Saan Ka Lulugar? (SKL) 2025

 SKL 2025: Seeking each place's memory markers for posterity

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte 

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts' (NCCA) committee on architecture and the allied arts celebrated National Arts Month in the cities of Davao and Digos, with workshops and walking tours to drumbeat this year's theme of "Ani ng Sining, Diwa at Damdamin."

Saan ka Lulugar (SKL) 2025, the committee's flagship project since 2021, is a thought-provoking celebration of the intertwined roles of the mind (diwa) and heart (damdamin) in shaping the Filipino identity and sense of place.

"Each place has its own story. We see them distinctly in houses on Crisologo Street in Vigan, in the ancestral houses of Lucban and Sariaya, and in the over half-a-century dwellings in Silay City, Occidental Negros," shared Commission of Architecture & Allied Arts head L/Archt. Cathe Desiree Nadal. The committee is comprised of architects, environmental planners, landscape architects, and interior designers.

With the dynamic synergy between thought and feeling (intellect and emotion) in defining where we are, an inter-generational approach to showcasing the role of Architecture and the Allied Arts can be achieved; truly bringing in our shared narrative in nation building.

SKL 2025 also serves as a platform for exploration of our intellectual understanding (mind) and emotional connections to the evolving concept of our home, through the lens of culture and the arts. The National Arts Month celebration brought together our nationhood by ideals through workshops, talks, and walking tours in Kublai Milan's Art Garden within the sprawling Mt. Apo National Park grounds.

It also seeks to highlight the value of the built environment, design, and creative expressions in reflecting our collective aspirations and challenges as a Filipino nation, as it aims to evoke a deeper understanding of how our built environment shapes and reflects the Pinoy spirit.

"The SKL flagship project aims to rectify mistakes in our search for our respective places and spots. These are the memory markers that have passed the test of time; including its history and environment and how we shaped them.

"This year, the 16 national museums around the country will host various art disciplines in their NAM celebrations. The National Museum Central in Manila, on the other hand, will host the Pasinaya festival celebration.

"Architecture is both an art and function; addressing the temporal and spiritual. The modern today becomes the heritage of tomorrow. That's why this year, the committee highlights the 1960s settler communities architecture in Davao," enthused National Museum of the Philippines director for Mindanao, Arvin Manuel Villalon, in his keynote speech during the SKL 2025 opening ceremonies in the Davao museum; with the building's exterior architecture approximating the spikes of the durian fruit.

L/Archt. Nadal gamely posed under the "Ahungan sa Panaghi-usa" (Gongs of Unity) ethic art installation on the museum's lobby. The one-ton, five piece installation work was created using fibers from abaca, the nito plant, and bamboo.

Overall, the SKL platform, which began in 2021, is a call to action to rethink our spaces; may it be physical, emotional, and cultural. Together, let us reimagine our roles in fostering unity, inclusivity, and a deeper appreciation of our shared heritage.