Under the Lens: Lupang Hinirang: Mga Kuwento ng Pagsasalugar ng UP Diliman

As part of the commemoration of the 70 th anniversary of the University of the Philippines

Diliman (UPD), the UP Diliman Arts and Culture Month 2019 launched an exhibit, Lupang
Hinirang: Mga Kuwento ng Pagsasalugar ng UP Diliman, from February 15 to March 29. The
exhibition aims to trace the narrative of the spatial history of the institution from various lens of
history, anthropology, and geography through archival methods, ethnography, interview,
workshops and consultations, and creative performances about the life and culture of UP Diliman
(Lupang Hinirang: Mga Kuwento ng Pagsasalugar ng UP Diliman, 2019). As I walk through the
exhibit and take a glimpse at the milestones and changes my alma mater has gone through, I
can’t help but to feel a mix of nostalgia and awe because the story that UP Diliman has to offer is
a tale of continuous struggling and aspiring for what is ideal in the name of our Motherland and
fellow Filipinos. In order to fully articulate and encapsulate my experience in the exhibit, I will
use Alice Guillermo’s four planes of analysis presented in her essay Reading the Image- the
basic semiotic, iconic, contextual and axiological.

In Reading the Image, Guillermo (n.d.) argues that the basic semiotic plane deals with the
signified-signifier relationship found in the visual work. It covers the elements and the general
technical and physical aspects of the work with their semantic (meaning-conveying potential)
including the visual elements and how they are used, the choice of medium and technique, the
format of work and other physical properties (Guillermo, n.d.). Generally, the text providing the
information in the exhibit is written in gray color on the red background. The Lupang Hinirang is
divided into periods and themes which uses distinct visual works. The first period is
Pinagmulan: Mga Unang Taon ng UP, 1908-1949. Depicting the humble beginnings of the
university, facsimiles of the laws enacting the establishment of the University are featured. There
is also an audio-visual presentation showing the destruction of UP, which is Padre Faura before,
during the World War II. These depictions are in black-and-white which signifies its antiquity.
Under this period is the theme of Exodo: Ang Paglipat Mula sa Padre Faura Tungong Diliman.
It also contains black-and-white pictures of the parade transfer again to illustrate the distant past.
The Cladding Installation is also featured in this section. It signifies the cornerstone of the
establishment of UP Diliman in the cogon-strewn of Diliman. Then the next period is 1950-
1960: Unang Dekada: Pang-araw-araw na Buhay sa Diliman. In the center is a map of the UP
Diliman during that period. Around the map are photographs in sepia and black-and-white again
indicating the olden times. This positioning seems to indicate the life and events that occur
around the university. The pictures feature the constructions of the buildings that constitutes the
university, the life as a UP student like lines during enlistment and enrolment and the start of
nationalistic ideals as part of the institution’s identity through lobbying and protests.

In line with the birth of nationalism in the university’s consciousness, the next gallery is
Sakripisyo highlighting the renowned icon of the national university, the Oblation or ‘Oble’. The
Oblation, a completely nude figure of a young man with outstretched arms and open hands, with
tilted head, closed eyes and parted lips murmuring a prayer, with breast forward in the act of
offering himself, is the National Artist Guillermo Tolentino’s rendition of Rizal’s Mi Ultimo
Adios second stanza, as a response to the request of late President Rafael Palma (Cañete, 2012).
The sculpture is illuminated from the top, highlighting only the face of Oble while the rest of the
artwork is enveloped in darkness. In the background, an excerpt of Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios is
playing. Placed in the opposite of the sculpture, the photographs of the renditions of Oble in
other UP establishments in the UP System are featured. All of this signifies that sacrifice is
heavily ingrained in the soul of UP identity and narrative. In fact, the next sections will further
illustrate how sacrifice was translated and bloomed in the identity and narrative of UPD as a
space and an institution. The next periods 1960-1971: Kilusang Kabataan and 1972-1986: Ang
UP Diliman sa Ilalim ng Batas Militar portray the spirit of activism and nationalism as part of
the UP spatial history. Depicted in sepia and black-and-white photos, rallies and protest in the
AS lobby and hallways and in front of Quezon hall featuring Oble show that the institutions do
not just produce bright nation-builders but also nation-builders with the heart to serve the
Filipino people and her Motherland most importantly in the midst of the darkest chapter of the
nation. Iskolar ng Bayan, a theme under these periods, which depicted what does the life of a UP
student embodies- honor and excellence not just in academics but also in service of the Filipino
people. This encompasses an installation of chairs as a barricade, an attempt to recreate the
human barricade during the Diliman Commune. Diliman Commune is an uprising led by the
students, faculty members and transport groups in UP in fighting the evil brought by Martial
Law. Aside from the chair installation, there are also two sculptures of Desaparecidos in the
center of the section signifying the cost of student activism and at the same time the injustice
prevailing in the Philippine society. There is also an oil on canvas painting by Leonilo Doloricon
that shows the spirit of student activism in UP. In this painting, there are students colored in gray
and blue signifying the past and present generation of student activists that ceaselessly joins the
mass in their plight and fight for better government and system. Meanwhile, the next two
periods, 1986-1999: Ang UP Diliman sa Harap ng Globalisasyon and 2000-2019: Ang UP
Diliman tungo sa Bagong Siglo depicted the contemporary periods in which academic
innovations and excellence is demonstrated here and in abroad.

Next, the theme Pamayanang Panlipunan further elaborates the narrative of UP Diliman
that does not just feature students and faculty members as its characters but also the residents
living inside and around the campus. In here, an attempt to recreate a dormitory space is featured
which signifies the life of the student that came from the far-flung areas of the country. Under
the Pamayanang Panlipunan is UP Diliman: Isang Kwento ng Pagnanayon which has audio-
visual presentations along photographs of various stakeholders and residents of the university
which are colored in contrast to black-and-white or sepia photographs in the previous sections
that suggest its modernity and representation of current reality. The videos contain interviews
and clips tackling various issues and perspective regarding space such as UP Diliman as
recreational area, space of militant movements, tragedies and even spaces of contestations. On
the other hand, ‘Buhay UP’ sa Sining is centered on the masterpiece of National Artist Larry
Alcala, Slice of Life, 1983 that depicts the cultural symbols of life in UP Diliman. This section
houses the digital rendition of Alcala’s magnum opus by Ben Sy and UP Diliman Slice of Life
2019 by Bim Bacaltos, Melvin Calingo, Totet De Jesus, Neil Doloricon, Stephanie L Pascual and
Mel Silvestre which is a digital print on canvas. Mga Kuwento Sa Mapa contains the interactive
part of the exhibit that features story maps of ghosts, emotions, food, etc. It also allows people to
be part of story-making by writing an experience related to a location in the campus or under a
category related to the stories of campus like ghost, love etc. Maps drawn by various residents
are also featured here. In addition to the physical space, the UP Virtual Space is also elaborated
through comic strips found in websites like The Diliman Files etc. The last gallery of the exhibit
is Ang Susunod na 70 taon: Pamantasan ng Bayan that imparts to its viewers the continuous
effort of the UP community and stakeholders to embody the ideals of the national university that
is for the people.
Aside from the basic semiotic plane, iconic plane is also a plane of analysis. Guillermo
(n.d.) defines the iconic plane pertains to the image projected by the artwork and its meaning.
Unlike the semiotic that focuses on the specific parts, this plane evaluates on the meaning
conveyed by the visual work in the overall sense. The exhibit as an image is composed of
varying textures since it uses various mediums from audio-visual presentations, visual artworks
such as sculptures and paintings, installations and experiential art such as the story map to
convey its goal in depiction of spatial history of UP Diliman. The portrayal of momentous events
such as Diliman Commune and the historical transfer from Faura to Diliman through the black-
and-white photographs and installations greatly depict the narrative of struggles and aspirations
in UP Diliman history. It brings the nostalgic mood to its viewers. Furthermore, the exhibit’s
periodization allows its viewers to further understand and comprehend how UP Diliman and its
identity evolve throughout time. From the birth of student activism to embodiment of sacrifice
until the contemporary reality and issues being addressed by the institution, the exhibit’s use of
various perspective from its stakeholders convey the power of its narrative as a space and place.
Thirdly, the contextual plane emphasizes the historical and social context of the artwork
that further elaborate the meaning of the image (Guillermo, n.d.). Currently, a lot of
infrastructure works take place in the campus. The launch of Master Development Plan of the
campus is being questioned by the student body as it displaces vendors that have become part of
the campus’ story as well. These issues provide the exhibit the platform to query, problematize
and reflect regarding the spatial changes that the campus is currently experiencing. Aside from
internal tension, the continuous violence of the present administration towards activists through
‘red-tagging’ of faculty members and students provide the Lupang Hinirang Exhibit resonates
the story of struggle that the narrative of UP Diliman is overflowing with. Moreover, the process
of storytelling that the exhibit engages with its viewers through memories involved in the
photographs and artworks is an act of reminder for what UP stands for and at the same time an
act of resistance against the historical revisionism that is prevalent today in our country.
Lastly, the axiological or evaluative plane is the analysis of the values of the work
(Guillermo, n.d.). It is very evident that the exhibit is well-thought and well-planned because of
its immense variety of medium used to depict the commemoration of 70 th anniversary of the
university in line with its goal in narrating the story of the campus as a space and a place.
Although, there are some technical difficulties regarding the videos (there is an instance that a
video cannot be played), the exhibit skillfully utilize modern way of visual presentation that is
very complementary and enhancing the way the narrative is presented like the use of story maps.

Overall, the Lupang Hinirang: Kuwento ng Pagsasalugar ng UP Diliman is a walk down

the memory lane filled with reminders and exhortations of what the UP stands for since time
immemorial until the contemporary times.

Bibliography
Cañete, R. R. (2012). Sacrificial Bodies: Birth of Oblation. In R. R. Cañete, Sacrificial Bodies:
The Oblation and the Political Aesthetics of Masculine Representations in Philippine
VIsual Cultures (p. 152). Diliman, Quezon City: The University of the Philippines Press.
Guillermo, A. (n.d.). Reading the Image.
(2019, February 15). Lupang Hinirang: Mga Kuwento ng Pagsasalugar ng UP Diliman.
Bulwagan ng Dangal University Heritage Museum.