – from flora and fauna to roads and infrastructure – is rendering irreversible damage to the natural world that is the Aetas’ only source of information, passed on from one generation to another through oral tradition.
Panimahawa
by Gab Meija
Panimahawa, the name of this once deforested mountain range, slowly grows in patches of forests. Panimahawa means the end of a grueling battle. Light now shines on its ridges.
Cloud Kingdom
by Javi Cang
From the summit of Mount Pulag, the very pinnacle of Luzon, clouds billow across the high montane forests of the Cordillera. Well-known for its endemic dwarf bamboo that thrive on its upper slopes, Mount Pulag also houses a diverse ecosystem that flourishes in high elevation and the temperate environment of the cloud forests that exist in the neighboring peaks. Leaving the camera shutter open for two minutes was just enough time to smooth the motion of the clouds at the break of dawn.
The King of Birds
by Kara Pangilinan
The Philippine Eagle is a large, awe-inspiring bird that is often exudes a sense of power. Through this highly intricate rendition of this rare creature, perhaps that sense of power might be felt.
Clock of the Mountains
by Kara Pangilinan
The Rufous Hornbill is another rare majestic bird, known as the clock of the mountains because of it's distinct hourly call and a form that is distinguishable even as a black and white illustration.
Pagkikineme ng Cariñosa
by Alagá at Sining
Cariñosa is a courtship dance that portrays acts of affection between a man and a woman, introduced by the Spaniards during their colonization of the Philippines. In this work, queers the participation of native biodiversity and the choreography of anthropocentric-patriarchal power that was projected and imposed during the time when we were ruled by colonizers; deconstructing the gender roles in performance of the traditional Cariñosa, and decolonization of form in the correlation of human and native biodiversity in the art of designing sequences of queer patterns and movements.
The Endangered Bloom
by Javi Cang
The bloom of a Rafflesia - despite its fascinating beauty- is both extremely fleeting and precariously rare. There are roughly 30 species of rafflesia existing on our planet- all in Southeast Asia. Roughly half of those exist solely in the Philippines, like this Rafflesia panchoana in Mount Makiling, making our archipelago the center of Rafflesia diversity. Like many other flora and fauna, however, habitat degradation has become the biggest threat to the future of the Rafflesia. Rafflesia is just one part of a vast, interconnected ecosystem, but they tells a story that often goes ignored: the story of this fascinating yet immensely delicate planet that provides life for all of us.
The Story of Maria
by Issa Barte
"Once known as the Sun God of war and death, Aring Sinukuan was revered by Kapampangans. Known to have taught rice culture, wood cutting, and much more to their early inhabitants, Aring Sinukuan was a powerful force of nature.
The rich story of Aring Sinukuan, along with his children and wife, was rebranded during the
Spanish times in a bid to convert natives into Roman Catholicism. From the Sun God came the
mountain goddess, Maria Sinukuan. A generous goddess associated with the unusual bountiful
forests. This is the visual story of how our people had seen the wild world full of life, of entities
bigger than us to be revered, and how it had been washed down into a story of Maria who had
since then, disappeared.
"
Maria Disappears
by Issa Barte
"Inspired by the story of Mariang Makiling as told by Jose Rizal. She was depicted in many
ways— a true paradox of love and war. The stories of her generosity, ferocity, and adamance in
protecting her home had been passed down through the generations to tell different tales. Yet,
throughout all these stories, one thing stood out: Maria was alive. Maria was alive and then,
one day, had disappeared, never to be seen since these times of bounty.
The story of Maria Makiling is the story of our connection to her mountain— of how it had once
filled our stomachs and cooled our cheeks. Of how Maria’s disappearance speaks more of us,
than it does of this mysterious spirit that had once touched the lives of those who lived near.
"
