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shiawasenajinsei) wrote2009-10-23 11:15 pm
shiawasenajinsei) wrote2009-10-23 11:15 pm
Revisiting the Past
Last October 14th, I went to the Ayala Museum along with my sister as a requirement for our History I class. We were supposed to visit the museum and make a reaction paper about it, describing the contents of the museum and stating what our favorite exhibit in the museum would be. I finished mine tonight, and I was in a creative writing mode while writing this, so I figured it would be nice to share it here. I have to give credit though, to my sister and her friend who helped me with some of the wordings and phrasing for some of my thoughts. I also have to give credit to the descriptions provided by the museum, which I quoted when I couldn't provide an equally vivid description of the exhibit on display :))
Well then, here goes.
"Re-collecting the Past, Re-presenting the Future"
Living up to its motto, the Ayala Museum showcases many artifacts and collections in the history of the Philippines, with some even dating back to pre-colonial times.
"Crossroads of Civilization", such name is given to the fourth floor which features many items that depict the millennium-long encounter between the Philippines and the different cultures of Asia and Europe. The floor is divided into three sections.The first section I saw is called "Embroidered Multiples: 18th to 19th Century Philippine Costumes". It features a collection of native Philippine clothing worn by Filipinos of different statuses in the 18th and 19th century. Included in the collection are the embroidered silk trousers or sayasaya worn by Filipino elites way back then.
At the center of the fourth floor is a unique, state-of-the-art room given the name "Gold of Ancestors: Pre-Colonial Treasures in the Philippines". Admittedly, the first time I knew of the entrance fee to the museum, I found it expensive and I actually blurted out something along the lines of, "May ginto ba sa loob niyan?". When the mysterious, censor-powered door of the room opened in front of me, I knew the answer to my question. There really is gold inside the museum, lots of them at that! The awe-inspiring room showcases a wide, fabulous array of golden items from our pre-colonial past. There are around 1,000 of the golden items of our ancestors. Most of them are said to be used as adornments for the elites and their deities (examples include golden bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings, diadems and even funerary masks).The gold regalia, an elegant sash usually worn by maharlikas, is the dominating feature of the Gold of Ancestors room. It appears to be a fine piece of jewelry that indicates power and influence. Additionally, it also features a streamline of tiny golden beads bound together by a golden thread. It is said to be used in the same manner as the "Sacred Thread" or "Upavita" of the Hindus and is described as "one of the most spectacular objects from the Surigao Treasure". This regal item shows how amazing the skills of our ancestors are in crafting jewelry because they were able to produce such spectacular objects even without the use of modern technology.
Some golden figures (most probably deities) like the "Kinnan" (a half-woman, half-bird deity which, in Hindu myth, "personifies the feminine ideal of beauty, grace and accomplishment") were also in display. At the center of the room, a remarkable documentary which gives a picture of the significance of gold in the lives of ancient Filipinos is shown. Also showcased inside the room is an interactive station which features pages and drawings from the Boxer Codex. It is a 16th century manuscript acquired by Charles Boxer which describes mostly the culture and the people of Southeast Asia. I learned there that of the 75 drawings in the manuscript, 15 are Filipinos and that they date back to circa 1595. The description at the side says that "the codex provides the earliest descriptions of the Philippines in a western language, providing a window to our pre-colonial past".
The third and last section of the room, given the name "A Millennium of Contact: Chinese and Southeast Asian Trade Ceramics in the Philippines", features a collection of ceramics which portrays the "social and commercial ties" between the Philippines and its Asian neighbors (China in particular) that spanned a thousand years. Among those in the display is the Celadon (Yue and Yue-type green wares), which is one of the earliest ceramics in Southeast Asia, Japan and the Middle East. Others included in the collection are the Blue-and-white (Zhangzhou) wares from China, Vietnamese ceramics and the Khmer ware from Cambodia.
Meanwhile, the 3rd floor houses an elegant fine arts collection. Currently, works by Fernando Zobel and Damian Domingo can be found there. Zobel’s sketches and some Philippine colonial sculptures are also featured in both the actual exhibit and in an interactive station.
The neat collection of 60 beautifully-crafted dioramas is the primary feature of the second floor. The first five or so showcase the ancient Filipinos including those from Palawan, the North and the Bicol islands. The next few illustrate the first interactions of the Filipinos with foreign people. It goes on to show the rest of Philippine history. Some of the highlights are: the Battle of Mactan, the First Mass in the Philippines, the short-lived British Occupation of some areas in Luzon in 1762, the First Newspaper in the Philippines (Del Superior Govierno), the Katipunan Initiation, the novels of Rizal, the Spanish Revolution, the Court Martial of Andres Bonifacio, the 1898 Proclamation of Independence, the American regime, the Malolos Congress, the Filipino-American war, the Japanese Occupation, the Death March and Fall of Bataan, the Return of MacArthur and the Recognition of Philippine Independence in 1946. On the walls are life-size pictures of various prominent people in history.
Last but not the least, is the collection of miniature ship models that play an important role in our history. These are the Galleon (called “strong castles of the sea”), the Caravel (which was used by Magellan to travel in the Pacific), the Arabian Baghla (a travelling vessel), the Lorcha (which was first used to help stamp piracy, but was later used for smuggling), the Chinese Junk (which was used for fishing, trading and combat) and the Pre-Hispanic Sailboat (which was used to travel and for cargo). The descriptions for each ship are written in the walls. It was also said there that the Filipinos’ boats were light and crescent-shaped so that it can make increasing speed and maneuver easier, and that "the boats were propelled by sails or poles of oarsmen who rowed in rhythm to song", making it known that the Filipinos are "lovers of music as well as the ocean". So that's it for the features of the museum.
I can say that what they have is a very magnificent collection. I was amazed by the many artifacts that truly depict the rich culture of our country. There were many things about the Philippines that I learned (example: I didn't even know we had that much gold in our country!). The collections make you really proud to be of such a rich heritage. As for my favorite exhibit, I picked the Dioramas collection, simply because in those sixty well-crafted dioramas, I was able to relive the whole history of the Philippines in my mind. The Diorama Experience let me rekindle the past and allowed me to review my ancestry as a Filipino. It covered most of the significant events in Philippine History from the pre-historic way of life of the ancient Filipinos to the 1946 Recognition of Philippine Independence from the Americans. The dioramas were presented in an intricately detailed way, presenting every important element of an event that allows a history student like me or even a local or foreign tourist interested in Philippine history to appreciate and understand it better through the visuals and details. Truly, the Philippines is a country with rich culture and heritage, and rekindling the past through the extraordinary collections is beyond doubt a remarkable experience.
~Owari~
You can tell that I really enjoyed the museum experience. It has been a while since I've gone on a visit to a museum, and this one is definitely both educational and enjoyable.
Well then, here goes.
"Re-collecting the Past, Re-presenting the Future"
Living up to its motto, the Ayala Museum showcases many artifacts and collections in the history of the Philippines, with some even dating back to pre-colonial times.
"Crossroads of Civilization", such name is given to the fourth floor which features many items that depict the millennium-long encounter between the Philippines and the different cultures of Asia and Europe. The floor is divided into three sections.The first section I saw is called "Embroidered Multiples: 18th to 19th Century Philippine Costumes". It features a collection of native Philippine clothing worn by Filipinos of different statuses in the 18th and 19th century. Included in the collection are the embroidered silk trousers or sayasaya worn by Filipino elites way back then.
At the center of the fourth floor is a unique, state-of-the-art room given the name "Gold of Ancestors: Pre-Colonial Treasures in the Philippines". Admittedly, the first time I knew of the entrance fee to the museum, I found it expensive and I actually blurted out something along the lines of, "May ginto ba sa loob niyan?". When the mysterious, censor-powered door of the room opened in front of me, I knew the answer to my question. There really is gold inside the museum, lots of them at that! The awe-inspiring room showcases a wide, fabulous array of golden items from our pre-colonial past. There are around 1,000 of the golden items of our ancestors. Most of them are said to be used as adornments for the elites and their deities (examples include golden bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings, diadems and even funerary masks).The gold regalia, an elegant sash usually worn by maharlikas, is the dominating feature of the Gold of Ancestors room. It appears to be a fine piece of jewelry that indicates power and influence. Additionally, it also features a streamline of tiny golden beads bound together by a golden thread. It is said to be used in the same manner as the "Sacred Thread" or "Upavita" of the Hindus and is described as "one of the most spectacular objects from the Surigao Treasure". This regal item shows how amazing the skills of our ancestors are in crafting jewelry because they were able to produce such spectacular objects even without the use of modern technology.
Some golden figures (most probably deities) like the "Kinnan" (a half-woman, half-bird deity which, in Hindu myth, "personifies the feminine ideal of beauty, grace and accomplishment") were also in display. At the center of the room, a remarkable documentary which gives a picture of the significance of gold in the lives of ancient Filipinos is shown. Also showcased inside the room is an interactive station which features pages and drawings from the Boxer Codex. It is a 16th century manuscript acquired by Charles Boxer which describes mostly the culture and the people of Southeast Asia. I learned there that of the 75 drawings in the manuscript, 15 are Filipinos and that they date back to circa 1595. The description at the side says that "the codex provides the earliest descriptions of the Philippines in a western language, providing a window to our pre-colonial past".
The third and last section of the room, given the name "A Millennium of Contact: Chinese and Southeast Asian Trade Ceramics in the Philippines", features a collection of ceramics which portrays the "social and commercial ties" between the Philippines and its Asian neighbors (China in particular) that spanned a thousand years. Among those in the display is the Celadon (Yue and Yue-type green wares), which is one of the earliest ceramics in Southeast Asia, Japan and the Middle East. Others included in the collection are the Blue-and-white (Zhangzhou) wares from China, Vietnamese ceramics and the Khmer ware from Cambodia.
Meanwhile, the 3rd floor houses an elegant fine arts collection. Currently, works by Fernando Zobel and Damian Domingo can be found there. Zobel’s sketches and some Philippine colonial sculptures are also featured in both the actual exhibit and in an interactive station.
The neat collection of 60 beautifully-crafted dioramas is the primary feature of the second floor. The first five or so showcase the ancient Filipinos including those from Palawan, the North and the Bicol islands. The next few illustrate the first interactions of the Filipinos with foreign people. It goes on to show the rest of Philippine history. Some of the highlights are: the Battle of Mactan, the First Mass in the Philippines, the short-lived British Occupation of some areas in Luzon in 1762, the First Newspaper in the Philippines (Del Superior Govierno), the Katipunan Initiation, the novels of Rizal, the Spanish Revolution, the Court Martial of Andres Bonifacio, the 1898 Proclamation of Independence, the American regime, the Malolos Congress, the Filipino-American war, the Japanese Occupation, the Death March and Fall of Bataan, the Return of MacArthur and the Recognition of Philippine Independence in 1946. On the walls are life-size pictures of various prominent people in history.
Last but not the least, is the collection of miniature ship models that play an important role in our history. These are the Galleon (called “strong castles of the sea”), the Caravel (which was used by Magellan to travel in the Pacific), the Arabian Baghla (a travelling vessel), the Lorcha (which was first used to help stamp piracy, but was later used for smuggling), the Chinese Junk (which was used for fishing, trading and combat) and the Pre-Hispanic Sailboat (which was used to travel and for cargo). The descriptions for each ship are written in the walls. It was also said there that the Filipinos’ boats were light and crescent-shaped so that it can make increasing speed and maneuver easier, and that "the boats were propelled by sails or poles of oarsmen who rowed in rhythm to song", making it known that the Filipinos are "lovers of music as well as the ocean". So that's it for the features of the museum.
I can say that what they have is a very magnificent collection. I was amazed by the many artifacts that truly depict the rich culture of our country. There were many things about the Philippines that I learned (example: I didn't even know we had that much gold in our country!). The collections make you really proud to be of such a rich heritage. As for my favorite exhibit, I picked the Dioramas collection, simply because in those sixty well-crafted dioramas, I was able to relive the whole history of the Philippines in my mind. The Diorama Experience let me rekindle the past and allowed me to review my ancestry as a Filipino. It covered most of the significant events in Philippine History from the pre-historic way of life of the ancient Filipinos to the 1946 Recognition of Philippine Independence from the Americans. The dioramas were presented in an intricately detailed way, presenting every important element of an event that allows a history student like me or even a local or foreign tourist interested in Philippine history to appreciate and understand it better through the visuals and details. Truly, the Philippines is a country with rich culture and heritage, and rekindling the past through the extraordinary collections is beyond doubt a remarkable experience.
~Owari~
You can tell that I really enjoyed the museum experience. It has been a while since I've gone on a visit to a museum, and this one is definitely both educational and enjoyable.