palimpsest

My artist friend Christina Quisumbing Ramilo was based in New York City for the longest time. But she returned to Manila two years ago to take care of her ailing mom, bury her father who passed away, and to tear down and rebuild her grandmother's old house which she had inherited.

When I visited her late last year, the house was almost done. Created from the wood of the former dwelling – combined with vintage tiles, colored glass, and other rare and recycled materials – it was quite beautiful. Old remnants came to life in an eclectic structure pieced together by Christina's passion and artistry.

But she had so much 'leftover wood and stuff' that she decided to put them to good use.

The result was 'Palimpsest' (left), an exhibit of sculptures and installations made of leftover lumber, old door knobs, metal locks, cabinet handles, used nails and rusty drain covers.

A palimpsest, figuratively speaking, is something that has been reused and altered, but still bears visible traces of its earlier form. Like the dead reincarnated, its spirit continues to live and evolve.

Below are details of her work.

(Above) Wooden scraps are resurrected as two-legged creatures.

(Above and below) Roughened relics are rearranged as skyline art.

I am happy for Christina. After losing her Dad, she has moved on – built a new home, created a new kind of art, found a new life back here in Manila.

There is life after death. My friend has proven this to be true.

'Palimpsest' will run till May 21, 2008 at the West Gallery, Level 3, SM Megamall, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines.

(Top, right) Joseph Michael Lisner's 'Death' Be@rbrick comes alive. His name is Cernunnos, the god of death, who has reincarnated himself in the form of a mortal named Darrian Ashoka. His lover, Dawn, leads him to his true identity and self discovery.

weepy women

Women and tears.
A powerful combination, they say.

"Oh! Too convincing – dangerously dear – in woman's eye the unanswerable tear!" wrote English bard Lord Byron in 'The Corsair'.

Consider Hillary Clinton's teary-eyed interview after a 'poor third' showing at the Ohio primary (see pic below).

The result was an unexpected turnaround in New Hampshire where voters gave her a much-needed lead against closest male rival Barack Obama.

It's also interesting how a crying scene almost assures a nominated actress of an Oscar. While she was lauded for her performances as a homicidal bitch in 'To Die For' (1995) and a singing goddess in 'Moulin Rouge' (2001), it was only after shedding one fabulously orchestrated tear in 'The Hours' (2002) that the Academy handed Nicole Kidman (below) her first golden statue.

Most powerful of all are tears of the Divine. A statue of the Blessed Virgin (below) that 'wept blood' drove thousand of pious pilgrims to the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church in Sacramento, California. Check out this story and 25 other reports of crying statues and icons in recent years at Crystalinks.com.

I wonder, if men cried more, would people be just as sympathetic? Now that might be a different story. :-)

(Top) The crying Dawn Be@rbrick is based on a character created by American comic book artist Joseph Michael Lisner. Dawn (below), the 'goddess of birth and rebirth', is a young, red-haired woman with three tears running from her left eye.

Lord Byron's 'Corsair' Quote from worldofquotes.com / Hillary pic from dailymail.com.uk / Nicole 'The Hours' pic from allmoviephoto.com / Virgin Mary's pic from crystalinks.com / Cropped Dawn pic from lisner.com