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“CALLE Real is a heritage street, parang living witness siya ng history natin dito sa Iloilo,” says painter Rock Drilon, one of the leaders of Iloilo City’s cultural movement.
The Eusebio Villanueva Building, smack dab at the center of the metro’s bustling business district, stands among these “living witnesses.”
With 90 years of rich history – as the prestigious International Hotel in 1927 before falling into disrepair and, as a marvel of restoration in 2012, unveiled as a heritage site – the iconic landmark was recently reinvented once more: as a sanctuary for Iloilo’s thriving art community with the opening of gallery i this July.
This is just one example of heritage preservation alongside rapid development, which has earned the city the distinction of being one of the top “emerging model cities” in Asia. And the Philippines’ top architecture and design practitioners are beginning to take notice.
Highlighting heritage conservation and urban renewal, Artkitektura Festival 2017 – the largest celebration of architecture and the arts in the country – is mounting its first leg in Iloilo City from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.
BRICK AND MORTAR COMMUNITIES
“Cities are meeting places,” a primer on Artkitektura states. This is especially true in Iloilo City, which has remained a bustling hub for trade, business and cultural exchange since the colonial period.
Calle Real, formerly known as Escolta, boasts a hallowed history, its proximity to the city’s main waterfront and trade outpost – the Iloilo River – rendering it as a prime real estate and a main commercial district in the region since the Spanish Era.
Dr. Jose Rizal himself was believed to have marveled the site. Passing through Iloilo on his way from Dapitan to Manila, he wrote: “The entrance to Iloilo is beautiful. From afar can be seen the white city set in water, a nymph of galvanized iron, a modern creation, poetic in spirit of its iron uniform. The liveliness of the Escolta (Calle Real) pleased me.”
“We need to preserve this history,” says Drilon. “We see steady progress in other areas of Iloilo – in infrastructure and commerce – but we should preserve our local culture as well; otherwise, hindi meaningful ang progress.”
Themed “Wholeness through Architecture and the Arts,” the very first national Artkitektura Festival celebrates local heritage through a series of talks, exhibitions, workshops, artistic presentations, and study tours.
One of the talks slated is “Manila X Iloilo” by Ivan Man Dy, a trustee of the Manila-based Heritage Conservation Society and member of the International Council of Monuments and Sites committee on cultural tourism.
Dy’s lecture seeks to trace the connections between the “two colonial cities with different historical pasts” – both endowed with a rich collection of Art Deco heritage and architecture.
Kristin Gaona-Treñas, chairwoman of the Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council, is also set to highlight the rise, fall and resurgence of the Iloilo River and its role in the economy of the city through the talk “The River Sings: the Iloilo River Esplanade Story.”
The Iloilo City Cultural Heritage Conservation Council has been instrumental in the revival of interest in the Iloilo River.
Study tours of Iloilo’s historical sites, ornate churches and art spaces are also part of the four-day event.
VISION
“How can we create buildings that truly serve our physical and spiritual needs, enhance our lives and are in accordance with nature?” Artkitektura 2017 wants this answered through a series of talks on “living architecture.”
“Ang gusto namin dito kasi, we want to start a community,” Drilon says. “We hope to inspire others to take Calle Real as a home, too, maybe for local businesses, cafés or culinary establishments. I hope marami nang susunod [na tenants here at the Eusebio Villanueva Building]. Even Cinematheque Iloilo is also set to move this September.”
“The goal of living architecture is to develop a built environment that supports and enhances the natural, social and cultural life it is part of, and elevates this attitude into an artistic expression. The result should serve our needs in a holistic and sustainable way,” Artkitektura organizers explain.
“This is not my vision alone,” says Drilon. “Many other people envisioned this before us, and we’re still working on it. Minsan may paatras, minsan hindi maganda ang takbo, pero we still have that vision. It’s just that change often takes time.”/PN
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