The death of Georg Friedrich Hegel was the start of the creation of two opposing camps: the Rightists (Right Hegelians) and the Leftists (Left Hegelians). The Rightists were the followers of Hegel who took his philosophy in a conservative direction. The Leftists were the ones who criticized Hegel’s dialectical idealism and political philosophy from a revolutionary perspective, leading to the advocacy of liberal democracy in politics. One of the leading Hegelian Leftists of the 19th Century was Ludwig Feuerbach, a German philosopher who provided a critical analysis on religion, especially Christianism. He advocated atheism, liberalism, and materialism as philosophical and political ideologies. His thoughts became influential in the development of Historical Materialism, a form of philosophy that holds the idea of having the mode of production as the reason for the ultimate cause of all changes in society. Feuerbach claimed that man makes god whenever he wants something or fears something. Due to the objects of nature being feared by him, he made the imagery of god which is impeccable and full of perfection; a being which possesses qualities of what he is lacking. Man fears and hardly accept the fact that everything will fall into nothingness after death, so he created the idea of the afterlife in the form of heaven and hell.
Another Hegelian Leftist was influenced by Ludwig Feuerbach. Karl Marx, a philosopher, historian, economist, revolutionary socialist, and political theorist; also studied philosophy under the Hegelian approach. Marx didn’t believe in God, and also concluded that the condition of human beings in the temporal world does not reflect on the supernatural force coming from god. Marxism, therefore, rejects the notion of divinity and supernatural phenomena and does not recognize anything beyond the physical world. Material is only for the material. Human is considered material, and can only be satisfied by having a material world of nature. While man desires material, he is also gaining consciousness. Ideas come along the way as a man works hard for the material he wants to achieve.
The end goal of history is communism according to Marx. He considered it as equivalent to the freedom of state and the people. Conflict will happen when capitalism entered society. Proletariat, or the working class, are the ones being exploited by the capitalists (or the dominant class) since labor and the cost of profit of the thing produced by the workers are not being paid off. If the proletariat no longer resists the abuse done to them by the capitalists, it will lead to revolution. Marx believed that the only way to destroy capitalism is to destroy the structure itself, and the only proponents of the revolution should be the proletariat themselves.
There are many pros and cons of capitalism. Some of the positive effects of capitalism are seen visible on the abolition of the system of Feudalism due to the materialization of production, in which people have granted their freedom of having private ownership and capital accumulation, which had made them elevate their status in the society. The idea of the industrialization process offered by capitalism also makes the society progress even more in terms of monetary funding, free-market opportunities to everyone, economic freedom, economic growth leading to becoming the state power, political freedom, and innovation. On the other hand, some of the negative effects of capitalization are the destruction of natural resources, inequality creating social division, diminishing marginal utility of wealth, inequality of opportunity for the proletariat, monopoly of power through private ownership, pointless costs of commodities, competition, and destruction, greediness of the dominant class, the center of income will go to the capitalists, the proletariat will not be paid off based on their labor and cost of profit of the thing produced by them, and many others. The negative effects of capitalism made Karl Marx propose revolt against the abusive treatment of the capitalists to their workers. However, I am just thinking that if communism is the answer to freedom according to Marx, what comes next after this? Is communism a solution to the problems mentioned above? After abolishing capitalism, how will society progress even more? Where will the people get their sources of income? Will people become free?
I think the idea of communism that Karl Marx had proposed is not the solution to the problems involved with capitalism. Revolution will create another system of government that will be ruled by another set of leaders who might abuse the powers delegated to them. The question of who will lead the society after revolt is very crucial to answer because the selective process of choosing a leader will become complicated since we cannot just rely on what the majority wants to rule. If we let these majorities decide on whom they want to put in the office to lead, they may end up choosing the wrong leader who may become abusive in power and has a personal agenda to dominate the society for personal interest. The potential leader of the new communist government should be scrutinized first before leading the people, or else it may end up in a continuous or repetitive series of revolts led by the masses.
Founded in early 2015, a young creative professional, Gianni Fontanilla, and her friends who are a group of designers built a small design studio in Marikina wherein the goal was to make the finest shoes in the country for women that are purely made of natural resources. The outcome was Maniawa Footwear for Women, a company whose designs were to create eco-friendly shoes while promoting the indigenous products of the local tribesmen in the country.
The quality of work and designs, dedication to their craftsmanship, the durability of products, and a strong mission statement took them from that humble small design studio into a continuously-growing company in the Philippine footwear industry. By late 2016, they had gradually expanded from brick-and-mortar stores to online stores wherein the main idea is to make their products more accessible to customers locally. In early 2017, Maniawa Footwear for Women began developing and expanding its product lines and also started marketing its own products online. Today, the company continues to sell its unique designer shoes nationwide aside from supplying materials to high-end manufacturers.
Since Maniawa Footwear for Women is gradually being known in the international market for showcasing Filipino craftsmanship and the local designers’ skills that can compete internationally, its newest collection dedicated to the T’Boli tribe of South Cotabato will open a lot of opportunities for the tribe to make their rich culture known and make their product profitable since Maniawa Footwear for Women is currently catering to the local high-class customers. This will promote how an indigenous material, such as Ikat or Abaca fiber can be modernized and incorporated with another natural locally-produced product such as engineered Bamboo to create unique, durable, and beautiful shoe designs that represent the modern-day luxurious Filipino taste.
In preparation for the newest product category, Maniawa Footwear for Women would like to produce ethnic shoe designs that would represent the culture and life of the tribespeople in South Cotabato. Women from upper-middle to high-class groups, ages 24-45 years old shall be the target market for this proposal.
Maniawa Footwear for Women would like to introduce a collection of three designer shoes with T’Boli patterned fabric weaved by the Dreamweavers mixed with a contemporary style in women’s shoes. This proposal is ideal for women who are fashion-savvy shoe enthusiasts who are interested in buying shoes based on style and durability. They are hedonic shoppers who can afford high-end products without looking at the price tag and are willing to spend more money on products that last longer. They also value quality research about product development and company/brand advocacy before buying.
The collection shall be readily available in physical stores, trade fairs, and online stores where the limited collections are displayed. The company should also join local expositions sponsored by the local government unit of Marikina, Philippine Footwear Federation Inc., Manila Fame, and the Center for International Trade Exposition and Missions. The collection should also be highlighted on the company’s official online catalog where customers can customize the main color of the shoes, Ikat colors and patterns, accents, and ornaments they want in their shoes.
COMPANY BACKGROUND
A. Name of Company
Maniawa Footwear for Women
B. Address
[Address is concealed]
C. Company Profile
Maniawa Footwear for Women is one of the newest independent footwear companies in the Philippines. For over two years, the company has been consistent with a strong mission statement: To produce eco-friendly footwear that utilizes natural resources prevents the abuse and slaughter of animals for their skin, and provides jobs and income for our local tribe members, shoe manufacturers, and bamboo producers by supporting their livelihood. The company’s dedication to its strong mission took them from that small design studio into a growing company in the Philippine footwear industry, introducing new shoe designs that incorporate modern shoe styles to indigenous tribal patterns. The essential elements of artistry, quality, and originality are evident in Ikat fabric weaved by the Dreamweavers and engineered Bamboo produced locally.
With the help of craftsmen from Marikina and South Cotabato who have been with Maniawa Footwear for Women since the day it was born, the people behind the company’s success know that the quality of work, great design, and strong advocacy hugely contribute to the success of the business. Maniawa (M’nawa), a word that means “To breathe” in Tagabilil language, reflects the company’s objective to make the dying shoe industry and local craftsmanship alive by keeping them breathing.
Reconnecting the spirit of the past to the present by promoting the culture of the owner’s ancestral T’Boli roots to collaborate with the Marikina shoe industry where she grew up, her task as a designer is to use her intellectual artistry to enrich her ancestral culture and craftsmanship while helping her hometown’s shoe industry to breathe.
While the company continues to grow over the years, the people surrounding the company from the design up to the production show the same love and dedication for each pair of shoes that they produce. The company is dedicated to creating eco-friendly footwear, thus making it particularly select the materials they are using in the shoes. And since the main objective is to provide a stable livelihood for the local craftsmen, we are also planning to offer design assistance and materials production soon for the customers who need these services.
D. Sales Trend
Year Sales
2015
– approx. ₱ 5,560,000.00
2016
– approx. ₱ 14,350,000.00
2017
– approx. ₱ 20,130,000.00
E. Company Structure
Principal Members:
Gianni Fontanilla — founder, owner, and chief designer
Jane Martinez — general manager
Austin Diaz — bookkeeper/accountant
Lyka Jane Fernandino — marketing
Jana Subido — designer
Winnie de la Paz and Jefferson Soriano — sales and inventory
John Austin Macaraeg —handles web, mail, and special orders
F. Skills
Since the company is just a small enterprise, outsources most of the production from the manufacturers of the raw materials up to the assembling process of the shoes, and then the owner itself is the chief designer of the shoes, the company only hires workers that are skilled in their own tasks while managing essential operations to run the company.
G. Facilities and Equipment
The company’s main office is located in Marikina City. The main building is a 300-square-meter renovated residential house with a small storage facility beside the office. The company has only one truck used to ship the stocks to its physical stores around the metro. The storage area is being used to store the stocks from assembling facilities.
H. Materials
Maniawa Footwear for Women only uses Abaca fiber and engineered Bamboo as its main materials to produce footwear. These are its signature materials known by its customers locally. Although the company only uses such limited materials, it still continues to explore other eco-friendly and locally-produced substitutes.
I. Cultural Aspect
Since the T’nalak fabric of a red-black-white pattern is considered sacred for the T’Boli tribe, the company refuses to use the said fabric to produce shoes. The company only uses other T’nalak fabric colors instead.
CURRENT SITUATION
A. Target Market
The target market consists of women ages 24-45 years old from the local markets. Most of these customers are within the socio-economic status of higher-middle to high-classes, living in urban areas, may or may not be married, and are earning ₱63,700+ a month. They are strong and independent women who are fashion-savvy, especially in haute couture high fashion, and their buying habit is mostly centered on personal expenditures and luxury goods. They are hedonic shoppers who can afford high-end products without looking at the price tag and are willing to spend money on high-quality products that last longer. The company’s target customers also value quality, and they research the product and the brand advocacy before buying.
1. Demographic Analysis
Target buyers are from 24-45 years of age. They are professional women who are single, engaged or married. Their socioeconomic classes are categorized from higher-middle to rich. Most of them are residing in major cities and urban areas like Metro Manila.
2. Psychographic Analysis
Potential buyers mostly spend on fashion, personal care, and beauty expenses. In terms of buying shoes, they prefer quality shoes that are aesthetically pleasing, fashionable, durable, unique, and can easily complement their personal taste. They also prefer designs that are premium, fresh, new, eye catchy, and distinct in style with elegant modern antiquity. Indigenous patterns, bright color schemes, designs with curvy contours, and sophistication are popular with them.
B. Product Performance
Maniawa Footwear for Women is a small start-up footwear manufacturing company with strong brand advocacy that makes it keeps going. Its footwear sets to promote the culture of various tribes in the country by incorporating traditional products into the shoe designs.
The shoes mainly consist of eco-friendly and locally-manufactured products. The company doesn’t use leather and plastic heels as it harms the environment and promotes animal slaughter. But due to these material substitutes and their strong brand advocacy that are distinct from other competitors, the sales almost tripled by its second year.
All of the heels manufactured are made of engineered Bamboo, a natural substitute for plastic and a very strong material than wood.
The upper part of the shoes is made from Abaca fiber weaved by the women of the T’Boli tribe of South Cotabato. The dyes they are using to color the fabric are made from natural colorants found in nature, such as plants, fruits, and vegetables.
Issues Analysis
Threats
Government Regulations
ARTICLE XII: The National Economy and Patrimony 1987 Philippine Constitution (Sec. 2). All lands of the public domain, waters, minerals, coal, petroleum, and other mineral oils, all forces of potential energy, fisheries, forests, timber, wildlife, flora and fauna, and other natural resourcesare owned by the State. All other utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State.
As the Philippine government policies are very strict on exporting goods overseas, and one of the main materials being used for the shoes is Bamboo, the company is studying the scope of the prohibition and planning to replace Bamboo with other natural materials similar to Bamboo if massive exportation to foreign market will take place soon.
2. Opportunities
Economic Market
The local footwear industry may not be one of the top industries in the country, but Maniawa Footwear for Women has experienced fast economic growth in just a few years, which had made the income almost triple every year due to a wide range of elegant women shoes with beautifully-unique designs they offer in the market. The company might increase its shoe prices every year, but people are still buying its shoes for their strong product advocacy, durability, and timeless unique designs that are more ‘Filipinized’ and modern in style.
Design Exhibitions
Although Maniawa Footwear for Women is getting known for its shoes nationwide, it still participates in trade fairs organized by the government and private agencies. They are also consistent in attending design exhibitions and conferences in order to introduce the product to other potential customers.
Design Ownership
Maniawa Footwear for Women has its own signature designs. All of the designs are creations of its owner and its skilled designers and shoemakers. The designs they make are modern in style yet possess a classy elegant Filipino craftsmanship that incorporates the traditional patterns designed by the different tribes in the country. The designs might be exclusive only to traditional patterns, but the company still waives to change their design to be concurrent with the modern shoe designs for women today that are typical in the market.
3. Distribution Situation
63% of the sales of Maniawa Footwear for Women came from their brick-and-mortar stores while 37% are from their official website. The customers may browse the products and prices online or may look around the store to see the available items on display. However, since the company is more concentrated on its physical stores, the delivery time process within Metro Manila takes time around 5-7 days and 8-15 days in provincial areas depending on the chosen courier. So, the company encourages potential buyers to buy in the stores to avoid any inconveniences and delays regarding the shipment of products. In terms of the production of stocks, it may vary based on the buyer’s and market’s demand.
Shops can be found in:
MANIAWA FOOTWEAR FOR WOMEN
*** ********* St., Brgy. Fortune, Marikina City
Email: maniawaph_sales@gmail.com
Phone: +63 (2) 7*** ****
EDSA SHANGRI-LA MANILA BRANCH
2nd Floor, Annex A
EDSA, Mandaluyong City
VENICE GRAND CANAL MALL
3rd Level, Building B
McKinley Hill Drive, Taguig, Metro Manila
GREENBELT – AYALA MALLS BRANCH
4th Level, Annex C
Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila
4. Price Range
Maniawa Footwear for Women will offer its new products for the following prices:
Huluh – ₱ 9,257.75
Lanaw – ₱ 8,765.75
Gunu – ₱ 9,875.75
5. Conceptual Framework
6. Production Flow
SWOT Analysis
A. PRODUCT DESIGN
Strengths
Weaknesses
Shoes are made out of very durable and natural materials, such as Abaca fiber and engineered Bamboo. The production process is ecologically friendly due to the removal of leather or animal hide as the main component to produce shoes. The process of converting animal hide into leather is very hazardous to health and hugely contributes to pollution due to the chemicals being used in tanneries combined with the smelly air and bodily fluids coming from animal carcasses. Designs are unique and one-of-a-kind because each shoe set narrates a particular story about the culture of our local tribesmen yet promotes their creativity and signature works. Designs are elegant and modern mixed with ingenuity perfect for a fashionable yet classy Filipina. Shoes come with a series of collections with different designs conceptualizing different tribes’ cultures, but it is still concentrated in the T’Boli tribe of South Cotabato.
Although the company is gradually being known internationally, the business may not be expanded totally in the foreign market due to the existing law regarding the exportation of goods overseas if the company did not change the main materials used for the shoes, since Abaca and Bamboo are natural resources owned by the State. The company should use other eco-friendly substitutes of the same quality as Abaca and Bamboo if it also wants to cater to foreign customers.
Opportunities
Threats
Since people are becoming more environmentally friendly and conscious, products with strong advocacy to protect the environment makes an impact on potential customers to make a purchase. And since the company does not use plastics for its products, this will attract more customers who preferred buying products made of natural materials.
Imported products that are cheaper but looked premium and elegant. Shoe designs might be imitated or ‘tweaked’ by another competitor or international manufacturers, then sell a price lower than the company offers.
B. MANUFACTURING
Strengths
Weaknesses
The main materials are locally-produced, cheaper, and faster in the delivery process. Shoe designs highlight the creativity of the local craftsmen by incorporating their hand-made works. Made with excellent craftsmanship and reliable local producers that use state-of-the-art machinery and equipment.
The whole production is quite expensive but reasonable.
Opportunities
Threats
Since the materials are locally-produced, the delivery process is faster. Since the company mostly outsources manpower for production (from raw materials to shoe assembling), the company saves a lot of money by not hiring additional workers and focusing on capital instead.
Products with Bamboo and Abaca may not be allowed for exportation overseas.
C. MARKETING
Strengths
Weaknesses
Maniawa Footwear for Women has its official website showing its shoe designs sold in the local market. Their stores and main office/showroom interiors are matched with the style based on the new products featuring a certain tribe and creative patterns attracting potential buyers.
The company does not use influential endorsers to promote the products. Lack of advertising strategies online to promote their products. The company also does not use social media sites that much.
Opportunities
Threats
Even though the company does not promote its products much online, it still has loyal and stable clients who have been there since the company started. They help the company promote its products through word of mouth and product reviews. Many of the target customers consist of busy women who do not use the internet and are not tech-savvy.
In this generation, expanding the market internationally is the key to making the shoes known in the foreign market and reaching many customers. More customers mean more sales and more revenue for the company.
D. SALES AND DISTRIBUTION
Strengths
Weaknesses
The company distributes the products to their physical store located inside high-end shopping malls. Aside from selling its products in physical stores, the company also has an updated and interactive website that allows customers to customize the shoes and mix and match materials based on their preferences.
The company only caters to fewer target customers and not planning to expand its market range.
Opportunities
Threats
Since the company only focuses on a particular market group, it has the opportunity to concentrate more on improving its products.
A large portion of the women consumers in the footwear industry consists of younger age groups below 24 years old and belong to the Gen Z group. Most of them are also hedonic shoppers but patronize the shoes with simpler designs yet cheap in price. They are also not particular with the materials used for the shoes and are only buying because of catchy designs, what celebrities and influencers are wearing, and what is trending in the market.
T’BOLI Shoe Collection
Huluh (To Plant)
Planting and harvesting crops are two of the primary sources of food and livelihood for T’Bolis. They plant and harvest corn, upland rice, sweet potatoes, abaca, as well as other vegetables for a living. The tribe hugely considers these crops their lifeblood resources, and their finances come from the products they sell on the market. And since crop farming has already been part of the tribe’s culture way back in their ancestral times, the designer wanted to narrate the process through a footwear design. The red Ikat with grain stalk insignia on this logo signifies that the tribe’s lifeblood is through planting crops. The yellow Ikat embodies sunlight, which is the source of the plant’s energy for photosynthesis. Along with the sun’s heat, the coolness of nighttime is essential to make the crops grow. When the harvest season arrives, the field’s color changes from forest green to pale dark green. The harvest time usually occurs during the afternoon or when the sky is orange before the sun goes down.
Lanaw (Lake)
Lake Sebu is the crowning jewel of South Cotabato wherein the local culture is centered around the lake and the tribespeople are very much connected with nature and the environment. The gentle waves of the greenish-blue water in Lake Sebu reflect the serenity of the place and the calmness of its inhabitants. The beauty of the land and the greenish landscape are highlighted under the vivid rays of sunlight.
The design wants to describe the beautiful landscape of Lake Sebu during the daytime.
Gunu (House)
One of the most beautiful Ikat designs woven by the tribe is called the Bangala pattern. It consists of rows of elongated and joined rhombuses whose upper and lower halves are separated and joined by two other vertical sides that convert them into elongated hexagons. The hexagonal elaborated outlines represent a house with roof ornaments. Each elongated hexagon consists of three circular standing figures united into one pattern reversed downwards, representing “Ye” (mother), “Ma” (father), and “Nga” (child).
In the T’Boli tradition on marriage and family life, the ideal family paradigm is described as the man being the pillar of the house together with the women and their offspring living together with harmony and unity under one roof. The family members should always be there together in life, death, and fortune.
Ancient Greeks lived over 2,000 years ago. They left a lasting legacy that still affects western culture and way of life until today. Greeks set foundations for modern civilization that include Art, Government, Science and Sports. During the peak of this civilization, their culture spread out throughout the Mediterranean, and their ideas were also imitated by the ancient Romans. Greek civilization also hugely emphasized principles of values particularly on political and cultural ethics. The development of culture and politics continued until the growth of the Hellenistic centuries wherein geographical range widened by Alexander the Great’s conquests. Cultural and political patterns also became vary depending on a complexity of economical and social structures. Through trading, Greeks enhanced their cultural and economic life, as well as their literacy which led to the birth of brilliant Greek minds like Homer, who wrote the two great poems (‘The Iliad’, ‘The Odyssey’) narrating on the legendary Mycenaean war with Troy. Aside from Homeric achievement who formalized the Greek oral tradition through writing poems, the definition of the Greek gods and their distinct human nature made the Greeks think in a profound manner.
Appreciation of Greeks towards art and architecture also developed at the height of this civilization. Realistic sculptures that were trying to capture the beauty and perfection of the subject also became a highlight of their creative process that formulated a ‘godly’ perfection reflecting the physical outlook described by the poets and philosophers. This immense perfection for Greek art of imitation led Romans to copy their style and idea, which made Romans commissioned Greeks just to create sculpture for them. Greek ideas eventually influenced great religions of human race, including Christianity and Islam through adopting some of the Greek traditions and symbolisms found in art. Greek religion was also brought to India, which influenced Indian religions. However, there were differences between Indian religions versus the one from the Greeks. Greek gods and goddesses made out of human form and much humanly-centered than the ‘otherworldly’ qualities seen in Indian gods. In their similarity, they helped engender an important literary tradition. They inspired themes for artistic expressions and rationalization of temple statues and plays devoted to the glorification of the gods. All of these artistic ideas received some grasp of attention to detail to the classical Mediterranean civilization, and it was done all for the glory of religion. The emphasis of classical Mediterranean civilization was seen on their sculpture and architecture, and also through advancement of the craftsmanship of ceramic works depicting realistic scenes of daily human activities.
Here are some the major contributions of classical Greek art and architecture to Romans, and to the formulation of modern art theory and styles we adopted today:
(Art)
Beautiful portrayals of the human form, from lovely goddesses to muscled warriors and athletes through sculpture.
Molded figures sculpted in ‘godly’ perfection.
Geometric formula to devise ideal standards of beauty and perfection in accurate mathematical calculations, known as ‘The Golden Ratio’.
(Architecture)
Emphasized monumental construction, square or rectangular shape with columned porticoes.
Devised three distinctive styles for their massive buildings, each more ornate than the last: (1) Doric ; (2) Ionic ; (3) Corinthian
Invented what westerners and others regard as “classical’ architecture.
FROM GREEKS AND ROME TO THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
The casual observation of ancient Greek Art and Rome developed into a systematic study by the artists of the time. However, painters and sculptors only studied the Greek sculptures, statues and reliefs, and not the painting and pictures. It is because only sculptures were found and retrieved in deep excavations and archaeological quests. Although only a few of the Greek and Roman paintings survived, the artists still discovered another form of artistic technique called Grisaille (a style of monochromatic painting in shades of gray). Grisaille was imitated from mural decorations found in Rome.
Classical Antiquity (1000 BCE – 450 CE)
Referring to the imitation of the art of classical antiquity (c. 1000 BCE – 450 BCE), it is the era when the imitation of Greek Art and Roman Art took place. Greek architecture, too, is the foundation of Roman architecture although Roman engineers made important advancements versus what Greek invented pertaining to the material properties and artistic methods. Classical art is also renowned for its harmony, balance and sense of proportion (or what we called as ‘The Golden Ratio). Paintings and sculptures made use of perfect figures and shapes according to the mathematical way of proportioning them, and treats its subjects in a non-subjective and emotionally-neutral manner. Greek designers used math and numeric calculations to fix the height, width, and other characteristics of architectural elements. These proportions would be adjusted slightly, and certain elements (columns, capitals, base platform), would be tapered to create the optimum visual effect (as if the building was a piece of sculpture rather than a structure).
Medieval Classicism (800 – 1400 CE)
Medieval classicism applied several waves of classicism to art and architecture. There are two types of medieval classicism:
Carolingan Renaissance (c. 750 – 900 CE) which began during the reign of King Charlemagne 1 (ruled 768 – 814 CE), combined the early Christian art and culture by Charlemagne’s patronage. The cultural classicism of the Carolingan era gave birth to the architecture of the Palatine Chapel at Aachen (792 – 805 CE).
Ottonian Art flourished during the Ottonian empire under Otto the Great, who was crowned as the Holy Emperor of Rome in 962 BC. Ottonian art is described as splendor and almost exclusively aristocratic versus Charlemagne’s Christian art which is mainly royal and imperial. This artistic style is more precise in articulation of architectural forms both on internal and external. Elaboration of more extensive use of galleries, often in the 9th century, restricted the use of western blocks by substituting the usage of supports-columns as an alternating system to hold up the structure. Proportions of column supports were taken by the notion of early Greek’s geometric accuracy in mathematics to have simple geometric constructions to create harmonious shapes of pieces of structures holding up weight and balance. Ottonian art mostly concentrated its aesthetic value through the elaboration of church furnishings, and sculptural figures were much more common than the interpretation of architecture applied to structures.
Renaissance Classicism (1400 – 1600 CE)
Renaissance classicism witnessed the greatest of all classical revivals in Europe. Known as the Italian Renaissance, or most accurately as The Florentine Renaissance lead initially by the architect Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – 1446 CE), the art theorist Leon Battista Alberti (1404 – 1472 CE), and the painter Masaccio (1401 – 1428 CE). Brunelleschi was particularly interested in the mathematical proportions of ancient Roman buildings. He specialized in the art of perspectives and taught this technique to other artists who wanted to learn it. He deals with the technicalities of one-point linear perspective, and he specialized in the art of perspectives, the theory of human proportions, compositions, and the use of color as he considered the nature of beauty and art the same as to what we visualize in Greek and Roman art. Just like Brunelleschi, Donatello used the same method as a form of imitation of art to imitate Greek statues. Masaccio, on the other hand, included elements of classicism to his artistic techniques on creating his paintings and his own technique of perspective. Classicism continued to dominate Renaissance art in Rome, known as the High Renaissance, represented by the classically-proportioned ‘Sistine Madonna’ by Raphael (1483 – 1520 CE); and the Vitruvian Man (1492 CE) by Leonardo da Vinci, showing the perfect proportions of the male human body as described by the Roman architect, Vitruvius (c. 78 – 10 BCE).
The classical founding principles of the Italian Renaissance spread west into France and Spain, and on the north into Germany and other countries surrounding northern Europe. By the late 16th century, economic trades and cheap printed books were in rapid circulation, by which the study of art and classical literature became more widespread; becoming the usual norm in most university curricula in Europe.
Baroque Classicism (1600 – 1700 CE)
Artistic style merged in the Baroque era gradually changed from the complexity of the classical Greece and Roman art to artistic style that used overstated motion of lines and figures that produces drama, grandeur, energy and tension in all sorts of art form (painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, theater, dance and music). The style was so creative that it made the classical style overshadowed by its creativity and newness of technique. Therefore, it was replaced by the style known as ‘Baroque art’, although a few traces of classicism still remained existent until the era when the revival of classicist style (c. 1780 – 1850) took place.
Neoclassicism (c. 1780 – 1850)
The next great generation of artistic style emerged later around 1780, wherein the revival of classical art took place. Known as the Neoclassicism, the emergence of this new style is represented by the neoclassical painting of Jacques – Louis David (1748 – 1825 CE), whose artistic style is rejecting the light and cheery highlights of the Rococo school in favor of the revered forms and beauty of classical Greek and Roman art.
19th – 20th Century Classicism
Classicism defended the preservation of ancient Greece and Roman art as a classical idea; as a standard form of technique which contemporary society judged for being too complex and reversed versus the notion of modern art introduced that time. Beginning as an elitist’s scholarly and monastic movement, classicism gradually applied to all forms of way of life including in visual art and architecture. However, the discoveries of modern science from the 18th century onwards, as well as the advancement of thought in social and political theory slowly began unveiling what Greeks and Romans had not known from the past; resulting from the exception of the classical-based style of academic art (pertaining to the style of real-life but highly-intellectual realist painting and sculpture), as supported by the French academy of art, and Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (1848 – 1855 CE). Since then, classicism was never revived and had not been widespread in art and in other areas unlike it was in its previous years, resulting from the invention of other techniques much contemporary than the classicist way of life.
(A public lecture conducted by Shari Oliquino on February 2017 regarding the effects of Neoliberal policies to the system of education here in the country.)
Neoliberal attack on education is currently observed today. Tuition fees hike and gradual increase of school expenses have been experienced by students due to neoliberal policies implemented on different public and private educational institutions here in the country. The percentage of school drop-outs, the majority of them are in the youth sector [Philippine Statistics Authority, 2015] increases per year, and many of them cannot go to school to finish their studies due to lack of monetary resources to finance their tuition fees and academic needs. Hence, instead of putting their time to focus on education, poverty has made some of them work in a labor force at an early age, earning below or within a minimum wage. Education, instead of a being a basic right an individual must have is now becoming a luxurious thing in this neoliberal-controlled society. Educational institutions are becoming huge business consortiums, selling education as a product which is needed to be purchased by their customers (students) for them to become educated and have great opportunities in life. The notion of having a good educational background nowadays is gradually implanting people’s minds that ‘since having an education is not free, you have to invest in education and spend too much money on it for you to become educated; that being educated nowadays is to have a better life in the future‘. Due to the fact of having this impression that education is the only way to escape poverty, many people have been engaging in spending money for their children to study in academic institutions with higher school fees in exchange for acquiring the high-level quality of learning. Providing them high educational background, these parents are preparing their kids for a pleasant future. However, people’s consciousness towards the real essence of education has been missing a lot. They are getting unaware of why education is a human right and why do they need to educate themselves, but instead, education is misconstrued as just a thing to be bought and invested in rather than to see it as a way to develop one’s intellectual consciousness to become an upright person having moral judgments in life.
Neoliberalism becomes a destructive liberal economic doctrine in education. It does not seek progress regarding the improvement of the educational system, but rather it destroys the fundamental notion of education that acquiring knowledge through education is to contribute something that can bring innovation to society. The government does not put any actions to alleviate or eradicate the whole neoliberal system on education, thus letting the academic institutions continue their profiteering scheme from their students to ensure much unjustifiable profit. Access to education for minorities is getting more and more elusive as neoliberalists continue to make the education system part of the economic agenda. Many poor but deserving students cannot even afford to reach tertiary level due to lack of having enough payment for universities, hence some of them becoming workers, out-of-school youths, or worse, a few commit suicide. Reminiscing to what had happened to Kristel Tejada way back several years ago, she committed suicide because her family was incapable of paying her tuition fees. An incident like this won’t happen if the system of education here in the country is not in the neoliberal approach.
Recently passed law ensuring free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs) has been implemented last year. However, President Rodrigo R. Duterte reversed his previous pronouncement on granting free tuition to all undergraduate students. It is due to the fact that the overall budget provided for free tuition on SUCs cannot cater to all of the undergraduate students in the country, rather the president announced that free tuition must be only limited to those poor but deserving students. Reiterating to what had Shari Oliquino stated during the lecture, education is not for sale. All of us are entitled and should be entitled to have free access to education because it is our basic right to be educated, without the interference of where do we belong or what our social status delegates us in the society. Allowing only a minimal number of students to have a free access to education just because they are simply belonging to the marginalized class in the society does mean that the system of education here in the country is being discriminatory; that students who can pay their tuition have no equal rights to access free education only because they can pay their tuition fees. If only poor but deserving (probably only those in the A-lists) will be granted free tuition by the government, then how about other students who also belong in the marginalized society who also want to learn and be educated in school, but do not have enough intellectual capabilities unlike those in the A-lists? And because you are belonging to a high-class society, is it also mean that you do not have the right to have free access to education?
Education should not be discriminatory. All of us should be entitled to study free because it is our basic right to be educated regardless of our intellectual capabilities and social status. I think our society will become more progressive if all of us have access to free education. Sharing knowledge from different people with different perspectives in life creates big ideas, and those ideas will become a catalyst of innovation.
*This was written on March 2017.
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CITATION:
Barahan, Ed Margareth. “Youth Groups hit Duterte on ‘False Promise’ of Free Education”. Inquirer.Net (2016). **THE PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER**. 28 December 2016.
In the veins of individual creativity of an artist, there should be a particular one-of-a-kind style that would differ him from the way his fellow artisans produce art. (Separating the uncommon from common is a very ingenious tactic to be applied to your own philosophy as a skillful artisan.). And speaking of the individual creativity of a craftsman, being intellectually capable of doing art in a different fashion, while applying what you have learned from other artisans’ philosophy into your own philosophy as an artist, is a very clever way to become exceptional. Just like merging pieces of knowledge I gained from different disciplines – I produce my art in a different way, all in one under atypical approach, and people never guessed that particular ‘me’ doing that creative style of thinking. It is just like “To explore the world is to get out of your own shell preventing your maturity” kind of philosophy. And speaking of the Arts and Crafts movement, which had made a very huge impact in forming my artistic ingenuity years ago, their philosophy is not “just art” kind of craftsmanship that is only focusing on what is aesthetically-pleasing. They did art in a very beneficial and distinctive way beyond what is seen in the visible world – producing pieces of creation not only to make money for the benefit of a few individuals, nor to produce products with the consequences of being humanly and environmentally destructive, but to make art with a purpose of applying moral philosophy into their craftsmanship – making people’s lives better with the advocacy of conserving natural resources. Connecting what I learned from the flow of traditional politics about the informal relationship between the patron and the client, the tactic of this movement is to provide jobs and livelihood for their peasant artisans, while artisans exchange their skills and labored art as workers.
The Arts and Crafts Movement – Let me have a brief introduction about this movement which had pioneered in the production of natural products in the 19th century.
Arts and Crafts Movement is an international movement for decorative and fine arts that flourished in the countries of Europe and North America in the midst of the year 1880 to 1910. It is a movement that propagated the usage of traditional craftsmanship that applied traditional Medieval and Romantic techniques to design. The majority of their designs came from the natural forms found in nature, such as patterns seen in plants and animals. The movement has two major philosophies in designing:
(1) The use of design to express a country’s identity;
(2) The attempt to reform Industrial Design by applying the certain arts and crafts values in machine production. The term “Arts and Crafts” was initially used in the year 1887 when Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society had its annual gathering led by T.J. Cobden – Sanderson, a famous English artisan, and bookbinder. The goal of the said exhibition was to originally showcase the aesthetic art of tapestries, wallpapers, tiles, stained glass, and other decorative arts from different countries around the world. It was also the time when the industry of mass production was becoming a global trend on producing products without quality and aesthetic value, thus, becoming a primary reason for the artisans to notice that huge concern. Having a general desire to improve the standards of mass-produced product designs sold in the market, intellectuals of art, such as a small group of English philosophers, artists, and architects from the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society gathered to form a group promoting advocacy of ‘Turning artists into craftsmen, and craftsmen into artists.’, thus creating of what we know today as The Arts and Crafts Movement.
‘To turn artists into craftsmen, and craftsmen into artists.’ – In a deeper context, quality of work versus industrialized mass-produced products produced by machines, with spiritual harmony flowing through the work process of creating products found in medieval craftsmanship. The founders wanted to show the beauty and essence of handmade products versus the machine-work products with the quality of labor producing beautiful creations made by hand. One of the artists who influenced the Arts and Crafts Movement was William Morris, a famous socialist and prodigy in the fields of arts and literature.
A renowned scholar of art and literature, William Morris, a linguist, translator, socialist, writer, calligrapher, ingenious artisan, and designer, was a very prodigiously-known artist of his generation. His artistic ideas were connected with the moral philosophy of life and social concerns. The very interesting fact about him is that he was fond of learning and discovering new things that he did not explore before, and putting every piece of discovery he learned in his notebook became his creative process of developing ideas and critical thinking. And speaking of him as a designer, he was a very versatile artist of a great variety of media including stained glass, hand-painted tiles, tapestries, and other woven textiles, embroideries, rugs, and carpets, as well as the hand-painted wallpapers and chintzes (a brightly-printed and glazed cotton fabric) covering the walls of many Victorian homes. His artistic approach to creating designs was inspired by the style of medieval craftsmen, letting the flow of artistry enter in each masterpiece crafted by hand while mixing the art of painting and sculpture. Morris’s basis on putting medieval craftsmanship into his design philosophy was to restore the quality and spirit of the art of handicraft-making to be applied to products sold in the market; that thinking of a solution to restore the quality of craftsmanship was to bring back the medieval approach of labor. Due to the reason that medieval craftsmanship had the involvement of natural process of production made by hand, he rejected the usage of machines to mass-produce the products he created. It is because he was avoiding producing products with no aesthetic quality and had no functional value made by machines. He also rejected the renaissance approach of design to the modern era, for the reason that he thought of it as an instrument to attain the financial satisfaction of the current commercially-oriented greedy industry.
Because of Morris’s enthusiasm for studying nature, he used this knowledge to be applied to his design concepts, like creating designs based on what he saw in the environment such as imagery of plants, birds, trees, leaves, flowers, and all of the living things present in nature. He believed that the key success to become a successful designer was to let him familiarize himself with different kinds of mediums, materials, and knowledge in the production techniques on what products he would be making. As he said pertaining to his philosophy of design, never create nor design anything that you do not know how to produce with your own hands. Applying the phrase “Nothing can be a true work of art unless it is useful”, Morris was the kind of a designer who rejected the idea of creating products that are useless and only been produced to make a profit. As a designer, he wanted to create products that are not only aesthetically pleasing in the eyes of the public but very functional as well. He found studying old design concepts quite interesting to become a source of new design inspiration, but still believed that beautiful distinctive ideas would be produced if an artist himself studied the beauty of forms and designs found in nature.
Half-percent of the pet bowl containers we see in the market nowadays is made from polyethylene materials or stainless steel formed into a concave disk-like shape container. The contour itself is designed for just one single purpose, which is to hold the pet food in the place. However, many pet owners are concerned about the inconvenience brought by this pet bowl design. It does not have a water container and tends to be messy because it cannot put water in place without spilling the content over the floor while the pet is eating. And thus, if they put another container beside the pet bowl, it would be space-consuming and costly because they have to purchase another bowl for the water. Another concern of the pet owners here is that the bacteria and dust may contaminate exposed water from the water container. Since the water container is placed on the floor, airborne dust particles coming from the floor and the ceiling may get into the water, which may cause stomach problems and illness to pets drinking the contaminated water. And since bacteria are always attracted to wet substances, bacterial growth and water molds are possible especially if the water contaminated with dust particles didn’t replace within 24 hours. Due to these problems caused by the traditional common pet bowl design, pet owners realized that the pet bowl itself should be redesigned to solve the said problems. They are now looking for a good pet bowl design that can hold not just the pet food itself, but also the water container without spilling and contaminating the water.
PROJECT INFORMATION COMPONENT
Redesigning the pet food bowl for a dual function is the main objective of this project proposal. Initiated by (company concealed), along with its proprietor, Mr. O***** T** [(02)958-**** / +6392********], the designer must redesign the old pet bowl to solve the problems incorporated with the old design. The project would be one way to address certain complaints of pet owners who find inconvenience on the current pet bowl design existing on the market.
Adequate research about the subject took place before the initial interviews and product testing. The designer did the background of the study, qualitative research, and quantitative studies to develop the new design. The output of the research corresponds to the result of the data gathered during the hypothesis period. After several months of research and prototyping, the final design comes up with the solution of designing a feeder that will answer the problems of the old pet bowl design mentioned above.
CHOWTIME Smart Feeder is the newly-designed pet feeder for cats and dogs. It has two separate container-dispensers for pet food and water which are jointed together with dovetail sides to keep both containers attachable to each other and detachable at the same time. It has an alarm signal connected to the phone app, to remind the owner if the feeder is already empty. It also has a smart sensor that can adjust the ideal water temperature based on the pet’s body temperature. The smart sensor also knows when the pet is going to drink water by filling up the container automatically. The water dispenser can hold up to five liters of water enough for two to three days. The pet food dispenser can also hold up to five kilograms of solid food granules. With this kind of new design for the pet feeder, pet owners will surely love the convenience brought by this kind of innovation.
FINANCIAL COMPONENT
Nature of Engagement
This agreement will commence on the 26th of May 2019. The nature of engagement shall be for redesigning a dog food feeder as requested by the client. The designer should conform to the specifications the client commands. The commencement of the client-designer relationship is conditional upon the designer attending meetings/appointments and commencing the performance of work by this agreement.
The designer should work on a weekly work basis. Designer engagement terminates at the end of each work period per week (Friday) and begins again at the beginning of the next work period (Monday) until the project is completed. For each engagement, this document sets out the terms and conditions of the client and designer.
Design Fee Estimate
The design fee should be PHP 550.00 per hour, which excludes side expenses such as transportation fees, materials cost, etc.
Terms of Payment
The payment shall be paid on the following terms:
Cash, check or bank transfer for every week from the date of the contract.
Documentary collection (drafts) to the account and bank branch set by the designer.
An irrevocable letter of credit (L/C).
Client agrees to pay the designer fee of PHP 22,000.00 per week according to the following terms:
The designer, should at least, rendered all the tasks the client has ordered for the whole week.
The designer must submit at least two (2) studies per week until the agreement of the final design output.
The client agrees to pay for the the designer fee and all expenses every week, as set forth above, within the start and end of the contract. All unpaid balances shall accrue interest at 1 ½ % per month.
The client agrees that any changes the client makes to the specification may adversely affect the original estimate. Extra time incurred above and beyond the original specification will be billed at an hourly rate of PHP 650.00 and is not subject to the costs and estimates.
The client agrees that estimated weekly prototype costs are only estimates and are not included in the quoted rate.
Penalty Clause
In case of failure of the obligor (client) to pay the oblige (designer) within 1 week, as specified in the contract, the obligor is liable to pay immediately upon demand by the oblige. Within such period after demand, if the obligor is still failed to pay his obligation, the oblige is still entitled to be paid an interest of 5% per week, of the total amount agreed upon in the contract.
In case of failure of the client to pay his/her obligation, he/she shall be liable to pay what is specified in the conditions of the contract. Otherwise, the aggrieved party will file a case in court to perform for specific performance of his/her obligation with compensatory damages to be claimed by the offended party.
Out of Pocket Expenses
The client agrees to pay for all-out pocket expenses incurred by the designer in developing the project, including, but without any limitation, any:
Transportation fees
Materials cost
Hardware and Software
Electricity
Reimbursement
The designer shall be entitled to reimbursement from the client for the following “out-of-pocket” expenses as mentioned above.
PROPRIETARY COMPONENT
The Intellectual Property Clause
Except for the client’s proprietary material contained in the project, the designer shall hold all rights, title, and interests in all original work, whether in the draft, mock-up, concept, or final development for the project. Specifically, but without limitation, the designer shall hold all rights, title, and interest in and to:
(a) all text, graphics, or digital components of the project.
(b) All layouts, logos, prototypes, arrangements, or other components of any materials presented to the client that comprises the project.
(c) All literal expression of ideas that operate, create, direct, manipulate, access, or otherwise affect the content, and
(d) all copyrights, patents, and other intellectual or industrial property rights in the project or any component or characteristic thereof.
The client shall not do anything that may infringe upon or in any way undetermined the designer’s right title, and interest in the project, as described in (d).
Notwithstanding the above, the client shall retain and, the designer shall have no proprietary rights whatsoever in all the client’s intellectual property rights in all text, images, or other components and/or materials owned by the client, or which the client has the legal right to use, that are delivered to designers, including but not limited to software, related documentation, client marketing material, logos, and tag lines (“Costumer’s Proprietary Material”).
The designer agrees that he/she shall not use the customer’s proprietary material for any other purpose than those expressly outlined in this Agreement.
Reproduction of Project
Upon successful completion of all compensation terms and outstanding balances owed to the designer, the client is:
(a) Granted full and unlimited reproduction rights to the project
Granted a one-time, limited use reproduction right for the project in exchange for the compensation paid to the designer. The project shall not be reproduced in any format without the written consent of the designer.
The designer retains the right to reproduce the project in any form for marketing, future publications, competitions, or other promotional uses. The designer shall at no time reproduce the project for use in commercial means or for-profit use.
Compensation
In return for the project that is completed and delivered under this agreement, the client shall compensate the designer, according to the terms written hereto. In the event the client fails to make any of the payments by the deadline set forth, the designer has the right, but are not obliged, to pursue any or all the following remedies:
Terminate the Agreement.
Withhold all files, design, commitments, or any other service to be performed by the designer for the client.
Bring legal action.
The client is fully responsible for all material costs and accepts responsibility for all additional material costs that the designer may incur in the development of this project.
Confidentiality
The client and the designer acknowledge and agree that the specification and all other documents and information related to the development of the project, excluding however the client’s proprietary material. The client shall keep the confidential information in confidence and shall not, at any all-time during or after the terms of this Agreement, without the designer’s prior written consent, disclosure, or otherwise make available to anyone, either directly or indirectly, all or any part of the confidentiality information.
Limited Warranty and Limitation on Damages
The designer warrant the project will conform to the specifications. If the project does not conform to the specifications, the designer shall not be responsible for the timely correction of the project, as the designer’s sole expense and without charge to the client, being the project into conformance with the specifications. This warranty shall be exclusively available to the client, and the client waives any other warranty, express or implied. The client acknowledges that the designer is not responsible for the result obtained by the client’s use of any part of the project. The client acknowledges that the designer is not responsible for any problems, errors, or omissions on the project once mass-produced or after the client has tested, proofed, and approved the project (“sign off”) in writing. Except as otherwise especially stated herein, the client waives.
TERMINATION CLAUSES
Considering that the client has failed the Terms and Conditions specified in the Agreement due to the client’s violations, the designer hereby declares the Agreement terminated effective immediately.
Imitation is the common basis of all the arts. When we say “art” according to how Aristotle described it, it is about the imitation of the passions and emotions of men through musical expression. In visual arts, if painters and sculptors imitate men through the good use of colors and figures, then music imitates the actions of men through rhythm and harmony. Equating art with music and poems, Aristotle stated that the objects of poetic imitation are considered as “men in action”. A poet may imitate men as they were in the visual reality or as persons they ought to be, or a poet may show a better image of men through the imitation process. And because imitation is an art, and it is best described as ‘filling the gaps with missing pieces’, poets recreates reality by showing what is seen in real life with better imagery. So the process of imitation should not be considered as only photographic representation, but as a creative process working with the power of the mind. The process of nature combined with how men live in motion in upward progress is considered creative. This creativity is always improving, constantly growing, and moving up according to the process of making the visible reality better. Poets imitate the accelerating movement of nature and things through the good use of imitation, and that is how Aristotle defines the creative process.
There are three basic principles of Plotinus’ Metaphysics: (1) The One; (2) Intellect; (3) Soul. The first one is called The One which stands for something good and simple; virtually everything else that exists on any other object, composed of ‘neutral’ forms being the sources of all things in the universe. The second one is called Intellect, which is the first derivation of The One. As the word itself, it gives control to the mind of a being. Intellect is connected to the first principle because the complexity of thinking requires a deep explanation to which is something simple; an intelligible structure. The third one is the soul of a being which is connected to his intellect to desire bodily pleasures.
Plotinus mentioned another principle which is separated from these three, and it is called “Matter”. Matter is identified by Plotinus as evil and privation of all forms of intelligibility. Opposing to what Aristotle had said, distinguishing matter from privation, Matter is the decreased reality of a being separated from “The One” by the intellect. Matter, the physical substance that occupies space and has mass, represents the objects of pleasure beyond what the Soul desires. It is considered a source of evil because it represents an object for a goal of desire. If a being lets him indulge with it continuously, he is denying the necessity of the good, therefore, leading himself towards the direction of evil exceeding beyond the limit of the three basic metaphysics. The attachment to the object of the Matter will lead to a corrupt desire for the non-intelligible and limitless possibilities of evil.
These four elements in nature, when working altogether in real life, are creating a sense of equilibrium. In Plotinus’ context, it is his notion of the creation process.
EXPLAINING THE CONCEPT OF DIVINE MADNESS
In early Greek culture, there is a certain kind of madness called ‘the divine madness’. It is known as a special gift given by the gods particularly to skilled artisans such as poets and musicians. According to them, the sources of skill and creativity of these people came from the gods. They create objects with divine involvement; producing works according to what gods have planned them to do. They do not produce their own songs or works only by their own talent or a touch of art alone, nor following the rules of techne. They produce them only through the guidance of the divine. The peculiar thing about this ‘divine madness’ is that the body parts of the artist involved in the production, such as his brain and hands, are said to be possessed by the gods every time he works. And since gods are the sources of guidance, these skilled artisans are considered only as instrumental beings used by the gods in order to create perfect craftsmanship which is very pleasing for the gods themselves.
In ancient times, painters and sculptors were only treated as humbled laborers of no value, working under the objective dictation of the rule of mechanics. They were only considered as laborers who worked on their skills rather than their intellect; lacking independent intellectual capabilities on producing their own works. Because of this, they were excluded from the people with higher philosophical value. In early Greek times around Plato’s time, only the poets and musicians were considered as being inspired, producing works and songs through their pure inspiration and intellect. When sculptors and painters entered the scene, they were deeply humbled under the poets, musicians, and other normal craftsmen at that time. Only their works were hugely valued, contrary to what Plotinus believed that these artists should be treated as having a greater sense of value higher than their creations. While people adore and make sacrifices on the images of the gods right before them, they were been blinded to the reality of whose behind the formulation of the images they’re idolizing. And this is what Plotinus was really wanted to pinpoint: How can we consider the images as subjects of adoration, being treated as having a higher sense of value, if we cannot consider their creators as also the higher source of ideas on why these images formulated?
Greek culture as a whole might have made a distinction between the work of art as a self-contained object versus the artists who made them, but it didn’t mention a sharp definition of what is visualarts.
But in the late history of Greek thought, the notion of imagination was emphasized. Imagination is defined both as a faculty of mind and as an image appearing before the mind. In the early 3rd century C.E., Origen, the father of the Alexandrian church stated that creatures having a spirit are the source of imagination. Imagination (as what is seen by the mind’s eye), with a combination of the sense of emotion, creates a fantasy. Therefore, when fantasy is created, this idea causes creatures to create or think of something. As same as artists do their works, they produce them from a product of fantasy. They sculpt or paint something through fantasy. And through fantasy, artists create objects with their ideas and emotions. Not just to produce something by following the specific rule of mechanics, but they produce works because fantasy is present in their minds. And this was the time when the role of the artists in society as craftsmen was gradually valued. They were already considered not just as skilled laborers, but as craftsmen whose works were produced by intellectual means.
In classical literature, there were discussions taking place about the artists’ imagination and their source of inspiration. Just like what Stoicism, a most influential school of thought in classical antiquity, pointed out about how the look of the statues of the gods was created and why artists made them look that way. What’s the objective basis? What’s the validity or accuracy of the images created in terms of how they were built? And why is it the gods’ facial and body features were created that way? How the artist himself assures that they are the real images of gods?
Many philosophers at that time were thinking about where these artists got their ideas on producing such images if they were only considered as humbled laborers working under their skill rather than their intellect. How did they know how gods looked like that if no one knows how gods really looked like? How did the artist’s mind works every time he sculpts? How did artists interpret the gods’ images if they weren’t using their minds to think?
Philosophers thought of one possibility that artists, too, are just like musicians and poets sourcing their inspirations to their extraordinary intelligence or divine intervention. They came up with the idea of these sculptures are designed to explain something rather than creating art or just imitating.
Another philosopher, writer, and historian of the Roman Empire in the 1st century named Dio Chrysostom mentioned the sources on how gods were created in accordance with men’s images: (1) from an innate picture dwelling in the soul, (2) on how poets describe them, (3) on how lawgivers presented them, (4) onhow skilled craftsmen produce them. Dio considered these craftsmen as visionaries of the divine nature through the good use of art. However, there were some arguments and confusion regarding those representational images of the gods derived from art and made from art: What if these couldn’t be images of gods, but demons? What if those statues were possessed by demonic powers to become an instrument of evil?
Idolizing those statues might be dangerous, as they might be a representation of evil and could bring harm to the people who worship them. On the other account, there were some ideas brought out about how the viewer sees them according to his own interpretation. The spirit and significance of the statues might be according to the one who sees them or worships them. It is all based on the interpretation of a person who looked at them as the source of divine intercession or object of evil possession. Statues were only created by men who took out elements from the realm of nature. Before these works were created, they were meaningless, until people gave them meanings as to where they were destined to be interpreted of, the good or the evil.
Mentioning the reason why the statues of these gods were formulated, when we looked at it during ancient times, anyone could build their own statues because visual models for the gods at that time weren’t still standardized. When art entered the scene on craftsmanship, combining the interpretation of what people see gods in their imagination, these statues were already given a purpose as being divine representations. Even if the statue was carved on stone or on wood; or made by a peasant craftsman, if the viewer sees it as a subject of devotion, he will worship it because it is how he gives interpretation to it.
Looking back to the questions on where is the origin of these divine images, and why are they considered powerful, Dio stated that artists might be getting their inspiration from what were those mentioned in literary tradition. However, he also mentioned that an artist himself has such creative faculties as his source of inspiration to formulate these images; even they just followed what literature was telling them. Just like what he stated in the latter that artists might be getting inspirations from the poets’ work; or how poets describe gods through their ideas, artists might also be giving the contributions of their own ideas while they were in the process of production. With a touch of art acting upon the creation of these godly images, artists beautify them, much as poets described them. Dio added, philosophers, poets, and lawgivers, together with the artists themselves are the interpreters of divine nature. These four intellectuals are the reasons why these perfect images of the gods were created.
Dio said that an artist is following his imagination; imagery in his mind to create objects and statues. The image in his mind is his ultimate model. An artist imitates and produces what his idea is telling him to do. His idea is unseen because it is just a product of his own imagination. However, he interprets these unseen ideas to formulate something under his intellectual artistry. Then the product of it is a work of art in which he created it using his mind and skill. Therefore, this is the reason why the value of the artists to society should be recognized; the same acknowledgment as given to the philosophers and poets.
There are many tattoo practitioners all over the country, but the most popular of them is in Butbut, Kalinga wherein Whang-od’s tribe is located. In Butbut, there are two kinds of tattoo practitioners who are (1) the resident tattooist who tattooed people only within the community, (2) the traveling tattooist who visited other villages nearby to tattoo for a fee. However, due to ill health, poor eyesight, and other circumstances experienced by the traveling tattooists during their visit to other villages, they became inactive which caused them to just spend the rest of their lives in their village. In the case of Whang-od as a tattoo practitioner, she stays within their village as the resident tattooist of the whole Butbut tribe, on which she makes tattoos for cultural tradition. However, this millennial-old tradition of Kalinga tattoo culture is now in danger of extinction as Whang-od, the oldest living tattoo artist in the Philippines and the last mambabatok (traditional Kalinga tattooist) from the Butbut people of Buscalan, Kalinga has turned century old. Being the last living tattoo artist in Kalinga, her wearying age become the main reason why a growing number of people are becoming enthusiastic about learning the tradition. Whang-od’s gradual declination of her health due to old age also signifies the gradual dying of the mambabatok tradition, where Kalingas are famous. If Whang-od suddenly dies, the tradition would be forever gone due to the knowledge that had not been passed over. However, due to the persistent actions done by several groups who are active in preserving the tradition, many individuals become interested and have been persuaded to learn the practice. They show signs of enthusiasm in absorbing the craftsmanship of the said art by engaging to try batok on themselves through observing how Whang-od has done the craft.
Young children of ages five to ten years old gather around Whang-od’s house to observe the whole procedure, then they would urge her to tattoo them. These children called the whole procedure Kasla Ay-Ayam which here means like to play in Kalinga. Some of the children who watch Whang-od and are tattooed by her imitate the whole procedure by doing it to their fellow children and playmates using ballpoint pens which they are applying on the skin as a drawing technique called ‘Pointillism’. They are fond of drawing basic shapes such as heart and tessellation patterns observed in nature that are tattooed on them by Whang-od.
Although these children look at the tradition as just a form of recreation or fun, other younger Butbut children took the whole process as a serious cultural practice to be studied to revive the dying tradition. These children are also tattooed and trained by Whang-od itself.
Whang-od’s granddaughter named ‘Grace’ is the only family member of her who has shown a keen interest in doing the traditional tattooing. Grace was only ten years old then, when her grandmother, Whang-od made her an apprentice. Although at first, she wanted to pursue a course in Criminology someday, she also aspires to become a tattoo practitioner herself, just like her grandmother. After her classes on the weekend, Whang-od would teach her to tap with a stick thoroughly, the process on how to make the thorn needles which she would be used to puncture the epidermis, and how to prepare the ingredients to formulate the ink in a precise mixture. Whang-od would volunteer her arms for Grace to practice on, and Grace would make the tattoo. Like Whang-od, Grace has also some markings on the practice lines and designs rendered on her legs. When someone asked Grace why she wanted to follow the steps of her grandmother to become a tattooist, she admits that she enjoys doing the said art as body decoration, and is dedicated to learning tattoos from her grandmother. “Many tourists are coming to the village and tattooing generates income. I want to be like Apong Whang-od,” she added. Due to her skills in tattooing which she inherited from Whang-od, she is much further motivated to pursue the skill after she was filmed on local and foreign TV demonstrating her tattooing skills for documentary shows.
Whang-od says that it will take time for Grace to learn the whole artistry itself. She might take eight years of training under her tutelage, with the hope that she could pursue her to further her studies for the improvement of the craftsmanship itself.
Due to the growing popularity of the Kalinga tattoo culture which has been popularized by several historical books, educational articles, and media publications, local and international cultural researchers and tourists all around the world go to Kalinga to see Whang-od and also to witness how she renders the thousand-year-old tattoo tradition. These visitors interviewed Whang-od in observing the tattooing procedure and tried batok themselves. Some of them go to Kalinga to learn the basic process of batok, while others go there to do their research regarding the culture. The revival of traditional tattoo designs bought by Butbut migrants from other remote villages and surrounding areas has occurred alongside the process of modernization and evolution of ideas from different people who are Butbut migrants.
Education towards the tradition of Kalinga tattoo art created a renewal of appreciation of culture by the people outside the community. Engaging to learn the culture itself is not just to observe the process of how people rediscover the traditional practices which were lost for so many years, or to just to learn the language in a native manner, and most of all getting tattooed to make the individual identity prominent and everlasting. It is something that reconnects the past from the present, in which the culture is to be preserved and treasured because it is a piece of our Philippine history that should never be extinct.
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Citation:
(Book)
Amores, Analyn V. Salvador. (2013). Tapping Ink, Tattooing Identities: Tradition
and Modernity in Contemporary Kalinga Society North Luzon, Philippines; pp. 261
– 279. Diliman, Quezon City: The University of the Philippines Press.
Mimesis, in Plato’s context, describes the notion of a pure copy of what is original. He explains that an object, which is the source of imitation, only copies attributes and visual qualities that the ‘original’ possess without having the essence of being authentic. ‘Mimesis’ is just a replicated piece of an object and it cannot be the same as what it imitates. Imitation is only acquainted with the originality of the original, and it is always inferior to the original because it is just created as a product of pure ‘illusion’; a representation of what is ‘original’. A pure copycat.
The Aristotelian concept of Mimesis, however, deals with the notion of a relationship between matter and form. According to him, the object only becomes realistic if it is in the right shape and articulation. In able to produce it, a structure must be composed of three elements of production: (1) formed by ‘agency’, (2) by something, (3) into something. It should follow the process of artistic creation by forming but in magnitude and order. The concept of Mimesis is not just about the action of imitation, but it is to ‘imitate something’ with the use of intellectual intervention. Unlike Plato’s concept of Mimesis, that imitation has no essence or soul unlike the original, Aristotle believes that a product of Mimesis has also a spirit, because it contains the art and soul of the artist who created it. The artisan himself produced the imitation work with his idea, and he can’t form it without his idea. Just like a craftsman to his craft, he might be imitating the image of an object in nature through his skills, but he uses his intellect and creativity to produce that work. On the other hand, there is another concept of Mimesis which Aristotle had mentioned. He considers that Mimesis is describing the actions of men with such a moving force of the process. It has a concept of beauty; a beauty that depends on measurable units that can be properly expressed only on lines. Like on sculpture, for example, it imitates the actions of men but shows a hyper-realistic form more than what we see in real life. Xenophon’s idea of Mimesis is emphasizing the significance of emotion. It pertains to the imitator imitating the original, but it highlights the feelings and meanings of what the original shows in visual reality.
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