Headed by this year’s program director Jodinand Aguillon, three promising creatives from Luzon were chosen from among almost 100 entries from across the Philippines. This year’s batch includes voguing pioneer and movement artist Xyza Ragunjan of Rizal, architect and augmented reality artist Gabriel Brioso of Makati, and designer Nathan Artificio from Cavite.

This project fosters creative collisions through dynamic collaborations while challenging participants to go beyond self-development—within the residency and throughout their creative practices. Xyza welcomed us into the depths of her world of VOGUE. The intersectionality of ball culture, the strength required to embody softness, the foundation of chosen families— gathering and uplifting so many of those in the margins. 

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Ragunjan who also heads the Philippine chapter of the international house of Mizrahi believes in creating safe spaces for the dance and LGBTQIA+ communities that would allow them to celebrate their authenticity and build confidence. Through a photo series of her Anakbanwa journey, she narrates how she was able to connect and navigate through the landscape, discovering more about herself in the process. She hosted a series of community workshops which culminated in the inaugural Aralem Kiki Ball, a first for Pangasinan. Aralem is a Pangasinanense word to describe the ocean—“Malalim” in Tagalog, "Deep" in English.

A crucial aspect of their immersion is being able to connect with the local creative communities through events, mixers, and workshops. Resident new media artist Gab taught senior high school students from Dagupan City National High School and local creatives the basics of Interaction Design and Augmented Reality. Brioso reminds us to look beyond what our eyes see and to understand the pluralisms of realities. For him, augmented reality goes beyond just making apps and filters, but is also a way to look into people’s unique perception of content in the digital space and their behaviour in using digital products. With these impulses in mind, he plans to devise ‘phygital’ creations. In bridging the digital and physical realms, Gab’s work has developed a duality wherein a tangible object is balanced by a digital backend, intuitively promoting interactivity with his audiences.

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Within their day-to-day exploration of the area, the creatives were able to form bonds and collaborations with locals. Despite being the freshest fish in the pond, Nathan is a testament to the power of potential standing alongside a proven track record, when given the opportunity. He shares that using design to create habitable spaces, and purposeful objects, and connecting and immersing with the community has always been his ‘why.’ This is evident in his dedication to producing a sustainable design to ensure that his work is created purposefully and consciously. In preparation for the exhibit, Nathan teamed up with local artisans to help fulfil his upcoming furniture design collection Aguakultura, which is inspired by a newcomer’s invitation to explore more of what Pangasinan’s diverse creative landscapes have to offer.

Go deeper into the Anakbanwa Arts Exhibition at the General Douglas MacArthur House, West Central School, Dagupan City. The exhibit will run until November 6 and showcase outputs made by the creative residents, as well as work by local creatives from the 4th District of Pangasinan (@explorepd4). Part of the proceeds of the sales from the exhibit will go to the rehabilitation of the frontage of the MacArthur House and for Anakbanwa’s third cycle.

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