November Talks Workshops Art Exhibitions Nature Walk
Participating creatives/practitioners:hanage Miyuki Akiyama Rene Bituin Francine Lima Aissa Domingo Jershon Pagilagan Fort MolinaAbigail Garrino Zof Leal, Gen Inumerable, Escolta Coffee Company
Over the years, our organization, 98BCOLLABoratory, has engaged in various initiatives andcollaborations to foster a sense of community with its network of creatives.
Recently, we had projects Meryenda Muna (2022), which addressed artist’s precarious living situationsduring the pandemic highlighting food security, and Under the Shade of Trees (2023), an exhibitionmade in partnership with the Philippine Native Tree Enthusiasts celebrating and advocating forawareness of Philippines native trees and their cultural value.
For both projects, whether it was to find ways to help each other have access to healthy food and medical care, or to help steward the survival of native trees, the importance of being in the presence of others, of communal gestures made to collectively listen, talk, and be present with each other became apparent.
Artist Miyuki Akiyama of hanage Collective explains their
work, “microclimate”, during the artist walkthrough at the First United
Building Community Museum.
Artist and paper maker, Francine Lima facilitated a handmade paper-making workshop
Our latest project Growing Together, supported by Japan Foundation Manila, builds on these learnings through a series of activities aimed at educating, inspiring, and engaging the community in sustainable practices. This five-day event aims to merge artistic creativity with community engagement and environmental awareness, deepening our understanding of ecological principles and fostering shared responsibility.
Activities in the event will bring participants from various backgrounds together to share their insights, encouraging open conversations and collaboration, to enable everyone to tackle community and environmental challenges as a group.
What does a sustainable future look like, and how do we get there? Creative imagination and actions done collectively perhaps can offer us visions of a more sustainable and ecologically-conscious future. And perhaps we can start with the simple act of planting a seed of speculative futures, grown with the caring hands of others.
Installation view: "The World We Made" — terrariums with endemic plants exhibited in the hallway of the First United Building’s third floor, created by conservationists Jershon Pagilagan and Fort Molina.
An early morning tree walk at the UP Institute of Biology arboretum, facilitated by botanist Abigail Garrino, concludes the Growing Together event.
