The ongoing “Philippines, archipel d’échanges” at the Musée du quai Branly in Paris is a milestone cultural and a historic first for assembling the largest collection of pre-Hispanic Philippine artifacts under one roof.
The exhibit made the front page of Le Monde after it opened. An extensive feature was carried in the French evening newspaper on the collection of Philippine artifacts which will be on display till mid-June of this year.
The collection of pre-Hispanic Philippine ethnographic art was sourced from public and private owners, who generously lent treasures from archaeological excavations to gold embellishments, textiles and basketry—all of which told a story of linguistic and religious diversity and artistic activity. Some were being shown publicly for the first time in Europe.
Big event
Opening night was a big event with French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Vice President Jejomar Binay leading the opening ceremonies. Invitations had been mailed a month in advance, which the 250 guests presented at the gate as a security measure.
The names were cross-checked against a master list as an added precaution, which seemed reasonable given the stature of the dignitaries present. What was difficult to enforce was the restriction on taking photographs while Prime Minister Ayrault was in attendance.
Even before his arrival, the Filipinos were happily recording the occasion with their cameras and mobile phones. There was a temporary regard for the prohibition when the French official’s entourage arrived with the Philippine Vice President, but as soon as they were onstage, the clicking merrily resumed.
Several compatriots braved the cold and wore the barong Tagalog, led by Binay himself. Others spotted in the national wear were Philippine Ambassador to Italy Virgilio Reyes, collector Jose Marie Treñas (who lent a few pieces of his artifact trove), artist Manuel Baldemor, National Museum director Jeremy Barnes and Edgardo Esteban of the Philippine Embassy in France.
Culinary culture proponent Claude Tayag sported a tribal woven cape over his shoulders, while collector Maricris Olbes, whose antique gold belt on display was part of The Golden Age of Cities section, had a stylized barong, which showed how versatile the apparel could be.
Filipiniana
Several ladies wore ternos, like Dr. Elenita Binay in a richly embroidered red ensemble; Philippine Ambassador to France Cristina Ortega in apple green; and Bangko Sentral Museum director Regina Cruz, who hand-carried the gold which the BSP loaned for the exhibition.
BSP director Fe de la Cruz and exhibition curator Cora Alvina chose versions of the kimono, while Aklan Provincial Tourism Council’s Victoria Antonino wore a baro’t saya. Philippine Consul to Monaco Patsy Zobel de Ayala was in a stylized Filipiniana long dress and proudly extolled the significance of the event.
“Not only has the embassy in Paris and our consulate in Monaco been working to strengthen French-Philippine relations, but we have also been trying to promote cultural understanding of the Philippines and its people,” she said.
“This exhibit will help to do just that among the many visitors of the museum. I am very proud of the richness of our culture, and I am so happy that we have the chance to have this made known and shown through such a widely encompassing exhibit and also through the events that will accompany it. This is indeed a very significant moment for us Filipinos!”
Site for cultural dialogue
Quai Branly Museum is well-regarded as a site for dialogue between cultures, particularly through indigenous art. Stéphane Martin, president of the museum, in his editorial said, “The archipelago of the Philippines lies precisely where the empires of Asia meet the cultures of the Pacific… The exhibition invites visitors to go back in history and travel through these islands, discovering the many facets of pre-Hispanic Philippine culture.”
He acknowledged the efforts of the curators, Constance de Monbrison, head of the Insular Southeast Asia collections at the Quai Branly Museum; and Metropolitan Museum director and anthropologist Cora Alvina, who worked together on the project.
Local cuisine
Besides the collection spread over 2,000 square meters of exhibit space, the guests were able to sample local culture through food prepared by Margarita Fores and her team. Agriculture Undersecretary Berna Romulo-Puyat organized the culinary experience to complement the art presentation.
Before the opening in the evening, there was sit-down lunch for 90 select guests who had played a significant part in putting the exhibition together. It had been a challenge to source the ingredients needed to create authentic Philippine flavors but Fores successfully pulled it off with aplomb.
The presentation was haute cuisine, right down to the table setting. The emptied soup bowls and cleaned-out plates were validations that both Filipino and French palates found the plated meal more than satisfactory.
It was a different spread during the evening reception, but nonetheless equally Epicurean. Besides the pass-around finger food, there were food stations where queues built up for the Davao Malagos goat cheese and Antipolo Cashew-Basil Pesto.
There were raves for the chicharon, which was prepared with a sweet sauce; and the crostini of liver pâté, santol and calamansi mostarda di frutta that had people coming back for more.
Musical entertainment
The Virlanie Children’s Choir performed special numbers to welcome Prime Minister Ayrault and sang for him again before he left. They traveled from the Philippines, accompanied by Dominique Lemay, a Frenchman who has helmed the Virlanie Homes Foundation in Manila for many years. The charity organization has been taking care of minors from marginalized communities in the metropolis.
During cocktails following the ceremonies, a band provided another kind of musical entertainment. The group called Kalayo worked vocals, percussions, drums, electric guitars and indigenous instruments to create a combination of rock and native sounds.
Their music rose from the Claude Levi-Strauss theater, a level below the reception area but contained within the same venue. It added to the festive atmosphere that continued till closing time.
The museum would reopen the following day and for three months after, giving the public what Stéphane Martin described as “an opportunity to discover [a] fascinating country.”
(More on the opening of the “Philippines, archipel d’échanges” in the June 2013 issue of Lifestyle Asia.)
