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| Launching of Dayat art installation at ASIN Gallery |
Aside from its arable
land, Pangasinan is blessed with its waters. The province capitalizes on its
aquatic areas to boost its economy. This is evident as its beautiful beaches
allure thousands of tourists yearly, and its sea teems with fish, shells,
crustaceans, and other marine creatures.
Seawater is in the
veins of the Pangasinense. This is obviously seen and felt in the people’s
colorful heritage.
In fact, the province
celebrates Pista’y Dayat every first day of May as a way of thanking the sea
for its bounty provision and acknowledging the significant role of fisherfolks
in society. These are the things the latest art installation in Banaan Museum
wants to highlight.
"Dayat", an
immersive visual art exhibit depicting the richness of waters of Pangasinan and
homage to the fisherfolks who are vital in the progress of the province, was
launched on the first day of the Open House activity of the museum last April
6, 2026.
The creative project
is a combination of rattan, fabric, metal, light, and kinetic elements. The
gallery turned into a living seascape. The light creates illusion of waves in
the room. Organza fabric wrapped around the metal sculptures makes everything
light and flowy.
As I was standing
there, I felt like I was underwater, gazing at the school of fish and other
marine creatures swimming and floating above me.
Originally, the launch
was the start of the month-long celebration of Pista’y Dayat 2026. However, due
to crisis, the observance of ‘the mother of all the festivals in the province’
is toned down due to the oil crisis. The management decided to proceed with the
project as it serves as a symbol of hope in this time of uncertainty.
Clyde Aedriel Rafael,
a native of Natividad, Pangasinan and an industrial designer, is the artist
behind the masterpiece displayed at the ASIN Gallery.
I had the chance to
interview him after the museum tour. We talked about how the project came to
fruition.
“I worked with the
team of Banaan. They sent me a message to work on an installation which focuses
on the word ‘dayat’. We came up with the conceptualization of what species are
seen in Pangasinan waters,” the local artist shared.
“We planned on how we
will execute this using the existing ceiling of the gallery. The management
said that they are wary of heavy installation. So, we considered lightweight
materials for this [installation]. We used rattan and we sculpted it,” he
added.
Clyde was very
particular about the details of his artwork.
“We put up 70-80 fish sculptures.
During the production, we sourced materials for two days. We did fabrication
for five days which we meticulously done the manipulation of the fabric. We
used organza which is the lightest fabric. For the fish scales, we manually
attached them. We tried to achieve the silhouette under the sea with the
fishes, we did translucent effect with the help of lights,” he narrated.
He also showed his hand
painting skills through pointillism. He shared that he used a specific brush
that will help integrate volume in his project.
The featured artist
worked on the art installation for eight days. His effort paid off as he
achieved what he envisioned.
Talking with this
brilliant artist made me respect the creatives more. They have critical role in
shaping people’s minds. In times of crisis, we need arts not just to get entertained,
but to get motivated by tracing and celebrating our roots.
Dayat is a reminder
that the sea is part of our identity. Banaan Museum will house the said kinetic
art installation until the month of June. So, do not miss the chance to behold the
masterpiece and appreciate the sea and its richness.
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