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Mythical creatures kapre, aswang, nuno sa punso, tikbalang, diwata, and manananggal found a new home at the CCP Liwasang Kalikasan through the arts installations by Filipino visual artist Abdulmari “Toym” De Leon-Imao, Jr., to be launched simultaneously with Sinag 2023: Tuloy Ang Palabas, light, sound and projection show to commemorate the 54th founding anniversary of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Slated on September 28, 7pm, at the Front Lawn, Sinag 2023 encapsulates CCP’s activities as an institution, extending its programs, projects and productions to different venues, cities, and regions in the country in line with the ongoing rehabilitation of its Main Building.
As the sun sets, the iconic façade serves as a canvas for a visual illumination, conceptualized by CCP light designers Camille Balistoy, Danilo Villanueva, Louie Alcoran and Shantie De Roca. The visual spectacle will be complemented by the playful and apocalyptic music by Soundridemusic and Makai-symphony, spliced by Jerry Tria.
A video mapping project caps the light and sound show. Reily Villaruz created the video mapping projection, highlighting the institution’s productions and performances beyond the Main Building in the past nine months. It will also give the audience a glimpse of productions and performances in the coming months and year ahead. The video mapping project is set to the music of Jed Balsamo’s “Rurok.”
After the light and sound show at the Front Lawn, the audiences will be directed to Liwasang Kalikasan to witness the unveiling of the mythical creature art installations by Imao, dubbed Tanod Lupa, with sound design by TJ Ramos. There will also be performances from Monzter Jam Acoustic band.
Launched on April 20, 2023 in line with CCP’s Earth Day celebration, Tanod-Lupa art installation draws inspiration from pre-colonial patterns. For the September launch, Imao added new elements to the art installation, including three more mythological creatures. The creatures are brought to life through the use of various materials: welded steels, ropes, and lanterns, beautifully illuminated by colorful LED lights.
He redesigned a “panolong” of Maranao Torogan houses, using the 20-feet Sarimanok lantern from the Sinag: Festival of Radiance in 2019. The Sarimanok has been revitalized by the Kapampangan craftsmen from the renowned family of lantern makers, led by 5th generation artisan, Arvin Quiwa.
CCP believes that old folktales and centuries-old superstitions have been deeply rooted in Philippine history and heavily moved by indigenous and cultural influences. These cultural elements have introduced Filipino people to the magical world of mythological creatures such as kapre, aswang, nuno sa punso, and tikbalang, among others.
While they are often revered, with their characteristics and roles varying across different regions and ethnic groups in the Philippines, most Philippine mythological creatures such as manananggal, tiktik, and kapre are usually feared because of their frightening appearance and eerie behavior towards humans. They are also popular subjects of horror films and literature, characterized as beings who prey on humans in the middle of the night.
The CCP identified six creatures that will be highlighted here, the kapre, nuno sa punso, the tikbalang, diwata, manananggal, and duwende, collectively known as laman-lupa. But their treatment will not be scary.
“With themes like climate change and cultural promotion, it’s perfect for us to bring these creatures from folklore and mythologies to the forefront. Definitely, we will not become a horror park. We will recreate these creatures so that they will appear fun to look at, at the same time, demystify and undemonized them in the context of some stories. We are not the only inhabitants of our environment; we share it with beings we don’t know. Our ancestors remind us that we take good care of our environment or else our tanod-lupa will come out,” shared Imao.
When asked about the reason for his fondness and inclination to mythological creatures, Imao cited his multicultural ethnic roots he inherited from his parents. Like father like son, Toym is the son of the late National Artist for Visual Arts Abdulmari Asia Imao.
“My mom is Kapampangan, and they have wonderful stories of mythology such as Apo Mallari (God of Mount Pinatubo). My dad came from the South, he is a Tausug. Mindanao is also rich in stories, the Sarimanok itself is a mythical creature. My appreciation comes from a fascination from childhood and growing up with stories and narratives from my parents,” said Imao.
Among the mythical creatures he created, Imao revealed that his most favorite is the tikbalang. “I am very fascinated with tikbalang. There are some stories that tell that it is actually a friend. Tikbalang also has a masculine appearance, very heroic,” said Imao.
Sinag light and sound show at the CCP Front Lawn happens on September 29 to October 1, 2023, from 7pm to 9:30pm, with shows at 30-minute intervals. Tanod Lupa at Liwasang Kalikasan is free and open to the public from six to nine in the evening.
