Exhibit resurrects ‘Badong’
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The Father of Theater Design rises again. Or at
least maquettes and photographs have immortalized his works designed and
produced by his creative mind.
In an exhibit currently curated at the grandiose
Sison Auditorium in Lingayen, Salvador ‘Badong’ Bernal, a national artist who
hailed from Salisay, Dagupan City, is resurrected through some of his numerous
designs during his four-decade career.
Brought to Pangasinan by the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP), the exhibit titled Badong
Designs the Stage features some maquettes of his stage designs for several
productions of various genres. Maquettes are small preliminary models, usually
of a sculpture or a building.
The exhibit is divided into four sections: symbol
which is the selection of the key metaphor that crystallized the director’s
interpretation of the dance or theater production; sources, the range of bases
from which Bernal drew his design concepts and styles; surfaces or the local
and inexpensive materials that he discovered and developed for the stage; and
space, Bernal’s successful experimentation with theater space and successful
solution to stage limitations.
Bernal was known for his usage of bamboo and
rattan in his stage designs.
Also on exhibit are some of the costumes used in
the productions he worked for such as Paglipas
ng Dilim, a sarswela in 1991, Romeo and Juliet, a drama in 1998, and a
1997 musical titled Lapu-Lapu which
is dubbed as “A Crest in Bernal’s Career.”
Chris B. Millado, CCP vice president, said that Badong was one of their longest running
exhibits, lasting up to four months. He added that it would be taken to 15
different sites throughout the country as part of CCP’s Lakbay Sining Program.
The eccentric Pangasinense artist, with more than
300 productions since his career began in 1969, organized the Philippine
Association of Theater Designers and Technicians in 1995. He was called the
“Father of Theater Design in the Philippines” and was recognized as National
Artist for Theater Design in 2003.
In April 2011, the Provincial Government of
Pangasinan bestowed upon Bernal an ASNA Balitok award. The ASNA Awards held
every year recognizes Pangasinenses who have excelled in their respective
fields.
Bernal died five months after.
Badong
Designs the Stage exhibit opened on Feb. 26 and will end on May 3. This is
part of the celebration of Agew na
Pangasinan on April 5 and of Pista’y
Dayat which will kick off in mid-April and will last till the first week of
May.
The exhibit is open from 8 am up to 5 pm daily. Entrance
fee costs P30 for students and P50 for adults. - EJ Dangla (FOCUS)
